It all started with a chance encounter with Malcolm Daly on Pearl Street in Boulder, Colorado.  Two high school students, Elizabeth and Rebecca Chambers, pitched a Paradox Sports fundraising idea to Malcolm, who was the Executive Director of Paradox Sports.  A quick phone call to family friend/climbing artist, Jeremy Collins motivated him to provide artwork to support the venture and the project was off and running with big plans and zero funding.  The lack of funding was overcome by a supportive local climbing community.  Kat and Jon Whistance, owners of Ibex Climbing Gym in Blue Springs, Missouri (outside of Kansas City) were immediately excited about the idea.  Kat and Jon suggested that the event be a nighttime, lights out climb. Thus was born “Shed Some Light.”  The Whistances donated the use of their gym, and their exhausted but enthusiastic employees donated their time.  For a suggested donation of $15 (many people gave substantially more), 60 or more people enjoyed five hours of  pounding tunes, great food, wonderful raffle prizes, high energy climbing, one incredible community and solid support for a worthy cause.  Over $2100 was raised for Paradox Sports.

Two days later, it was asked, “when do we start planning for next year?”

Check out a cool video from the evening HERE.

http://www.conwaydailysun.com/featured/story/paradox021512

Camp Paradox is an event for adults with physical disabilities and their family members to camp with other families who have shared similar experiences with disability. Camp culture operates on a “challenge by choice” philosophy, whereby all participants, both disabled and nondisabled can choose to challenge themselves with activities like ropes courses, hiking outings, and fishing, all in the outdoors. 

We are pleased to provide families with an opportunity to experience nature apart from the hectic lifestyle of today’s world, so no electronic devices are permitted unless they serve a clear adaptive purpose. Finally, we Leave No Trace; what we take in, we take out.

Who can register?
Camp Paradox is for adults (ages 18-65) who have a physical disability, and their family members (must be over age 6). Each family group may register up to 4 people. If you do not have family members that you want to bring, we welcome you to join us anyway! This will be a wonderful chance to meet other people. Finally, our definition of family is quite broad. Please bring with you those you are closest to emotionally. 

Where will Camp take place?
The June Camp Paradox will take place June 29- July 1 at the beautiful Cal-Wood Education Center near Jamestown, CO (note that this differs from the August camp). Cal-Wood sits at 7,800 feet, so expect it to be cooler than Denver or Boulder.

How much does it cost?
Camp registration is $25/person ($30/person after June 1). Your registration fee is all-inclusive, covering camping fees, activities, and meals from dinner on Friday through lunch on Sunday. Scholarships may be available, please contact us to ask: camp@paradoxsports.org.

What to not bring.

This is an outdoor camping adventure! Your fellow campers will appreciate that you leave your electronic gadgets at home. Unless, of course, you need them for an adaptive purpose. That goes for the kiddos, too.

What to bring.
Each person in your group should bring:

- sunscreen & sunglasses
- toiletries (toothpaste, brush, etc.)
- insect repellent
- hats for sun & cold weather
- clothes for warm/cold and dry/wet weather
- medications
- light backpack
- towel
- pillow
- snacks for between meals
- reusable and sturdy place setting (spoon, fork, knife, plate, bowl, mug)

If you have the following items, please also bring these with you… If you do not, you will have a chance to request them from us later in the registration process.

- sturdy closed-toe shoes (no flip flops)
- flashlight or headlamp
- personal water container
- sleeping bag
- sleeping mat
- tent
- camp chairs

Each family may also want to bring a camera.

Anticipated Schedule
(this is subject to change but will give you a general idea of what to expect)

Friday June 29
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm     Families arrive to Cal-Wood and check in, pitch tents, and meet and greet
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm     Dinner
6:00 pm – 7:30 pm     Welcome Ceremony
8:00 pm – bed               Campfire

Saturday June 30
7:00 am – 8:00 am     Breakfast
8:00am – 12:00pm     Camp Activities
12:00pm – 1:30pm     Lunch
2:00pm – 6:00pm       Camp Activities
6:00pm – 8:00pm       Dinner
8:00pm – 10:00pm     Campfire

Sunday July 1
7:00 am – 8:00 am     Breakfast
8:30 am – 12:00 pm   Camp Activities
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm   Lunch
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm     Camp Activities
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm     Pack up
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm     Closing Ceremony & Depart Cal-Wood

Camp Activities may include: hiking, nature walks and birding, fishing, low or high ropes course, arts/crafts, service projects with naturalists and park rangers. Your registration fees will cover dinner Friday; breakfast, lunch and dinner Saturday; breakfast and lunch on Sunday; camping fees and equipment (if you don’t have your own).

Paradox Sports would like to say a huge thank you to The North Face Explore Fund, CamelBak, and Mountainsmith for underwriting part of this program.

Paradox Sports a non-profit organization that provides inspiration, opportunities and adaptive equipment to the disabled community, empowering their pursuit of a life of excellence through human-powered outdoor sports. Paradox Sports was created by an eclectic group of individuals with a common desire to integrate the physically disabled into the outdoor community.

