~Gloria Estefan, Conga
Oh wait, my bad; conga…chongo…not exactly the same thing. But I needed a song for my victory dance when I mastered the chongo.
The chongo mount, or simply “chongo,” is a specific way of mounting (getting up on) a slackline without using anything but the slackline itself. Going from sitting to standing is no easy feat in rope walking and there are quite a few ways to do it. In my opinion almost any high mount is daunting if not downright counterintuitive in the beginning; it’s just not normal trying to stand up with nothing to grab onto or step up on. I’ve worked on several mounts for wire and slackline, but, until the All Girls Slackline Festival, I’d resisted learning chongo. The instructions for a chongo in my How to Slackline! book were clear enough, the issue was my phobia of any move or trick that involved having my hands on the line. I’ve felt like my hands work against the rest of my body, jerking the line out from under me or pulling me off balance. I’m working through this issue slowly but surely.
Learning chongo wasn’t just about pushing myself outside my comfort zone, it was practical and even important. At the Festival, one of the things that definitely scared me out of attempting to walk on the highline was how, when prepping for one of my regular mounts, I felt like my legs were precariously tangled in the leash. Funny isn’t it? I was scared of the safety equipment more than the heights involved in highlining. Chongo is probably the best way to mount a highline wearing a safety leash because legs are less likely to get tangled in the leash if the mount isn’t successful.
I want to highline, so it’s time to stop fighting and try chongo. For the last two weeks when I’ve slacklined for my lunch break, I’ve set my slackline much higher than usual: chest or shoulder high at the anchors. Sitting near the anchors, I could straddle the line without my feet touching the ground to really practice mounts as if I was high up.
This week my chongo feels good and solid, and just like any new skill, mastering it makes me want to do a little victory dance. Queue the theme music! …and do that chongo mount!
The chongo mount, or simply “chongo,” is a specific way of mounting (getting up on) a slackline without using anything but the slackline itself. Going from sitting to standing is no easy feat in rope walking and there are quite a few ways to do it. In my opinion almost any high mount is daunting if not downright counterintuitive in the beginning; it’s just not normal trying to stand up with nothing to grab onto or step up on. I’ve worked on several mounts for wire and slackline, but, until the All Girls Slackline Festival, I’d resisted learning chongo. The instructions for a chongo in my How to Slackline! book were clear enough, the issue was my phobia of any move or trick that involved having my hands on the line. I’ve felt like my hands work against the rest of my body, jerking the line out from under me or pulling me off balance. I’m working through this issue slowly but surely.
Learning chongo wasn’t just about pushing myself outside my comfort zone, it was practical and even important. At the Festival, one of the things that definitely scared me out of attempting to walk on the highline was how, when prepping for one of my regular mounts, I felt like my legs were precariously tangled in the leash. Funny isn’t it? I was scared of the safety equipment more than the heights involved in highlining. Chongo is probably the best way to mount a highline wearing a safety leash because legs are less likely to get tangled in the leash if the mount isn’t successful.
I want to highline, so it’s time to stop fighting and try chongo. For the last two weeks when I’ve slacklined for my lunch break, I’ve set my slackline much higher than usual: chest or shoulder high at the anchors. Sitting near the anchors, I could straddle the line without my feet touching the ground to really practice mounts as if I was high up.
This week my chongo feels good and solid, and just like any new skill, mastering it makes me want to do a little victory dance. Queue the theme music! …and do that chongo mount!
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