thedrifter
07-31-07, 06:42 AM
Strength, endurance and mental control are all part of coping with the tough physical challenges of being a Marine. One way several Marines of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit have been reinforcing these characteristics during their off time is by tackling the local rock climbing gym here while bringing their skills and challenges to new heights.
These climbers are ‘getting their grip on’ at the Okinawa Yamaacha Climbing Gym, an indoor rock climbing gym, which has several walls formatted to match any physical, mental or technical skill level.
Corporal Micah Hebert, a signals intelligence operator with the MEU, says his love for climbing began on Marine Corps Base Hawaii two years ago where he would explore Hawaii’s precipitous landscape.
“I stuck with climbing ever since then,” said Hebert, a native of Cutoff, La. “It’s an extremely challenging activity, but at the same time, it’s relaxing. I find my Zen and feel at peace with my surroundings.”
For Sgt. Ava Jones, a signals analyst with the MEU, other than the physical strain and mental challenge, the climbing allows her to overcome her fear of heights.
“It’s a thrill and a great way to spend your free time,” said Jones, a native of San Mateo, Calif. “I plan on doing this every weekend.”
Hebert, who recently arrived on island, said that once he settled in, he headed straight for the climbing gym with his friends. From then on, rock climbing became one of their priorities here. The joy of hugging walls and boulders has enabled them to replenish their need to “reach the top.”
The gym is in an old, concrete building near Kadena Air Base. Inside, walls stand straight up to the ceiling of the four-story building, some vertical and others tilted slightly inward.
All the walls are mounted with rocks of different shapes, marked with tape in various colors. Some of the rocks are climber-friendly, easy to grab onto, while others are much smaller with narrow handholds.
The walls are covered with different colors of tapes indicate the difficulty levels of climbing. While yellow may be the easiest, black can be the hardest route.
On a recent visit, Lance Cpl. Brian Sullizan, a morse code intercept operator with the MEU, would test his ascending skills on a wall in a corner of the building. Taxingly stretching his extremities and searching for holds, he managed to scale the wall to the top.
After several tries, he figured out that it is not mere muscle that takes a climber to the top, but balance, technique and the distribution of strength.
“I loved it,” said Sullizan, a native of Dothan, Ala. “At first, I thought, it would be easy, but once I began climbing, my arms and legs began to cramp up. That’s when I realized that it was much harder than it seemed.”
“This is definitely something I can enjoy,” he said as the others agreed that it’s a sport for anyone.
The indoor rock climbing is popular among many of the service members on island here because compared with outdoor climbing, scaling walls under a controlled environment is considered much safer, and the gym is more suitable with all the equipment included in the admission fee.
These climbers are ‘getting their grip on’ at the Okinawa Yamaacha Climbing Gym, an indoor rock climbing gym, which has several walls formatted to match any physical, mental or technical skill level.
Corporal Micah Hebert, a signals intelligence operator with the MEU, says his love for climbing began on Marine Corps Base Hawaii two years ago where he would explore Hawaii’s precipitous landscape.
“I stuck with climbing ever since then,” said Hebert, a native of Cutoff, La. “It’s an extremely challenging activity, but at the same time, it’s relaxing. I find my Zen and feel at peace with my surroundings.”
For Sgt. Ava Jones, a signals analyst with the MEU, other than the physical strain and mental challenge, the climbing allows her to overcome her fear of heights.
“It’s a thrill and a great way to spend your free time,” said Jones, a native of San Mateo, Calif. “I plan on doing this every weekend.”
Hebert, who recently arrived on island, said that once he settled in, he headed straight for the climbing gym with his friends. From then on, rock climbing became one of their priorities here. The joy of hugging walls and boulders has enabled them to replenish their need to “reach the top.”
The gym is in an old, concrete building near Kadena Air Base. Inside, walls stand straight up to the ceiling of the four-story building, some vertical and others tilted slightly inward.
All the walls are mounted with rocks of different shapes, marked with tape in various colors. Some of the rocks are climber-friendly, easy to grab onto, while others are much smaller with narrow handholds.
The walls are covered with different colors of tapes indicate the difficulty levels of climbing. While yellow may be the easiest, black can be the hardest route.
On a recent visit, Lance Cpl. Brian Sullizan, a morse code intercept operator with the MEU, would test his ascending skills on a wall in a corner of the building. Taxingly stretching his extremities and searching for holds, he managed to scale the wall to the top.
After several tries, he figured out that it is not mere muscle that takes a climber to the top, but balance, technique and the distribution of strength.
“I loved it,” said Sullizan, a native of Dothan, Ala. “At first, I thought, it would be easy, but once I began climbing, my arms and legs began to cramp up. That’s when I realized that it was much harder than it seemed.”
“This is definitely something I can enjoy,” he said as the others agreed that it’s a sport for anyone.
The indoor rock climbing is popular among many of the service members on island here because compared with outdoor climbing, scaling walls under a controlled environment is considered much safer, and the gym is more suitable with all the equipment included in the admission fee.