Another great year for Paradox Sports! The Boulder-based non-profit raised $10,000 in October alone, signing up 100 new members from across the world. Everybody from normal folks like me to Alex Honnold have signed on to support adaptive climbers and athletes. Honnold, as a matter of fact, committed to $75 a month for the next five years. Not bad for a van-living dirtbag soloist, eh? Raises the bar for the rest of us!
Paradox Sports hosts adaptive sports clinics nationwide, from the Gunks to Ouray to Mount Rainier, and 2013 was a banner year for veteran-specific programs, too. The PSports crew also expanded its reach by developing an adaptive climbing curriculum to be implemented in gyms throughout the US. Look for it going national in 2014.
This fall, Executive Director Timmy O’Neill hit the road with his brother, Sean. The dynamic duo teamed with Osprey Packs–a stalwart Paradox supporter–and delivered the new gym curriculum at Mansfield University, visited outdoor shops across the country, and hosted an adaptive clinic at the Gunks in New York.
Though Timmy’s usually the star of the show at climbing events, it was really Sean’s story to tell. He became the first paraplegic in history to lead climb in Yosemite. His feat landed him in Climbing mag, on NPR, and CNN will air a segment on PSports in the coming weeks. Timmy, Sean, and the rest of the Paradox Sports gang have really put the organization on another level this year.
I joined the Board a year ago and since then we’ve attracted several strong new members to the team, secured PSports’s first permanent office space, and fortified our financial position. Heading into 2014, we’re offering two more veterans climbs (in addition to our Memorial Day weekend climb on Rainier, Fourth-of-July ascent of the Grand Teton, Sept. 11 Yosemite mission). The adaptive climbing curriculum should be finished off, relying on expert advice from athletes like Aaron Ralston and Erik Weihenmayer. It’s going to be huge!
Hopefully we can lure you into the mix. Here’s how–become an ambassador for us. Join the PSports posse, cough up a little cash, then attend an event, let your friends know, share our happenings on your social media pages. Paradox helps athletes rediscover their “normal,” no matter what their limitations, no matter the medium–rock, ice, water, camping, pulling on plastic. The goodness doesn’t stop with an individual athlete, either. PSports positively affects communities and families, expands awareness, and sends ripples far and wide. Be a part of it. Be a ripple. Check it out. It’s awesome. We’re awesome. You’re awesome. Thanks, people!
