The Hardcore Club

There is this secret club known only to its' members and those special few who have become aware of it only through them; this would be Alex as the member and me as the special few. The Hardcore Club is very prestigious and difficult to get into and one must go through a rigourous background check and subsequent induction/orientation/boot camp if you will, that tests one's abilities to be...well...hardcore. And once in this club, there is a clause that states you have to continue to demonstrate one's hardcoreness throughout one's membership.
Hardcore is not just about being tough, as its' title may suggest. It is a combination of guts, gile, groans and glory that make one eligible for such an honour. Alex has been a member for about 10 years now, but I have only become aware of this special club in the past two years and ever since I found out about it, I have wanted to be a member.
Alex became a member by proving herself worthy in many differeny ways. First, she competed in Athletics for English schools (the highest competition one can get to under 21) and this dedication to sport came at no small feat. Al would practice every single day for hours, sometimes vomitting during workouts, then she would attend football training and throw up again! Additionally, she rode her bike everywhere in dangerous conditions i.e. on London roads, rode around on a skateboard, which is considered an extreme sport and roller bladed...not the Miami Beach style of roller blading, but the skate park daredevil style of roller blading or with street sticks playing roller hockey.
She also has a competitive edge. What I mean by this is that despite being in competition with others to improve, she is in constant competition with herself to improve and what I find facinating is that she can go out for a run merely for exercise and time herself from the last run she did to ensure that her time is better than before. She also sets up little tests and challenges for herself during said run such as sprinting for 1 minute and then recovering for 3 minutes, repeat, repeat, repeat. There are many other examples of this as well, but if she does not feel exhausted or close to vomitting, she has not had a good workout...and this is what she LIKEs to do in her FREE time.
Other aspects that made her a great candidate and coveted member of the hardcore club incudes: 1) having completed 1 skydive while maintaining the desire to do more...then did another one just recently, 2) having completed 1 bungy jump while maintaining the desire to do more...then did another one just recently, 3) completing a ropes course, 4) riding on a slide that drops you down a hole for a 4 second free fall...repeat 10 times, 5) Flew through the air with the greatest of ease on a trapeze dozens of times, 6) ice hiked on a glacier, 7) went to Delhi, India, 8) sleeping in various bus stations, airports and train stations overnight, 9) running a marathon, 10) moved to another country to live for 2 years, 11) travelled around the wrold twice, 12) went sand boarding (as pictured) and so many more.
Then, of course there are the added bonuses such as having many tattoos, not just the having them, but the getting them part. We are talking hours of constant pain here...needles are used folks. Hiking numerous hills and mountians, learning how to scuba dive and then scuba diving in some trecherous conditions, mountain biking up and down mountains without falling off and all of these activities, I might add, were completed sans tears.
The list is truly endless of her accomplishments that resulted in her Hardcore Club membership and now I have MY sights set on one of my very own because I think I have what it takes...maybe I could be that wild card member, but I am using this blog as a sort of resume if you will to outline my hardcore accopmlishments over this year inparticular, with a few past examples of hardcoreness that would make me a probable...not possible...candidate for such a club.
I may not have competed in athletics, but dance can be pretty hardcore. We have all seen The Black Swan and we can see what kind of horrific injuries one can sustain from this type of sport. I had some nasty blisters in my day and a few ingrown toenails that could kill a small child, but I kept on dancing. I also engage in running for my exercise as well...I have run in multiple races over the past several years and even completed a marathon...just barely, but I completed it never the less. There may be a few examples of setbacks in my applicaiton for The Hardcore Club, such as when Alex and I went for our second 3 mile run in La Serena, Chile she told me that I had to beat my first time of 26 minutes 46 seconds to which I replied, "this is exactly why I don't do sport...I can't take the stress of it!" I can explain this reaction that may not seem like a typical response from a Hardcore Club member. We are experiencing some major shifts in altitude and this has certainly impacted my focus and drive...temporarily of course. And just to note, I did beat my time during our second run by 1 minute and 31 seconds, despite that blip in my attitude!
I may not have any tattoos, but I respect those that get them and have been to numerous tattoo conventions and seen many a tattoo being inked on someone's skin without blinking an eye. And as far as eveyr single activity outlined above that Alex completed, I may not maintain the desire to do any of them again, but I did them all...and despite crying through most of them, okay well all of them, I pushed myself through and did them anyway. Don't believe me, well I have the shirt, sticker, DVD, pictures and certificate to prove it! It is important to note that I would have had to spend my first night in a bus station last night had it not been for my sheer gile and ablity to sweet talk, which I think also speaks volumes in relation to the types of peple accpeted into the Hardcore Club and should be considered with equal weight against actual phsical activites...please see The Day of Free blog for details.
I also left home to move to New York City and then went even further to move to London, England and can I just note that I had never even been to London before moving there for the first time. I think that takes an element of guts. I have also backpacked through Europe, Israel, road tripped most of America and will have completed my first around the world trip in a few short months.
So, in summation I think I should be inducted into the Hardcore Club for all the reasons outlined above and more to come including, but not limited to a 4 day hike and bike through Machu Pichu. I have a good attitude and strong will and have demonstrated guts, gile, groans and glory for many years now and deserve a place. Now, if this doesn't get me in, I can always use Alex as a reference!