Climbers short of funds, high on enthusiasm

Climbers short of funds, high on enthusiasm

By Chris Brummitt

JAKARTA (JP): "There has been a disaster." Such was the news
on Tuesday morning at the headquarters of the Indonesian Rock
Climbing Federation (FPTI), located in a quiet street in South
Jakarta. "Kardi was robbed on the bus last night from Yogyakarta.
US$400, S$350 and Rp 1 million, all her traveling expenses are
gone," said Rosyid.

Later that night Evi "Kardi" Nellywati, Eta Henderwati and
Nurachman Rosyid, along with three others, were set to fly to
Thailand to take part in the Asian qualifying round of the Xtreme
Games. Not the best time then to get your wallet stolen. People
say in Indonesia that there is always a way, and so there proved
to be in this instance. A few frantic phone calls later, and with
the help of some kindhearted friends, a relieved Kardi announced
she could go.

In Indonesia, as elsewhere, there are two sides to rock
climbing. Wall climbing that takes place on man-made walls, and
traditional rock climbing on cliffs, crags and mountain faces.

The two are of course related, and it is rare to find a wall
climber who has never climbed on real rocks. However the latter
requires a commitment that the former does not: A fall high up a
mountain cliff can have serious consequences, whereas even a
spectacular looking fall on a climbing wall is rarely, if ever,
dangerous.

The development of rock climbing in Indonesia, particularly
wall climbing, has been overseen by FPTI since its inception in
1988. The federation now has branches in every province in
Indonesia with the exception of West Kalimantan and East Nusa
Tenggara.

Kurnia Bhakti, the current general secretary, has been with
the organization since its early days. Now 37, and the father of
one child, he was one of the first climbers to put up routes on
one of Indonesia's bigger cliffs, the imposing 400 meter high
Gunung Parang in Purwakarta.

The organization receives no regular funding -- Kurnia said
his work with FPTI was more "social work than anything else". His
enthusiasm for the sport, and for the organization which he
chairs, is obvious.

Wall climbing is the most popular branch of climbing in
Indonesia -- there are an estimated 40 plus man-made walls in
Jakarta alone, most of which are hidden away on campuses. Kurnia
explained the reasons for this are mostly financial. Top prizes
in domestic climbing competitions can reach Rp 1 million, while
for those athletes who are good enough to compete overseas,
anything up to US$5,000. Understandably, climbers who have
invested in the basic gear needed for climbing (a pair of special
rubber shoes and a harness) are keen to see a return.

Competitions take place regularly across the country mostly on
university campuses or in town squares. They make a good
spectacle and they often attract hundreds of people, though
Kurnia says that he is "not yet brave enough to charge people to
watch them".

Those competitors who catch the bug seriously can spend upward
of half the year traveling from one competition to another, often
sleeping under the wall itself and living on whatever prize money
they can get. Each climber has only one chance to prove his
ability; one slip low down on the wall and they get to spend the
rest of the competition wondering what might have been.

Eta and Rosyid were as relieved as Kardi that she could go to
Thailand. They have spent many hours training together in
Yogyakarta, where they currently live. Kardi, like thousands of
other young people from all over the country, went to Jogya to
study from her hometown of Lampung, South Sumatra, while Eta and
Rosyid are both Jogya natives.

Eta is one of Indonesia's top women climbers, and can compete
on equal terms with many of the males as well. Her size and
slight frame mean that her massive upper-body strength is not
immediately apparent.

She has recently started wearing a Muslim head scarf, and when
asked if this was for ever, she smiles and says, "If God wills
it, yes. I can still compete in it, and more importantly still
win wearing it. Maybe I'll be the only won wearing one in
Thailand."

She was born in 1975 and is one of seven children. She started
climbing in 1993 and quickly became "addicted". She remembers,
"the first time I was frightened and confused, but then I
immediately wanted to try again". She had to overcome initial
parental disapproval -- "Why did you pick such a dangerous
sport?" -- though their attitude changed when Eta started
bringing home medals. By 1995 she had achieved her first success,
in a national competition in Jakarta.

Since then she has represented Indonesia all over Asia,
including Iran and China, and has competed in the Xtreme games
finals in America twice. She admits to finding America
bewildering and the people "individualistic and only concerned
with their own business". Rosyid, currently studying at Gadjah
Mada University, butts in with another, equally serious,
complaint. "In Asia the food is no problem. You know salad? I
hate it. In America that's all they eat."

Funding for these trips comes mostly from savings from prize
money and help from FPTI. Kurnia and the others at the federation
spend a lot of their time lobbying the National Sports Council
(KONI) for a slice of their budget. They also work together with
other Asian climbing federations, hoping to get wall climbing
introduced into the Southeast Asian games.

Perhaps the best single piece of news for Indonesian rock
climbers would be that climbing had become an Olympic sport. This
would lead to a surge in funds, as the indications are that
Indonesian climbers could compete at this level. Eta remains
hopeful, "We understand, what with the monetary crisis. If we can
still be successful without government help, maybe they will
become interested in us."

In Thailand, Eta and Rosyid proved that they still can. A few
days after the interview I received an e-mail from them, saying
they had both got first place in the men's and women's speed
climbing competitions respectively, in the process booking their
tickets to San Francisco and the Xtreme Games finals next summer.

Until then its more training, combined with catching up with
university assignments for Rosyid and part-time work in a Jogya
outdoor equipment shop for Eta.

Over the phone I asked Eta whether this victory meant she
would be competing in climbing's World Cup in England in
December. Her answer was familiar, if depressing. "I really want
to, but I haven't got the airfare. I'm still looking for a
sponsor."