Lamentably, the iPhone does not have a flash, so indoor shots are generally blurry and dark, but at this event, there were so many professional photogs surrounding the subject that I was able to steal this incredible moment.
First off, let me introduce the subject, Sydney McNair, one of the top female climbers in the country. She is competing here in the US Nationals, Open Women's Finals, engaging in a physical feat normal humans can barely imagine. Less than two seconds before this isolated moment, Sydney's hands were firmly planted on the "holds", or small protrusions of rock, five feet below her hand-holds in this photo.
Imagine her body clutching the wall in a squatting position, hands and feet securely positioned, legs tense, ready to spring. Then, a breathtaking instant later, she is lithely sailing through the air with arms outstretched, lunging upwards and backwards in a graceful arc. Finally, with smooth confidence, her hands connect with the holds several feet away, fluidly altering her trajectory, swinging her legs in a complete semi-circle away from the rock, in an acrobatic dance with gravity.
The crowd goes wild, the cheers thundering in a surging wall of sound, punctuated only by the brilliant flashes from cameras in every direction, illuminating this moment of joyful chaos.
This was my true introduction to climbing, as a competitive sport. Yes, my 9-yr old daughter competed at Nationals that year, which was thrilling for me as a parent. But to see athletes of Sydney's caliber, gracefully defying the laws of gravity, inciting a huge fanatical crowd of cheering spectators in this MTV-style MC/DJ extravaganza, was nothing short of exhilarating.
*photo taken with iPhone 3G, edited with Photogene App, using Crop, Filter (Sharpen and Effect-b/w), Color Adjust (Levels and Exposure), and Frames. This is definitely an iPhone Must-Have App!
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