Thank you @marcclimbingthings for the time and always making the gym feel like home.
His Story: Powerful in my own Body
āI didnāt expect to fall in love with climbing. I just
wanted something different something that pulled me out of the noise. So I got the membership. I showed up. And
slowly, this sport became a mirror. A teacher.
A third space I never knew I needed.
I was 30 when I started. Late by most standards. But thatās when it all opened up: balance, discipline, quiet joy. The kind of self-knowledge that doesnāt come from talking
only doing. Iād always thought of climbing as something distant, something for people who didnāt look like me.
But then I stepped into the gym, and it became a place to think. To move. To feel powerful in my own body.
Iām from Trinidad. Iāve lived in New York most of my life. And what Iāve realized is this: in a city that never stops, itās rare to find space that asks nothing of you but your presence and your effort. Climbing gave me that. And now I try to give it back So now, I climb for more than me. I show up because when a brown kid walks into that gym and sees me, I want them to feel like they belong. Like their allowed to be here. Like this could be there's too.
We need more faces like ours in this space not just
climbing, but setting routes, building programs,
leading. Thatās how the change lasts.
Thatās how we make sure the
next generation doesnāt just survive.
They rise.ā
some moments from the most climbing filled week of my life. 5 days in the gunks climbing real rock, but more importantly celebrating Lunaās bdayš & making time to be present. came back to nyc in time for the @placeboclimbing meetup, huge shout out to Morgan and everyone who made it possible! such a beautiful community moment, always a treat to support first timer climbers and see people top out for the first timešŖš½still more work than anything else these days but making the time to live in the moments in between.
better late than neverāa few weeks back had the honor of taking a route setting clinic over at @vitalbrooklyn huge thanks to all the setters for their insightšš¾ having the time to work with setters of color in this way felt like an invaluable experience (I had 4 stitches in my foot and still went btwš„²lol) and I canāt thank them enough for sharing not only their knowledge but also sharing their life experiences working within an industry that isnāt as inclusive as it should be. HUGE shout out to the team at @amy_stone_foundation & @nycclimbingcollective for making this possibleāEQUITY can be a beautiful thing, just look at all this melanin poppinšš½āāļø
šø: @trevorlately
