evolv Climbing

To make a long story short I decided to have my leg cut off 5 years ago right after my high school graduation. I had always been an adventurous and athletic but after years of pain and problems due to a congenital deformity I decided I had had enough. Soccer was my passion before my amputation, but I was dismayed by the fact that amputee soccer was played on crutches. I left soccer in my past as a series of happy but distant memories.

Everything was really going great in my life at the time, I went off to college, had a great time with friends but for a couple of years my life lacked the passion and enjoyment that soccer had brought to my life. By chance I was sitting in my prosthetist’s office reading an amputee magazine when I came across an ad for the Extremity Games, essentially an amputee X-Games. I scanned through the list of events and saw rock climbing. I started training to compete in the games and have been hooked on climbing ever since.

Climbing restored everything that I had lost in my life. It renewed that sense of passion that I had lost when I decided to stop playing soccer and filled the void that I felt in my life when I lost my leg. Climbing has shown me that I can accomplish anything that I put my mind to with a little hard work and determination. Climbing has taught me that sometimes the answers to a problem just require a little out of the box thinking. It is different for everyone and one of the most liberating things about the sport was the fact that there was no set way to make it up the top of a route. The rock is the canvas and it is up to each of us how we make it to the top. I have become a better prosthetic user because of climbing, all the hiking has really taught me how to use my prosthetic leg to my full potential.

This summer I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to share my passion for climbing with other persons with disabilities. Climbing is a very accessible sport for persons with disabilities. Reaching the top of the wall for the first time is a huge accomplishment for anybody. It can help increase a person’s confidence and even if it is something they choose to pursue further in the future or if it is the only time they ever will climb it is one more thing that participants can add to their list of accomplishments. 

Back in October of 2009 my friend, Jacquelyn Farris, had contacted me wanting to recruit me to help her host an adaptive climbing clinic as part of the Endeavor games in Oklahoma City, OK. Since climbing is my passion I immediately volunteered to help. The Endeavor Games is a really cool event revolving around several paralympic sports including track and field, weightlifting, swimming and cycling among other sports. It attracts amputees and persons with disabilities from around the country to come break down their personal barriers and meet others in their sport. The adaptive climbing clinic, hosted at Rock Town Climbing Gym, was a huge success where we were able to introduce 18 persons with disabilities including Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida, and various amputation levels etc. to climbing. It was inspiring as every participant made it to the top of the wall and came down with a huge smile on their face and a proud sense of accomplishment.

To finish off the summer I attended Amputee Coalition of America Youth Camp as a camp counselor. It was probably one of the coolest events I have ever been a part of. There was a huge turnout this year with 100 campers ranging from ages 10-17 attending with the farthest coming all the way from Tunisia. I was really excited to be able to host several adaptive climbing clinics at this event also. The clinics fit right in with the camp’s mission of making a difference in the lives of children with limb loss and limb difference by increasing their self-confidence and self-esteem through a traditional and supportive summer camp experience. In my five years as an amputee I have had a lot of different experiences that I could share with the kids, but for as much as I had to give I received even more. Seeing some of the obstacles some of the campers have overcome and their determination to succeed is really inspiring. 

It has always been my belief that climbing is a very accessible sport for persons with disabilities and the clinics I was a part of this summer only reaffirmed that notion in my head. Two of the neatest moments were when a girl with no arms made it to the top of the wall at ACA youth camp and when a boy with little use of his legs because of Spina Bifida made it to the top of the wall at the Endeavor Games clinic. Anything is possible if we put our minds to it and the only boundaries that exist are the ones that we create for ourselves!

I would like to thank Evolv for all of their support in my endeavors. Without them I would not be the climber I am today. They have shown their huge support for climbers with disabilities through releasing the only prosthetic climbing foot out on the market. I look forward to continue to give back and pass on climbing to others. I am happy to announce that on April 9^th, 2011 courtesy of Athletes with Disabilities Network I will be hosting an Adaptive climbing clinic in Joshua Tree National Park for persons with disabilities. The only thing better than indoor climbing is outdoor climbing! Stay tuned for more info as the date gets closer!