About 70 of us from the Pinnacle Club - the
UK’s only rock climbing club for women - gathered in Langdale to celebrate its
centenary. There was a fascinating exhibition in Sticklebarn which brought
to life the experience and expeditions of the original members after the First
World War, many of whom made first female ascents around the world.
Climbing can still have a bit of a macho feel
these days, so can you imagine the hurdles, discouragement and prejudice that
these fearless women must have faced in 1921. Women were very much a minority in the outdoors one hundred years ago,
let alone climbing!
Those
early female climbers were true pioneers, all pushing the boundaries with
remarkable grit and guts. The determination and resilience they must have
had is inspiring. I was struck by one of the climbers quotes in the compilation
film which said, “It did teach me that when you think you’ve reached the end
of your endurance, you haven’t.” Given the experience of the last 18
months, we can all take something from that. We may not have had to endure
exactly the same challenges as these women did, but in our own ways, we have
all had to dig deep into our reserves of energy and
resolve just to get through the pandemic.
We still need to show that climbing is not an
elitist club for hot shot climbers, and we absolutely need to encourage more
diversity as it’s still a very white activity in this country, but we’ve come a
long way. A steady climb up but we’re not near the top yet. The diversity gap
is not going to magically disappear, but there are lots of initiatives to
encourage more ethnic groups to participate. For example, there’s a climbing
group in Greater Manchester supporting BAME women called Wanderlust
Women.
And climbing is in the Olympics for first
time ever, which is fantastic. 40 climbers from all around the globe will
be battling it out across three climbing disciplines of speed, lead and
bouldering on the world's most watched wall of the year.
Of
course only a few can ever achieve the dizzy heights of Olympians, but if
we want to see stories of inspiration, joy, heartbreak, determination,
strength of character, disappointment and pride, there is no better source than
the Olympics. It’s called the ‘Greatest Show on Earth’ for a reason and again,
like the Pinnacle Club pioneers, we can be uplifted by it for our own stuff.
Just take Tom Daley
for example. His victory
has inspired the strongest emotions across the nation since the Olympics
started. All the hope, disappointment and despair Tom had endured these
past 13 years was cleansed with his wonderful Tokyo gold. His tears on
the podium reflected his long march to Olympic glory - and my, how joyous we
all were for him.
Life
never unfolds smoothly for any of us, and the way in which Tom Daley sealed his
victory with his diving partner Matty Lee, with a series of stunning and
seemingly nerveless dives, spoke of his resilience and tenacity. His achievement owes much to a remarkable resolve that's also helped
overcome struggles away from the pool.
Yes, I know the pandemic has wreaked havoc on
Olympians wellbeing as well as training schedules, and many medal hopes have
been dashed because of the strain, but they are still an inspirational story of
endurance and hope. The triumphs are proving
bigger than the empty stadiums. And after so
long in darkness, it’s magical to watch.
They have a set of impressive values
- honesty, teamwork, respect, self-belief, passion and fortitude. And show us that, if at first you
don’t succeed, you can try again and that passion can take you far if you want
something enough.
We can take our own hope and inspiration for
our own achievements. And, like Tom Daley, we can dig deep about things we feel
strongly about with that determination burning brightly. Our achievements might
not be as exceptional as an Olympic gold medal, but they are still mighty.
Best wishes
Claire
You can follow me on Twitter @ClaireMolloy2
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