What you were afraid of is not falling so much as the unknown. You are afraid of what falling would be like. Fear not the four-letter word. Good sports don't, argues Dominique McClarty. We all feel it.
Fear is the body's fire alarm.
How we respond when things hot up is the issue. Those who fight soon regard fear as a friend that measures achievement by outlining physical and mental limits. For others, fear is the foe that stands in the way of their dreams. Climbers talk about fear. You either give up climbing then and there, or you look your fear in the face and learn to embrace it by developing your mental toughness.