Adaptive climbing program provides outlet for local athletes

Charity Trillet, right, uses a Wellman System harness to ascend a wall without using her legs during as Harley Curd climbs nearby during an adaptive climbing program at High Point Climbing gym Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn. The program, which happens on the third Thursday of each month, provides resources to help disabled climbers enjoy the sport.
Charity Trillet, right, uses a Wellman System harness to ascend a wall without using her legs during as Harley Curd climbs nearby during an adaptive climbing program at High Point Climbing gym Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn. The program, which happens on the third Thursday of each month, provides resources to help disabled climbers enjoy the sport.

To learn more

Find out more about Chattanooga’s Therapeutic Recreation division at bit.ly/therapy-recreation .

A group of spectators gathered in the Broad Street median to watch as Sharon Stolberg navigated between climbing holds on the outdoor wall at High Point Climbing Gym.

It's evident from watching Stolberg, 38, that she is a veteran of the wall. She weighs each option prudently and reaches upward or outward for her next move with a reach seemingly much longer than her modest stature would suggest.

Five years ago, climbing seemed out of the question to Stolberg, who has juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Through her previous connections in Chattanooga's Therapeutic Recreation division, it became a possibility that she is fully maximizing.

Stolberg recently accepted a grant through the American Alpine Club to climb in New York's Catskill Mountains next month.

She was reluctant when she first heard about Chattanooga's program.

"I did not think I would be able to do it with the severity of my disability and the pain," Stolberg said. "It just kind of took off when I found out I was getting stronger and getting more flexibility. The pain wasn't near as bad as I thought, and I was building a lot more muscle."

She is one of a core group of climbers who participate in the free monthly adaptive climbing program sponsored by High Point and organized by the Therapeutic Recreation division - part of the city's Youth and Family Development department.

"It's giving people the opportunity that they might not have, giving them a sport they didn't know they could do," said Elaine Adams, the Therapeutic Recreation coordinator. "Some people do it to meet other people that have the same interests. If we share the love for the outdoors, then we're able to connect and go do that together."

Stolberg tries to climb every week, and participating with the adaptive climbing program guarantees she'll have a belayer - a person holding the safety rope. It also provides community, which is how she got connected to climbing after a friend who worked with Outdoor Chattanooga encouraged her to try it.

The city, among its programs for athletes with disabilities, also offers adaptive paddling and adaptive cycling. Stolberg and another climber, Johnathan Grimes, have participated in both.

"Anything I do is partly to stay in shape," Grimes said while taking a breather between climbs on Wednesday.

"You don't get to exercise the way a normal person would," added Grimes, who uses a wheelchair. "I've got to do more to work the muscles that normal people work daily. But then I push past that point. Because I've not only got to keep everything held together, but I've got to keep the strength and stuff, too."

It can be hard, Adams said, for people with disabilities to find a physical outlet. Adams and Grimes are proof such outlets exist, but that people who might otherwise be excluded can thrive within them and benefit from them.

"A lot of it is just adapting to my body and knowing what my body will do and what my body won't do and figuring it out," Stolberg said as she stood at the base of the outdoor wall she had just conquered. "It's a puzzle, and that's why I like climbing."

Contact staff writer David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249.

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