When I was young I wouldn't consider myself athletic. I guess maybe I always had it in my buried down there, but didn't find 'the right sport' to bring it out. I always rode my bikes though, but when I was little and in the horse crazy phase, I just used to pretend my bike was a horse so I think it wasn't so much the bike I loved but more the freedom to go wherever I wanted on it as long as I was home for dinner...

I danced for about 10 years, rode horses for a few years before it got too expensive, played soccer for 1 year (when I was 5, was upset b/c they wouldn't let me be goalie and I didn't want to RUN ) then in h.s. was heavily into music and marching band. Which i guess is sorta athletic...heh

Anyway, had always been interested in the outdoors and all throughout my young life went to summer camps where every year I progressively chose the programs that were more rugged, less pampered. By my third or fourth year of summer camp I was in the woods and loved it. Tried rock climbing, canoeing, all sorts of fun stuff.

I think this stuck with me the most, because first and foremost it was fun, and I didn't have to worry about being not good enough to do it, since it wasn't a team sport.

In college I think I o.d.'d on studying, and in an effort to reward myself by doing somethign I'd always wanted, took a 2-week backpacking trip through Central PA, then took some intro rock climbing courses, a ww kayakking class.

I was hooked. Climbing became my sport when I had a steady income after graduation and every weekend I was out on the rock, sleeping in the back of my car, driving 6+ hours in a day to meet up with people to climb with. Did that excessively for quite a while, then got a little burnt out on it, or maybe I got to the point where I said, 'ok let's see what else my body can do'. Got into skiing heavily (my only winter sport as of now, unless you count running), then bought a road bike, and now I'm dabbling in triathlon.

Still climb though, just now I don't feel bad if I can't make it to the mountains because there's lots of other stuff to keep me busy.

Sometimes I wonder if I have a mildly ocd personality, because I feel like I can't NOT do something. It's weird. Complete opposite from when I was in h.s. really....

K.