Warped Master!

Troy finally made it up the warp wall in ninja class today! He touched the bar a couple of times (which was a milestone in and of itself), but on his third and ultimately final attempt, he finally was able to grab it and hang on. As he dangled from the bar, making no attempt to try to pull himself up, I thought to myself, “Oh no, he’s just going to let go.” Which would have been okay. Like I said, just grabbing the bar was a milestone of its own accord. But Coach Earl ran up the wall next to Troy, and encouraged him to keep going, placing his hand under Troy’s armpit and giving him a little shove.

That’s when something miraculous happened. Troy actually started trying to pull himself up. As the coach talked him through it, Troy propped first one elbow on top of the wall, then the other. His confidence and determination grew with each movement. Instead of giving up as his little body strained with the effort, he dug deep to find the extra power he needed. Then, he swung a knee up, and then the other, and over the top of the wall he went. He slowly stood up and pushed the buzzer at the top for the first time. An accomplishment two years in the making.

He encountered a little setback after that. The warped wall is ten feet off the ground, and as he looked out over the edge and across the gym, he panicked from the height. He moved back into the corner and refused to move. Coach Earl had to climb up and carry him down, where I was waiting to give him a hug. I don’t blame him. I probably would have had the heebie-jeebies too. I just hope this doesn’t stop him from trying to climb up it again. Now that he knows how, and more importantly that he can do it, I hope he does it again, each time with more confidence. I’m so proud of our little man!