Rockfest/Climb-a-thon update

As of this morning,  this weekend's annual Rockfest and Climb-a-thon events put on by Mid Atlantic Climbers and Coopers Rock Climbing Guides have officially been postponed due to the storm system that's set to nail northeastern West Virginia.  While I'm a bit disappointed since I've been looking forward to this for months, I know it'll be a lot more fun to work and climb in good conditions later on. Plus, this means an extension to the fundraising window, which I'm really excited about.

For anyone who doesn't know, the Coopers Rock Climb-a-thon is a fundraiser for Paradox Sports, a leader in the rapidly growing field of adaptive sports, and an all-around inspiring organization.  In the time leading up to the Climb-a-thon, participants set up fundraising pages to gather donations for Paradox.  On the day of the event, they have three hours to climb as many routes as they can, with routes weighted by difficulty to determine an overall winner.  What I really like, however, is that the event is structured to keep the emphasis on the fundraising.  While a couple of prizes are given to the top climbers, the rest are reserved as raffle items, with extra tickets awarded based on money raised.

When I signed up this year, I did so early with the intention of raising money for as long a period as possible.  Unfortunately I didn't do much to remind people about it until this past week, but since then a few really amazing donors have stepped up, and I can't wait to see how much more we can raise with the extended time.

Here's the deal... I could set up some system where you pay me for each route I climb, but as someone who occasionally spends three hours traversing at the gym without touching ground, the fact that I'm going to push myself at the Climb-a-thon is a given.  Still, it's nice to have that sense that I'm doing it for something, both on the day of the event and during my training days leading up to it.  It's even nicer to see what we can accomplish as a community when we get together,  and to play a part in helping Paradox open the activities we love to those who might otherwise be unable to participate.

View my fundraising page here, and thanks for your support!