Community Corner
What is UP With Jesse Grupper?
National Rock Climbing winner has learned to think outside the box.
What Is UP With This Kid? Each Monday we’ll be running a profile. About kids. And what they’ve done. Or do. Or are about to do. Because when a kid puts his mind to it, he can do some pretty interesting things.
Jesse Grupper, age 14, Glenfield student: Rock Climber
“My older sister started climbing lessons when she was eight years old. I was dragged along to they gym constantly. I couldn’t wait until I turned six and was allowed to climb myself.”
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If you watch Jesse Grupper scale the rock-climbing wall his dad built in their basement, you would think that it’s a sport of sheer endurance. But that’s just a part of it. “In Bouldering [one of the two types of completive climbing] the routes are called ‘problems’,” he says, “and they’re called that for a reason. You need to decide how you’re going to tackle a climb— whether you will grab a hold, or skip it; where you will place your feet. You need to be the top thinker to be the best. If the next guy has an easier way to do it, he’ll do better than you.”
Jesse has given more than a little thought to his “problems.” He competes locally on a team out of Fairfield called the New Jersey Rockers. From the local competitions, the teams move on to Regionals, and the top few climbers there make it to Nationals. Jesse has qualified for Nationals for both Bouldering and Top Roping every year since he was nine, and competed all of those years except for the one season he had a broken toe. He has placed nationally in all his competitions, coming in first place three times (once for Top-Roping, twice for Bouldering). He is now sponsored by Mad Rock, a climbing gear retailer, and, as a 14 year old, is able to qualify for the first time to compete internationally.
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In addition to climbing techniques, Jesse has learned a little about life through his training and competition. “I feel like I would be a lot different if I didn’t climb,” he says. “I’m more open-viewed. You have to be able to think outside of the box. I know that there’s always a way through a problem, it’s just a matter of figuring it out.”
If you know a kid who is doing something fascinating and extraordinary, or quirky and unusual, please let us know. We’re trying to find out: What’s UP with these kids? Just email Shelley@Patch.com.
