The Joy Ballad

I feel like this right now. Isn't it beautiful.

hostessing

A brief word on hostessing.  I love climbs whose holds have names. The receptionist has two such holds. The "coffee cup" that you make the crux move from to the "telephone". If you can successfully grab the telephone from the start but you can't finish the climb, it's called "hostessing". For the first time, I hostessed, twice in a row..... TODAY! And now I'm trying to study but all that is coming into my mind is Ethan Pringle's voice in my head saying, "Yeah, I flashed it." I'm still so completely thrilled that I made that move that I'm not sure I could drink enough beer to relax me so I can actually do homework. So, I'm blogging.

Give it to Yourself

So, I've learned recently that if you have something you really want to do it's most beneficial to have a plan of attack and to attempt it on a regular basis. I've had this long term, what my friend Ana Burgos calls a "mega project", that I get really good on then I leave it alone for a month. I have spastic focus...trying things all over town. Getting into doing obscure things no one has heard of... But now, I'm focused and I realize that if I want to give myself half a chance, I have to give it to myself! This is a little clip from a day last week when Jill Church and I went out and made this decision final.

Film Geeks

I began my love affair with film and photography in high school. I studied dance at the North Carolina School of the Arts where I hung out with such film geeks as David Gordon Green (George Washington, Pineapple Express) and Danny McBride (Hot Rod, Pineapple Express), who at the time was behind the camera mostly not in front of it. I married my favorite photographer Kyle George and have begun to dabble in climbing film making. I'm a complete amateur but I have a vast choreographic background and I hope that translates to film! I hope one day I can reunite with my old classmates to congratulate them on their successes and to get to work with Peter Mortimer of Sender Films who completely upped the anti in climbing film making.

Streetfighter

I have completed my second short climbing film with only a few lingering questions about video compression. I edited this one in iMovie which I have now sworn that I will never do again for anything meaningful. It was so much fun to shoot. It only took Jill and I a day to figure out the sequence (22 moves is a lot to remember) and a couple tries to send. It had been really rainy so the holds were very very dirty which was exciting at the end. The variable weather made for interesting color contrasts on the film. I'm not quit sure how to normalize that either. Time and place I suppose. I am very into the entire editing process, aside from the climbing, that for me was the best part. I get so zoned in to mixing the movement that my daughter has to tug at me to get my attention. I'm not sure that's such a good thing. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the second installment.

Story Teller

How do you tell a story using 80-90% movement? Climbing is like a dance but it's so much more calculated. With dance you have an ingrained need for artistic expression but with climbing it's all in discovery. "Can I actually do this move? Will I psych myself out?" Is this then the origin of the story? How it makes you feel to climb? Pretty isoteric if you ask me. For now, I'll keep it simple.
Each move is in itself a small discovery. Lately I've been focused on not congratulating myself too early. It's easy to through something that's hard and then get excited, lose concentration and not get any further on the problem. It's not over till it's over.

Projects

Priest Draw season has arrived at last and so have all those wonderful projects. I first tried the Receptionist in 2005. It was so far out of my league at the time bit it didn't stop me from trying. I would climb my way down the Draw completing area classics like Anorexic, Floor Pie, and Carnivore on a daily basis hoping that one day I'd just be able to walk down to the very end of the Draw to the Mars Roof and send.
The Receptionist is 12 moves on a completely horizontal roof. There is no letting up until the very end. It's more like a route than a boulder problem, thankfully no clipping though.
I thought I was so strong back then but I realize it is only now, after the birth of my daughter Ava that I have the strength and conviction to finish this thing!!!
I'm closer than anyone can get to sending....stay tuned!

Ground Hog Day

It's my birthday. I love birthdays but today I'm sick. So being that I'm stuck on the couch I'm using my day as a day of contemplation. Everywhere I look there are women doing amazing things. The next President of the United States could very well be a woman. Lisa Rands just climbed "The Mandala", a test-piece V12 and classic in the world of bouldering. Women everywhere are stepping it up. Whatever it is that we, anyone, men or women dream of, it is achievable. Don't just think your dreams, live them.

Shoot from the Hip Productions

In my opinion, there is a distinct lack of females actually climbing in climbing videos. So, I have taken it upon myself to bring the hungry public exactly that. Though I may be a complete amateur, in my opinion, I am not without potential. So bare with me and keep checking in for new material. We can all learn new tricks.
My latest trick is called:
Shoot From the Hip Productions

Who am I?

Well, my name is in limbo. So, forever on this blog I will be known as Carrie Cooper, rock climber.
I enjoy a life of change and being that it is the only constant, I try to be true to the moment. Currently I am re-arranging my basement around a climbing wall that was built for me while I was pregnant. (That's Flagstaff for you.) From that little hint, I have a daughter named Ava and she's 14 months old and she's busier than I am. But back to me.
I have rock climbing to thank for taking me to places I never thought I'd go to and for finding people I'm lucky to have ever met. Even though climbing has been my focus for the past 5 years, I have learned something far greater than any climb I ever actually summited: You can never under-estimate the timeliness of opportunity and the generosity of strangers. My life is varied and rich and now you can be there with me.