“Stay calm, control your mind” – Angie Scarth-Johnson
Breaking a world record at 9 years old & becoming the youngest to complete a Grade 31 Climb, one of the toughest in the sport, we can definitely say that Angie was born with it, she’s phenomenal & she’s ready to dominate this sport. Angie shared with us that she always had a heart for the great outdoors, the beauty of “what ifs” and the thrill of rock climbing’s mental & physical challenges.
“The precise point when I knew I had a talent for climbing was when I broke a world record in outdoor climbing at age 9. I then realized climbing was something I wanted to pursue. From a young age, you’d find me climbing trees, fences, and even climbing in-between the cracks of our brick house.”
“Climbing simply feels limitless to me and in many ways therapeutic, especially outdoor climbing. The one thing I love about my sport is that it is a sport for life you can be 1 or 100 and there will be some form of climbing you can do, whether it be outdoors or indoors, you can never be bored with the sports”
The elite climber shared with us that she had faced a lot of disappointments, even the brutal ones in her young life but nothing prepared her for this pandemic that took a toll on her mental health. In the midst of the global pandemic, Angie felt powerless and she thought that all her hard work will be for nothing.
“It has been the hardest mentally, I have had to endure in my life so far. During lockdown, I found myself feeling useless, disappointed and almost everything felt uncertain. This was the first time I felt depression take over my motivation. I had very limited training equipment at home, I no longer had the push to continue to train for the 2020 Olympic qualifiers. There was uncertainty about the new dates for the coming competitions and there was talk about the cancellation of the 2020 Olympic games all together.”
Despite all the challenges and uncertainties that life presented to her, Angie found her own silver lining that allowed her to keep on thriving. Now, she is preparing for her biggest challenge – securing a spot at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics.
“I had a little light in me that knew that giving up was not a choice and that I had to find a way to overcome these bumps on the road. Just like any other failure in sport that I’ve had. you deal with it, pick yourself up, and get on with it. The feeling I get from the accomplishment of my goal is worth it. Thankfully the Olympics were postponed to 2021 and Qualifiers will be at the end of December.”
Power of Sports
POWER OF SPORTS is here to campaign the idea that regardless of anyone’s age, gender, or ability, sports have the power to transform lives.
Sports have the power to help people become better- fitter, stronger, happier.
We will be telling real personal stories of how sports have transformed people’s lives- physically, socially, personal breakthroughs, helping with mental health, and more.
If you have an empowering story to tell or know someone who does, drop us an email at partnerships@hydragun.com with the subject title Power of Sports X (NAME)
