Sterling Athletes Team

Chelsea Rude

Name: Chelsea Rude

DOB: August 12,

How did you get started climbing?
My dad found an article in the daily newspaper in Atlanta for a climbing gym.  He thought that it would be a fun summer activity, so he told me about it.  I wasn't very psyched at all.  A couple weeks later he succeeded in talking me into going and trying it out with him.  The first day, I fell in love.  We made the hour drive (one way!) to that climbing gym 4-5 days per week after that. 

How old were you when you started? 
I was 11 years old

Who or what inspired you to start climbing?
I was inspired because I saw climbing as a challenge both physically & mentally.  In addition, it was something that my dad and I could do together and I liked that.

Who served as your inspiration in life? 
My parents because they always support my climbing & they work very hard at what they do in life.

What was your first outdoor climb? 
Somewhere in Tennessee...it was my first experience on southern sandstone and at that moment, I fell in love with rock climbing!

What do you do when you're not climbing? 
I coach a lot and I enjoy being in the mountains with my dog, drinking chai with my friends, reading, writing, running, baking and acro yoga!

Any training advice or suggestions? 
Make sure you’re having fun...if it’s not fun, it’s not worth it.  And rest days are really important.  

What do you feel is your best accomplishment, outside of climbing? 
Graduating college

What do you feel is your best accomplishment within climbing? 
Influencing kids to become part of a sport that influenced my life tremendously and watching it have the same influences on them. 

Favorite quote? 
"One final paragraph of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am — a reluctant enthusiast... a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your  
 brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much; I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those desk-bound men and women with their hearts in a safe deposit box, and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this; You will outlive the bastards."

If you could have 1 superpower what would it be?  
I’d want to fly!

If you could have 3 wishes, what would they be?
I would want to be healthy, climb hard, and be successful. 

What was your favorite childhood cartoon? 
Scooby Doo!