To the Editors:

EXTREME, OFF-THE-WALL, ULTIMATE. There’s a new vocabulary on campus these days. I thought Extreme meant radical, beyond normal limits. Ultimate meant farthest, most remote.

Off-The-Wall in my day meant that something was unusual or weird. Drive Me Up The Wall or Climbing The Wall meant being frustrated
and upset. Today, at Oberlin College, we have EXTREME and ULTIMATE Sports Enthusiasts in reference to Extreme climbers and Ultimate Frisbee players.

The new climbing wall, located in the north lobby of Philips, was dedicated Sept. 20, 2003. So-o-o today students are Climbing The Wall, and I WAS THERE!

Sir Edmund Hillary scaled Mt. Everest in 1953. I heard his son, Peter, also a climber, talk about his many climbing adventures. Doing a climb takes months of training and preparations.

Is it a ‘sport’ not for the faint of heart? Well, this activity is now a sport, as realized in reading about all the Climbing Walls sprouting-up in schools, Health Clubs, Gyms, Town-owned Walls, plus learning about Climbing Clubs and competitions.

What’s the reason for interest in this “sport?” Was it similar to the phrase in the movie, Field of Dreams, “...build it and they will come!”

A Climbing Wall comes in many sizes, shapes, and materials. It is not gender or physique-specific, so anyone can participate at his or her own level.

Hand and Foot moveable holds are bolted to the wall, with various color tags, in corrrespondence to the level of difficulty, to follow per route. A partner is always required to be the belayer: to hold the line and to be able to belay or to stop progress of a climber when necessary.

Using a Climbing Wall is sort of like connecting-the-dots to reach a goal. This whole scenario sounds to me like life.

When facing a challenge, one must take small handholds and steps to advance to larger challenges, and yet always accept assistance from family and teachers, following guidelines and training for the ultimate goal. So, go for it, students!

–Pat Cobb Tarnow
OC ’49
Executive Board Member
Alumni Association