fi rst. He’s so talented that those natural abilities carry him up much of the time.”
But life is about reaching for things just beyond our grasp, or it should
be. About six months before nationals, Patridge set his sights on the prize. He wanted to be on the walls at Stone Summit Climbing Gym in Atlanta where the national competition is held. Ryan achieved this at Divisional Championships when he qualifi ed in his typical make-it-look- easy style. “I really like the travel and goofi ng off with my teammates on a road
trip like for nationals, but lately I realize how much I want to get better, because if I keep getting better, a win at nationals will come.”
Brett “The Professor” Walker a.k.a. The Cardiac Kid, Most Likely To Be Hanging On When The Smoke Clears Brett Walker has a measured cool that makes you swear he can’t be 12.
He brings over a certain confi dence from a traditional team sports back- ground, but this doesn’t explain how he stays controlled and fi nds a way up even when the angles and clock are working against him.
“I like to think of it as conquering a
problem, sort of winning a battle. The smaller the hand or foothold the better. I like a challenge and there’s no better feeling than making something impossible look easy. And beating Ryan,” kids Walker. There’s a friendly rivalry between the
pair. Neither teammate tries to emulate their friend’s style or technique. It’s a good example of why the sport has a shot of catching on with mainstream audiences. “Talk about exciting,” says Julia. “Brett’s
so methodical he forces some climbs to become a race to the top against the clock. At the qualifying comp for nationals, he just grabbed the fi nal handhold seconds before time ran out. Now this isn’t speed climbing, but still, he’s our Cardiac Kid. He never surrenders.” “I love to do things on the wall I’ve never
seen before,” Walker says. “I think about all the possibilities, then like ending up side- ways on the wall, or fi nding myself with only one point of contact and somehow making it up.” Echoing the theme of doing things on
his own time, Walker is one of the original members of the team, and after fi nally quali- fying for nationals, he had to turn down the invitation because of summer travel plans that took his family to Italy. “I’m glad I went to Italy. Nationals will be there next year.”
Geoffrey “Snack Shack” Engel a.k.a. Mighty Might, The Future At nine-years-old, Geoffrey Engel doesn’t
really know how good he is, but his coaches and teammates have gotten the memo. “Out of all of us, he’s the one that will
win nationals fi rst,” Patridge says. “He’s really good.” “I have this need for heights,” Engel says
Geoffry Engel clutches a hold en route to the summit.
with glee. He says just about everything with a bit of glee in his voice. But he hasn’t lost a healthy respect for thin air, gravity and the sometimes-dangerous combination of both. “Coach Avery had me roped in and I was about 60 feet up during an outdoor climb at French’s Dome (outside Zigzag). I guess I was stopped for too long for her so she called up to ask me if I was tired. I yelled back down, “I’m not tired, I’m terrifi ed.” It’s this talk show host personality that hides a simple fact. He climbs like a Billy goat and isn’t impressed by that fact yet. “He’s the one that people at the comps whisper about after they’ve seen him climb,” Julia notes. “If this becomes an Olympic sport, he’s part of its future.” WM
SEPTEMBER 2011 | The Wınged M | 27
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