Interviewer: Could you tell me a little bit about yourselves and when and why you first got into climbing?
Zhenya: My name is Zhenya and I started climbing last spring about one year ago. Eman, she introduced me to climbing, so I started to climb with her.
I: Very nice!
Eman: My name is Eman and I’m seventeen years old. I started climbing last March.
I: Did you both start at Crag X?
Z & E: Yes!
E: It’s the only place I go to.
I: [laughs] Super fair. They have really good routes here. I’ve been to a lot of the gyms on the island and I love the variety of styles here.
E: So many different levels.
I: Yes, absolutely. How did you start climbing in general?
E: There was this ICA [Intercultural Association of Victoria] belay lesson—the event was called “Try Climbing” and I’d never done it before, so I thought, “It’s a new thing, so why not?” I came and I did the belay lesson and I loved it. Everyone was so kind. I was scared at first because I never came here and, you know, the walls are so high, but then slowly people taught me how to climb and I started doing it more and more.
I: That’s awesome, that’s really lovely. You guys met through high school?
Z: Yeah! And then she just said, “Oh, do you want to go rock climb?” and I said, “Okay!”. I was so scared of the walls at first, but I’ve tried climbing before in Ukraine—the country I’m from—but it was really fun to try it here.
I: What did you like about it when you first tried it?
Z: I liked that I could touch the finish hold and it felt really nice when I was bouldering, too. I was a bit scared when I was doing the auto-belay—
I: I still am, honestly.
Z: Yeah! The fall was scary. I just kept trying new kinds of levels.
E: For me, as a person with no athletic background and who had never tried climbing before, I liked it because no matter where you are at, there is always something for you. And it’s not just physical, but it’s also so mental. Sometimes you think you can’t do it and then your friends cheer you on and you actually finish it, which is awesome. What I like about it is that you can come into the gym feeling sad or something and then when you walk out, you’ve forgotten about the small problems, you know? It’s physical, it’s super fun, and you get to socialise, exercise, and have fun all at once!
I: Totally agree. Sometimes when you come in here, you have that bad first climb, maybe, so the next climb after feels like “Oh, I can’t do it…” and I find that those are often the climbs that you finish out of nowhere.
E: Exactly, the hardest ones.
Z: It feels very good!
I: That sense of accomplishment is great. How about styles of climbing? Do you prefer bouldering, or tope rope, etc.?
E: I think top rope.
Z: I don’t really do bouldering because it’s still very scary for me, but I like doing auto belays because I feel like, “Oh, I have to finish this!” and I have more motivation to actually finish it.
I: Haha, I’ve not really thought of it that way. You don’t really want to fall before you’re ready on an auto-belay.
Z: Yes. I just feel like, “No, I have to finish it!” because if not I will fall and I don’t want to start over again.
I: Have either of you ever done outdoor climbing before?
Z: I watched some people doing it and I think it’s super scary and very different from indoors, but I think I would like to try it someday.
E: Yeah, me as well.
I: It is definitely very scary and very different. One thing that stood out to me when I first climbed outside is that, of course, the holds aren’t coloured—
E&Z: [laugh]
I: —it’s not something you think about until you’re on the rock and you’re like, “Wait…”
E: “Where do I put my hands?”
I: Exactly! “Where do my feet go? The rock’s not… bright yellow…”. But it’s worth it. Still has that same sense of accomplishment. Plus, you get to be outside, which is nice! [To Zhenya] So you’re said you’re from the Ukraine—what style of climbing did you try while you were there?
Z: We had the same type of place, this one is just bigger: it has bigger walls, more options to climb. We didn’t have bouldering there, just [top rope]. I just tried it two or three times, but here I started climbing consistently.
I: That’s great! What brought you to Victoria?
Z: I came here with my family to leave Ukraine and study.
I: [To Eman] Have you been here for a long time as well?
E: About six years.
I: Nice. I’ve been here around 11 years myself. Where did you move from?
E: Jordan, in the Middle East.
I: Did you do any climbing there?
E: No. It’s not really common, people don’t really do it there.
I: Oh okay, I see! I’m glad you got to try it out here. So, for the future of your climbing, do you have any specific goals?
E: To just continue with it! I don’t want to stop.
Z: I’d like to increase my level of climbing. And I really want to try those climbs with super thin rocks. They’re so hard to hold. For me the hardest part is just to hold the rocks. I want to use my legs more than my hands because I feel like I am more like a beginner now. And to just climb more, that’s my goal.
I: Sounds like perfect goals to me! Anything else you’d like to bring up in specific?
E: I’d like to thank the staff here and the ICA organisers who gave us this opportunity to try climbing. It’s a very expensive sport that many people like us wouldn’t be able to afford. Thanks to them we’re able to come here and try this.
Z: Yes, I also really want to thank them. This is a really good opportunity for me to try something new and I think I wouldn’t be able to afford it without them—you know, harnesses and shoes…
I: That’s awesome. I’m really happy for you two that you got to experience it and that you fell in love with the sport. Thanks so much for talking to me!
E: Thank you!
Z: Thank you for interviewing us!
