Conquering the Wall

There's a Chinese saying, The one who fails to climb the Wall is not a true hero.? Don't shoot the messenger, it's just a local saying.

Sunday, the Huskers scaled one of the world's greatest examples of futility, yet perhaps its most impressive man-made structure. The Great Wall of China is approximately 2000 kilometers long, fifteen-feet-wide, and ten-to-fifteen-yards-tall of heavy stone, built on often steeply-pitched mountains. Through bribery of some of the Wall's countless sentries, the
Mongols led by Genghis Khan penetrated the wall in 1213 and sacked Beijing in 1215. It later was occasionally used as a transportation route over the mountains, but its greatest contribution to the Chinese has been through tourism the last 25 years. One would have thought that the mountains themselves provided sufficient protection from marauders to the north and that the centuries used building it could have been better spent.

Today much of the Great Wall is in near complete decay and disrepair. However, five sections have been rebuilt for tourists. We took in the Mutianyu section, probably the most beautiful of the five.

The team walked up the lengthy staircase to reach the Wall, which then bends accordion-like up and down, providing even more dramatic climbing challenges. Dani Mancuso, Dani Busboom, Kori Cooper, Ben Boldt and many others then ran three steep staircases to the pinnacle. The steps were at times almost two feet high.

The sheer immensity of it all humbles you. Unfortunately, chattering tourists allow few moments of quiet contemplation. Descending was easy: a $5 toboggan ride down. The Chinese are figuring out how to maximize the tourism possibilities of the Wall.

All the Huskers agreed this was a trip highlight: rather than passively experiencing a cultural phenomenon, we ascended this one. Doing can be so much more fulfilling than watching. Climbing the Great Wall is one of those moments to try and do in one's lifetime.

The afternoon was spent at a big cloisinet jewelry store and factory. (Cloisinet-- cloy-sin-ay-- is spelled in some fashion approaching how I've chosen to spell it, which is phonetically close.) Then a pricey jade store.

Finally, the Silk Street Market, easily one of the world's great shopping venues, filled with deeply discounted clothes, shoes, handbags, etc? Be ready to negotiate, though. On the bus we prepared and then threw our negotiating game faces on. The players stocked up on gifts for loved ones at home. Finally, a dinner feast, with all of us at two round tables angling for the best plates of shared food over the lazy susan.

Sarah Pavan is smiling, a lot. She admits that it has been often hard for her to be so far from her parents and younger sister in Kitchener, Ontario. Dad, Paul, is a teacher and coach, and Mom, Cindy, works at a bakery. Sarah thinks Cindy is one of the world's great bakers: never turn down one of her homemade pies. Paul and Cindy were each acclaimed volleyball stars
in their day; Cindy played on Canada's National Team as has her daughter.

Sarah hopes for an international playing career when she is done at Nebraska, but just in case, she is majoring in Bio-chemistry and has a sizzling 4.0 gpa-- volleyball's version of Rob Zadessca, a decade later.

Sarah wants to be a dominant floor leader. Despite her many college awards and honors over the past two years, she's not satisfied and plans to bring a fearless attitude on to the court this year. She is a leader on this trip.

Today is a rematch with the Beijing Pro Team followed by some more temples and perhaps a return to the Silk Street market.