20091020

Forget the Rope: The frayed ends of my nerves look much worse.


I've been waiting to write a trip report about my AMGA Rock Guide Exam, waiting for the exam results to show up in my in-box so that I can write something with a satisfactory conclusion.  But I'm still waiting...

Earlier this year, the American Mountain Guide Association announced a new policy for posting guide certification exam results.  Instead of a final debriefing with the results, examiners would have up to two weeks after the exam to submit the results and notify the guide-candidates.  Apparently, the examiners were noticing that most candidates were fixated on the pass/not-passed, and not paying attention to the feedback included with the results.  With this new policy, the arguement/explanation went, examiners and guide-candidates would have time to process the experience of the exam.  Examiners would be able to determine more accurate and fair results (exams are a subjective, practical format).  Guide-candidates would be more receptive to the comrehensive feedback given with the results.

Hmmm.....


So today - and every day since the exam ended a week ago - I nervously turn on my laptop, hack into the matrix, and call up my email.  As time goes by, this process gets more nerve-wracking.  I'm also becoming obsessive about checking my account page on the AMGA website.  This page is a new feature on the site, and I'm becoming convinced that this new "policy" was encouraged to get members to enter this new web feature over and over again.


I also have a real concern about tradition.  When a guide-candidate passes their third exam, the examiners have the honor of handing them their first IFMGA pin.  I like this tradition - the older generation represented by the examiners passing the torch down to the newer generation.  On the last exam, there were two candidates that this applied to, and the examiners decided to break with policy in order to keep tradition.  But I've heard other examiners disagreeing with this...

Anyways, I'm now in Arcata, California, with Patsy and Charlie.  Waiting.  Ohhh, waiting.  Shriveling in anticipation more and more every day.  Oh gooooo.....


Photos:  (Top) Maren puts the best face on this waiting game, somewhere up on Black Orpheus (IV 5.10a).  (Bottom) Joe waits and belays in a dark cave near the top of Community Pillar.