My mom just reminded me to think about the postive, not the negative, so I am going to begin this blog right.

This weekend I flew to Italy to attend the prestigious Arco Rock Legend Award Ceremony, for which I was nominated to win alongside the incredibly talented and noteworthy Adam Ondra, Daniel Woods, Dave Graham, and Iker Pou. I am honored just to be considered on the same platform as these figures in the sport.

Well, I am even more honored and so incredibly appreciative to the international jury to have elected me as the “2012 Rock Legend” for worldwide outdoor climbing.

=] =] =]

In addition to this award, I was invited to compete in the international sport climbing competition the following day. Leading up to the event I had pain in my tendon, but I took some time off from climbing the preceding days and hoped that this would ease the pain. Unfortunately, during the semifinal round I felt a sharp pang trigger in my left hand as I grabbed for an undercling on the route. My hand all of a sudden refused to close. Mentally I was holding on but physically my hand could not. While I had performed well enough to still make the finals, I knew that competing would only exacerbate the problem further.

I pulled from the competition and instead went to the medic and have begun routinely icing and preparing to recover. When I return to the US I will go for an MRI and an Eco or Ultrasound for a closer look at what was before an acutely ruptured tendon. I am motivated to see this recovery process through so that I can return in full strength, but unfortunately at this point I do not know what this requires; whether I can still travel to Paris in 10 days for the next competition, or not. I will keep you all posted and I appreciate all of your kind words of support. =]

After all... a smile is easier than a frown! Now I will begin my studies again and hope for the best results in recovering, school, and climbing soon!