Last Saturday’s Grand Opening party for Oaktown Boulders was the first time many of my friends and family found out that I was opening a gym.
Throughout all the many steps it took to get to the Grand Opening of OTB, I was hesitant to tell anyone about what I was doing. There were the very real fears of ‘what if it doesn’t work out and everyone sees me fail’, and ‘what if people think it’s a bad idea’, but there was also something more deeply rooted than that. Climbing means so much to me and sharing it is so personal that my biggest fear of all was, ‘what if I offer the best part of myself to the world — and no one wants it?’
Creating what is now Oaktown Boulders, I had a lot of ways to distract myself with the tasks that had to get done to build the gym. Now that it was all done and I had to expose it to the world, there was nothing left to hide behind.
When the first guests — Nick and Warren — arrived, I was nervous and full of anxious excitement. Though you may not have realized it at the time, your enthusiasm for the space really meant a lot to me, and gave me a huge sense of relief.
As the night continued and more and more of you showed up, your support, excitement, and encouragement slowly eroded my anxiety. You all totally blew away my expectations by donating $1,000 for our kids programs and I felt so humbled that you came from all over the peninsula to show your support.
I had come into the night full of unknowns, and thanks to you, I left feeling hope for the future. Hope for creating a space that will make everyone feel welcome, hope for building a community that will support one another, and hope for learning how to just have fun together.
Here’s me talking about the journey of building this gym. I’m wearing what Michelle calls my “fancy” shirt because I always wear it when I want to look nice.
Thanks to everyone who came and climbed!
Furry friends are welcome too!
Shoutout to Nick: our first guest of the night and future Olympian rock climber.