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Disabled teenager scales rock
wall
Being deaf was no handicap
to girl who climbed the 9-m-high wall twice in ST's school-holiday
programme
WHERE there's a will,
there's a way.
Being deaf and a novice did not prevent 14-year-old Angeline
Chen from scaling a 9-m-high rock wall - not once but twice.
'I was a bit afraid at first,' said the teenager, who went
deaf when she was three years old.
She attended the rock-climbing activity, which is part of
The Straits Times school-holiday programme, on Wednesday.
Like most of the 50 participants, she had never done rock
climbing before.
But she overcame her fear, cheered on by the others.
With the help of a hearing aid, the Secondary 2 student from
St Anthony's Canossian Secondary School, received tips from
her instructor as she was climbing.
The coach of the National Singapore Mountaineering Federation
(SMF), Mr Amir Moostafa, 37, led the one-day rock-climbing
course at Safra, in Toa Payoh.
He was also the coach for a similar course in June.
'There are more students participating, and most of them are
better climbers too.
'They must, however, learn to use the correct muscles and
their legs to push
themselves up,' he said.
Said Terence Tan, 13, whose fingers hurt terribly after his
climb: 'It looks easier when other people are doing it.'
The best climber, Yeo Ke Sheng, 17, won a Z-Station 1 e-karaoke
player.
He is a member of the Outdoor Activities Club at Anderson
Junior College.
The rock-climbing course was conducted by SMF and the Singapore
Sports Council.
All participants received a Nike T-shirt and lunch provided
by Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Other activities of the ST school-holiday programme, which
will be held until the end of next month, include sailing,
snorkelling and learning robotics.
Interested teenagers can sign up at straitstimes. asia1.com.sg
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