Newest team member at FA!
Hey there I am Anjulie Jones, Anj for short. I am the newest team member of the FA crew, super excited to get to know all of you and ready for the year ahead.
My climbing experience
I haven’t been climbing for very long, I started climbing properly at the beginning of 2022 at Friends and Allies before going off to Pretoria. I then carried on rock climbing with the Explo group from Tuks throughout 2022.
I have since made many friends through climbing and we have taken trips to Bronkies, Boven, Fernkloof and Chosspile which have all been great trips and amazing exposure to the world of rock climbing.
My background in movement
I grew up playing club soccer for 13 years, was fortunate enough to play at two international tournaments, one in Spain called Donosti cup and another in Denmark called Dana Cup.
After matric my club got rid of its women’s team and so I was in search of something new and that is when I found Friends and Allies. I have always loved learning and being active, teaching myself how to skate, juggle, and slackline in my backyard was just part of my need to learn cool things so I knew that climbing was something I would soon fall in love with.
Being outdoors is embedded into my life thanks to my parents, going camping every year, driving through the Karoo, travelling overseas and sitting next to campfires, it has all given me the freedom to explore new places and see the world through an incredibly wide lens which I am eternally grateful for.
Slacklining as a focus
My slacklining journey began in my backyard when I was about 16 years old, my dad had got me the classic yellow Gibbon slackline and from there I had created my own slackline community composing of the 3 hippies on YouTube showing tutorials on how to slackline and the two trees I had become extremely close to throughout the process of learning to put up a slackline.
I would spend hours upon hours stepping up and stepping down, taking 3 steps to eventually walking the whole line, butt bouncing, lemur jumping, butt bounces to feet, feet on line to face on floor. I had become obsessed. After two years I walked into Friends and Allies for the first time after finding them on Instagram and I remember asking either Wes or Tim if they were into the whole slacklining thing without knowing they were indeed gurus of slacklining as I would call it.
From that day which was in January 2022, they have taken me under their wing, teaching me the ways of slack. I remember going to my first slackline session in James and Ethel Grey park and seeing a 1-inch line for the first time and just thinking there is absolutely no way I would be able to walk that. Wes held my hand and just told me to breath and my first steps, still shaky, eventually came. After many park sessions the progress started to show as the lines started getting longer, higher and scarier.
I started experimenting with tricklining in 2022 learning to chestbounce and practicing progressions to frontflips, 180 twists and backflips. I am stoked to carry on learning about this insane sport and get others psyched on slacklining and tricklining.
I am stoked to share the journey with you
Since the day I stepped into Friends and Allies I have felt so welcome. Wes, Tim and Lidia have helped me so much and have introduced me into the world of climbing and slacklining, so I am over the moon to be working with such amazing people.
I can feel the energy and love that goes into Friends and Allies and my brain is currently overflowing with ideas that I can’t wait to share with all of you.
I am currently studying exercise science and am itching to dive into the world of movement, strength and mobility that is apart of all our lives.
Sharing all the knowledge and experience I have to help people on their journey is what I love to do, so come say hi and let’s chat about some cool things.
I’m psyched for this year and all the epic adventures ahead. See you soon my dudes!
Anjulie Jones
I am the newest team member of FA & excited to get to know all of you!
