AWOL Apologies and a Personal Simcha

Children Of Israel Are Never Alone

Hey, beloved tribe.

I’m so sorry I’ve been AWOL since last Friday. Last year, I took the month of August off to support my daughter through Youth Nationals and Youth World (she’s a competitive climber).

Thankfully for me, the IFSC eliminated half the youth divisions that are eligible to compete in World this year. All of them went last year; this year, only two of the four are allowed to go. More specifically, no matter how well an athlete does in the two divisions that have been eliminated, they still can’t go to World. They changed the rules for whatever mysterious reason and I am not sorry.

So this year, she knew going into Nationals that it would be the last competition of her youth career. This raised the stakes like no other competition she’s ever done. Whatever her goals were for this era of her climbing life, this was her very last chance to realize them. I can’t describe the tension of knowing this, as her mom. For the sake of her own happiness and peace of mind, which is inextricably woven into her feelings about her own climbing performances, I wanted her to finish strong and leave for college in a good head space.

I should have had the foresight to take this week off from work in advance. Nationals is a verrrrrry grueling event that begins on June 26 and ends on July 2. And as physically exhausting as it is — complete with a 5:30 a.m. alarms in order to be in ISO(lation) by 7:00 am, and evening rounds that last as late as past 11 pm — it is emotionally even more so. It takes everything out of me.

The good news: I am grateful to the marrow of my bones that my daughter is having the best National competition of her life (it’s her 5th time competing on the national level).

As of Saturday evening, she is the Youth National Champion in her division in Lead Climbing: an utterly surreal outcome to me.

And as of this afternoon, for the first time ever, she is also a Youth National Finalist in Bouldering, which is not her primary discipline.

Bouldering Finals are tonight and we won’t leave the gym until close to midnight.

I’ll be real: I will likely need a day to recover. For me, this event means interminable days, near-sleepless nights, and a level of tension that is unremitting, tying knots in my stomach and at the back of my neck.

I have a long list of things I want to write about that have been piling up. I promise I will get to them all, even if not as soon as I wanted to.

Come hell or high water, I will write a newsletter on Friday.

In the meantime, here are a few of my favorite photos from Nationals:

I have a dream that someday, she’ll climb in the Maccabi Games, or maybe even — if this country continues on its current trajectory — Team Israel.

In the meantime, fierce love to you all.

I will be back on Friday.

Am Yisrael Chai.