First Blog Post

Hey guys,

I'm brand new to the world of blogging, but hope it's helpful to let those who are close to me, and whom I respect, to know what Kati and I are doing, what our plan and vision is for our journey here in Boulder CO, and where our lives are headed.

There are so many reasons why we live in Boulder: meeting new people and being part of a new community, creating our own unique journey, climbing outside, finding and being part of a good church...essentially, starting a new life, in a new place.

But career and family come first. The main goal is to finish my college education at Metro State in Denver CO in Athletic Training.

"Anyone can tell someone to get on a treadmill, do a push-up and lift weights. Not all trainers can tell someone what is exactly wrong with their body and what they EXACTLY need to do".
-A wise trainer

For example: A client walks into a YMCA and asks for a trainer to get them ready for their first Iron Man. This trainer has a NASM CPT, ACE CPT. Not saying that is a bad thing but in all honesty do these Certs make you capable of being FULLY qualified to train an athlete of this caliber and to do it correctly? I've been a trainer for five years, I went to an eight month Personal Trainer Internship and I would not be qualified to train someone with such a high level of athleticism. I believe that education and the classes that I will go through will make me qualified to train elite athletes. I'm not talking about a high school football player; I'm talking about an athlete who's job is to compete, perform, and win. That's what I want more then anything. I think there are a lot of ignorant trainers that will say that they can train athletes. Why? Because you played sports in high school or college? The only people qualified to train anyone who wants specialized athletic training needs to have a BA in some type of exercise major, CSCS, ATC and has done an internship with a sports team and been trained and mentored by a head trainer in that sport.

I am not saying there is a problem with being a Personal Trainer at a gym and training one-on-one clients whose goals are to lose 50 lbs or put on 10 lbs of muscle. To this day the people I love and care for were those exact clients. I wouldn't trade those memories, relationships or experiences for anything. All I'm saying is I have a new goal and a passion for being a truly knowledgeable and fully qualified individual that a Pro team or a Pro athlete would hire--knowing I have the background that allows me to train them properly.

What athletes do I want to train? American Pro Rock Climbers. In all the sports I have participated in (wrestling, lacrosse, football, basketball, baseball, Triathalons) I have never felt such passion and obsession as I do for Rock Climbing. And I've only been doing it for a little less then 2 years. It is a sport I truly believe has some of the greatest athletes. Athletes that to this day are changing the standard for those who desire to be Pro Rock Climbers, be sponsored, to have the funds to travel the world to the most incredible climbing destinations, and compete in the World Cup Circuits and not be in debt afterwards. Seeing the Pro Climbers who don't use a Trainer in any capacity or even those Pro Climbers who don't 'train' at all and what they are accomplishing just makes me wonder the limits which could be achieved if they utilized a qualified trainer.

Some people say to become a trainer for American Pro Climbers is impossible. Some say that American Climbers will not hire trainers, that trainers don't put climbers on podiums or help them get their V15, or climb their 5.15a. I completely respect those thoughts. What I'm saying is that when you have a trainer like David Wahl at Movement Climbing and fitness who is completely underutilized and you actually hire him to train you the way a Pro Athlete should be trained, then I would love to hear your thoughts afterward. If athletes like Tiger Woods (greatest golfer), Kobe Bryant (Best BBall player today), Lionel Messi (greatest soccer player) use trainers and continue to succeed and achieve greatness why couldn't that work for Pro Climbers? If American Climbers don't need trainers why are they upset when they don't do well in a comp? Why are they disappointed when they don't qualify for a World Cup? Could their outdoor projects be completed faster if they had someone at the gym ready to work with them to get that crux move?

I hope that as I finish my school in the next 2 years, learn from people like David Wahl, go to different comps, meet new friends and learn from them, that in the years to come USA Climbing would grow and become something respected, giving its athletes the recognition they deserve and who begin to try new ways of training, resulting in longer careers, bigger sponsors, and continue to take this great sport to new heights. If I can be but a cog in the wheel of USA Climbing, pushing this machine to perform faster, stronger, and more efficiently, I will have succeeded. If that means that in training Pro Climbers I'll be making way less than a more 'mainstream' trainer, at least I'll be happy and working with athletes whom I fully respect and have a deep passion to see them succeed in whatever their goals are.

Hope this was a good first blog post :-)

-Kris