Making the Most of Summer's Last Days

Hello Dragonwing friends! Recently my rock climbing team had a friendly - and super fun -- competition hosted by our gym. I ended up taking 5th out 10 people, which wasn't my best but still good. Dragonwing Teen Ambassador Madi rock climbing at gym Summer has been flying by way too quickly. By the time you read this, I'll be back in school! I've been shopping like crazy getting school clothes and supplies, but I'm most excited to wear my Dragonwing Racer Sports Bra because it's the most comfy one I own! I made the best of my last days of summer break by climbing more and enjoying swimming and hiking. A couple of weeks ago, I invited a friend to go camping with my family and do a 12 mile hike. We both loved it! We passed 3 beautiful lakes and a bunch of mini waterfalls on our way to the top. Dragonwing Teen Ambassador Madi & friend next to lake in Colorado mountains This summer has treated me so great that I'm fine with it ending because there's not much I didn't accomplish. Until next time, when I'm in school! What were some of YOUR favorite summer memories? Leave a comment!

Rock Climbing Comps & Coaches

Wow, time has sure flown by! It's hard to believe that this is my sixth blog post as a Dragonwing girlgear Ambassador! For the last month, every weekend has been filled with rock climbing competitions. My latest competition was super fun even though I had a cold, which left me with little energy. In that comp, I managed to flash my top 5. A "flash" is where you climb to the top of the wall with no falls or other attempts. As you can see from the photo, I'm still wearing my Un-Dee Mini Workout Shorts! Dragonwing Ambassador Madi with rock climbing coaches at competition A couple of weeks ago, I had a little meltdown at rock climbing class. I was doubting myself, thinking "I can't do that" and "I haven't progressed." Eventually I shed a couple of tears. My coaches were so helpful and supportive and really helped me through that horrible mental block. They are amazing. The weather here in Colorado has started to get chilly, but that doesn't bother me. I love the cold weather because I can get into a fuzzy blanket and drink hot chocolate! Another reason I love winter is because I love skiing and snowboarding. I have been a snowboarder for a while but last winter tried out skiing and loved it! I'm looking forward to more fun in the snow this winter. Leave a comment and tell me about your favorite winter sport or activity.

Hiking, Camping & Rock Climbing (oh my!)

The first week of July was the best of the summer yet! My sister Savannah had a horse show last week. My family and I camped at the show in our camper for the whole week! While we were there, we swam until our fingers turned into raisins. Later, we walked around the town and, of course, watched her show. After the show, we had one more day before we had to leave. On that last day, we were daring (and maybe a bit crazy) and took a hike with nothing! It wasn't a smart decision on our part but luckily it was only a half mile. My Dragonwing Half-Tee Sports Top was great under my tank top.
My Dragonwing Half-Tee Sports Top was great for my July hike in the mountains.
On 4th of July weekend, our family decided to go hiking again and be prepared. This time, it was a four-mile hike, and we ventured off into another trail once we finished the first one. That night, we watched fireworks and all had the best sleep ever. J  During our trip, I was away from rock climbing for a week, and I'm so glad to have started back up again. We started the week with hangboard and a big workout. This is a great summer already! What have YOU been doing?

Summer Fun

My school year ended on May 28. Our last day was a Student Appreciation Day where the students played outside and danced. I’m so happy school is out, and I've got a summer-long break from waking up early and doing homework every night. One of my favorite parts of 7th grade was a class trip to the Wildlife Sanctuary. We got flooded super bad, but we bonded with each other a lot. One of my least favorite parts of 7th grade was PARCC testing. But on to summer! My family is planning to spend a lot of time visiting my cousins in Nebraska and camping. As for right now, I've had lots of summer fun already -- going to the Mint and swimming a lot! What are you doing this summer? Tell me in the comments. Dragonwing teen ambassador Madi and sister jumping into pool

Introducing Madi, Dragonwing Ambassador

Hi Dragonwing girls! I'm Madi, a new Dragonwing girlgear ambassador. Let me tell you about myself! Dragonwing girlgear ambassador Madi First off all, I'm currently in the 7th grade and am heading into 8th. One of my favorite subjects is social studies. I feel this is an odd subject to like because most people say it's boring, but it's just so interesting to me. While school is important, many other things are important to me, such as rock climbing. Rock climbing is my passion and I know I will never give it up. Rock climbing is my passion Another thing I do is snowboard and ski in the winter time. I've tried both and like them just the same. A funny story with skiing is the first time I tried (3 months ago), I cried the whole way down the bunny hill! But after that I became better than my mom. Since my family and I live in Colorado, winter is pretty intense for us and most everybody. That means skiing and snowboarding is what my weekend consists of for about 4 months. When summer rolls around, when my dog Roosevelt and I run around the neighborhood like crazy. Roosevelt is a Black Lab and about 6 years old. He is literally the best dog in the world to me. My family and I love to go camping, but sadly our dog is a little too wild to come with us. But it's still super fun. In the summer, I also ride my horse Sugar, who's 10 years old. In the future, I hope we get to know each other more, but this is just a snippet of my life as an introduction. If you have any questions or ideas, leave a comment. And if you don't want to miss any future Sideline Chatter updates, subscribe by entering your email on the right.

Climbing Competitions & the Power of Smiling

It's September already!! The summer was one of the best and, sadly, the shortest. I'm so glad I've had the opportunity to be part of Dragonwing girlgear, an amazing company that supports active girls like me and many others. If you're interested in becoming an Ambassador, leave a comment or send an email. I'm an 8th grader this year and super excited with the start of the school year and with ABS season for climbing. I've already had my first local comp and it was a blast! I placed 8 out of 15 but tried a majority of the problems they set. (My Un-Dee Mini Workout Shorts are great for climbing!) Dragonwing teen ambassador Madi in rock climbing competition My next competitions are coming up very quickly and I can't wait for them. On September 26 - this weekend! -- is another comp of mine, a Youth American Ninja Warrior competition! That will be super exciting, and I hope my mom will catch some great photos to share. Subscribe to this blog so you won't miss them! In climbing class, we've just finished our endurance phase, which is always the hardest, and now we're hopping into the strength phase. This season, our coaches are challenging and helping us a lot. One of my coaches taught us a "centering" technique that helps if you're nervous or anxious at a comp or class. One of the strategies was smiling! That may sound weird, but smiling (just moving your face into a smile) usually makes you feel better in a stressful situation even if you don't have a "real" reason to smile. Try it! That's all for now. Until my next post, remember to smile! Dragonwing teen ambassador stress relief strategy is smile