Blinking Comp...

This past weekend we went to Philadelphia, for the Winter Burn.  This was the sixth annual Winter Burn, hosted by the Philadelphia Rock Gym. The energy was high as people placed their pride on the line, grabbed the starting v and pushed their personal limits.

Competitions are energy.  They are a storing of excitement the day before.  The energy reaches critical mass on Saturday and it explodes into crimps, dynos and lock offs.  Sunday is recovery spent stretching sore muscles, laughing about botched beta and smiling about sends.  Just like electricity through than outlet the energy of a comp moves at the blink of an eye.

Friday night I was sitting and bull shitting with people at Metro Rock, soon I'm in the back seat of a car hauling ass through the never ending tolls of Mass.  I am quiet the nights before competitions.  My brain runs in slow motion, mainly doing a running inventory of how my muscles feel.  All the energy is introverted.  Nate and Kate keep the music flowing and my vision changes from the tolls to the forgotten factories of Hartford. I rub the sleep from my eyes and the worrying energy from my brain as New York's skyline races by the windows.  Jersey slogs by and soon we are at the hotel room.  Closing my eyes and trying to capture my pulse, the night ends.

Blink my eyes open and search for my glasses.  The world comes into focus and my energy changes.  It is comp day.  Breakfast and conversation, my mood has changed.  I am amped for this day.

The competition is in the late afternoon so the morning slowly fades into time killing.  My eyes adjust to a chalked filled gym as future crushers scale problems with grades higher than their age.  Registration is over and the rules are being yelled through a crowded gym.  There is limited space to warm up and soon I find myself on a harder seven for my "confidence booster."  I squint through gritted teeth and the crux is easier than I anticipated.  Judges sign my score card and it's time to crush.

Blink, I'm falling off a problem I need to get for finals.

Blink, I've just flashed a 10 and my finals hopes are alive again.

Blink, I can't stick this dyno, try again and my eyes shut tight as I hurdle towards the ground.

Qualifiers end and then I wait, this energy is awful, doubt mixed with hope, sadness mixed with excitement.  It swings like the blade of a pendulum.  The announcer voice cracks through the microphone and I close my eyes.  My name is called and my goal of reaching finals has been realized.

Blink, I'm in isolation, joking with other competitors.

Blink, I'm being walked out to the chair.

Blink, I am blowing the chalk off my hands and starting the first problem.

Men's number one had a dyno to start, leading into slopey crimps with desperate heel hooks to a giant volume.  My first attempt I screw up the beta and fall half way up.  I squint my eyes and shake my head as each subsequent dyno fails.  With a minute left, I visualize and stick the move.  I'm one move from the finishing jug when my hands slips off the giant volume.

Finals Problem #1 (The Moment...)

My eyes close in the fear of the fall.  I feel a thud on my head and then a violent crunch in my neck as my head-first fall is stopped by a would be spotters knee.

Blink, I can't blink the pain away.

Blink, it's still there, but now there are stars in my vision. I stand up.

Blink, I'm on my back and somebody is asking me questions.

I feel like I'm going to puke, I can't really see and I am dizzy.  Somebody walks me to a chair and I try to make my body and brain play nice together.  Deep breaths, close my eyes and head shake and I'm on to men's number two.  There are some hard crimp moves through the bottom, but my body can't figure out what to do.  I want my hand to close harder and my leg to press, but my brain says this in greek, while my body is deaf.  The energy is too high, I can't quit, I need to climb.  The energy pushes me back on again and I reach a big move, as I get set to throw, the stars in my vision are back.  The hold is probably three feet long, but I can't see it all...all I see are stars.  I blink, then throw.  I hit the ground and stumble my way to the trash can.  A small amount of vomit and a couple of dry heaves and I know I have a concussion.  

Blink, I'm sitting in the lobby while the comps goes on.

Blink, don't fall asleep Nique.

Blink, Nique don't fall asleep.

The night's energy fades and I find myself sitting in random places, watching the world move past me as if I am under water.  People's voices are muffled and I keep searching my brain for motor functions when I need to do a simple task. I grab a ride from Boof and Raff and with a blink of an eye I am at home in bed, where I am finally allowed to sleep.

Blink, I wake up.

Blink, my neck is killing me.

Blink, I can feel the energy building for the dark horse...