I have only been volunteering with our Parkinson’s climbing program for a couple of months now. Each Friday morning at 10AM, a crew of 5-10 climbers roll into the gym ready to climb. They are no different from the climbers I see every day: determined, driven, smack-talkin’, joke-crackin’, and friendly. And they are absolutely inspiring. These climbers embody our sport and our community in an incredibly tangible way. Because of this, I look forward to my Friday mornings. Jim makes fun of me for falling out of my bike pedals, Irwin gives me beta on 5.9s, and Bob skyrockets to the top of the 40 footers, barely allowing me time to pull in slack.
I can only speak to my short-lived experience with the Parkinson’s climbers of Sportrock, but luckily, we have Sylvia. Video photographer and Sportrocker, Sylvia Bao, has been hard at work creating a video that aims to capture what the Parkinson’s climbing program at Sportrock is all about. Well, she’s done it. Please enjoy this beautiful piece about the Parkinson’s climbers and for more info on our Parkinson’s climbing program, see Molly's blog!