Cancellation and refund policy: You may cancel your registration should you need to do so. Cancel before June 15th for a 50% refund. Sorry, no refunds after June 15.

Camp Paradox is an event for adults with physical disabilities and their family members to camp with other families who have shared similar experiences with disability. Camp culture operates on a “challenge by choice” philosophy, whereby all participants, both disabled and nondisabled can choose to challenge themselves with activities like ropes courses, hiking outings, and fishing, all in the outdoors.
We are pleased to provide families with an opportunity to experience nature apart from the hectic lifestyle of today’s world, so no electronic devices are permitted unless they serve a clear adaptive purpose. Finally, we Leave No Trace; what we take in, we take out.

Who can register?
Camp Paradox is for adults (ages 18-65) who have a physical disability, and their family members (must be over age 6). Each family group may register up to 4 people. If you do not have family members that you want to bring, we welcome you to join us anyway! This will be a wonderful chance to meet other people. Finally, our definition of family is quite broad. Please bring with you those you are closest to emotionally.

Where will Camp take place?
The August Camp Paradox will take place August 12-14 (Sun-Tues), with camping at Jack’s Gulch and activities in Pingree Park near Ft. Collins, CO (note that this differs from the June camp). Pingree Park sits at 9,000 feet, so expect it to be cooler than Denver or Boulder.

How much does it cost?
Camp registration is $25/person ($30/person after July 15). Your registration fee is all-inclusive, covering camping fees, activities, and meals from dinner on Sunday through lunch on Tuesday. Scholarships may be available, please contact us to ask: camp@paradoxsports.org.

What to not bring.

This is an outdoor camping adventure! Your fellow campers will appreciate that you leave your electronic gadgets at home. Unless, of course, you need them for an adaptive purpose. That goes for the kiddos, too.

What to bring.
Each person in your group should bring:

- sunscreen & sunglasses
- toiletries (toothpaste, brush, etc.)
- insect repellent
- hats for sun & cold weather
- clothes for warm/cold and dry/wet weather
- medications
- light backpack
- towel
- pillow
- snacks for between meals
- reusable and sturdy place setting (spoon, fork, knife, plate, bowl, mug)

If you have the following items, please also bring these with you… If you do not, you will have a chance to request them from us later in the registration process.

- sturdy closed-toe shoes (no flip flops)
- flashlight or headlamp
- personal water container
- sleeping bag
- sleeping mat
- tent
- camp chairs

Each family may also want to bring a camera.

Anticipated Schedule
(this is subject to change but will give you a general idea of what to expect)

Sunday August 12
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm     Families arrive to Jack’s Gulch. Check in, pitch tents, and meet and greet
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm     Dinner
6:00 pm – 7:30 pm     Welcome Ceremony
8:00 pm – bed               Campfire

Monday August 13
7:00 am – 8:00 am     Breakfast
8:00am – 12:00pm     Camp Activities
12:00pm – 1:30pm     Lunch
2:00pm – 6:00pm       Camp Activities
6:00pm – 8:00pm       Dinner
8:00pm – 10:00pm    Campfire

Tuesday August 14
7:00 am – 8:00 am     Breakfast
8:30 am – 12:00 pm   Camp Activities
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm   Lunch
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm     Camp Activities
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm     Pack up
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm     Closing Ceremony & Depart Jack’s Gulch

Camp Activities may include: hiking, nature walks and birding, fishing, low or high ropes course, arts/crafts, service projects with naturalists and park rangers. Your registration fees will cover dinner Sunday; breakfast, lunch and dinner Monday; breakfast and lunch on Tuesday; camping fees and equipment (if you don’t have your own).

Paradox Sports would like to say a huge thank you to The North Face Explore Fund, CamelBak, and Mountainsmith for underwriting part of this program.

Paradox Sports a non-profit organization that provides inspiration, opportunities and adaptive equipment to the disabled community, empowering their pursuit of a life of excellence through human-powered outdoor sports. Paradox Sports was created by an eclectic group of individuals with a common desire to integrate the physically disabled into the outdoor community.

Cancellation and refund policy: You may cancel your registration should you need to do so. Cancel before July 29th for a 50% refund. Sorry, no refunds after July 29th.

Bobby Donnely
Photo by Peter Kragh courtesy of Operation Amped

The Agent of Change award recognizes an individual or organization making a difference for the betterment of the surfing community. Operation Amped will join the ranks of Dave Rastovich who received the first-ever award in 2008 for his work with Surfers for Cetaceans, Dr. Dave Jenkins in 2009 for his work with SurfAid International, and the Mauli Ola Foundation in 2010.

Operation Amped, part of Paradox Sports a nonprofit 501(c)(3), is a volunteer-run organization founded by a group of surfers in 2006 as a way to give back to those wounded while serving our country. Their mission is to share a love of the ocean with those who’ve sacrificed so much. Disabled servicemen and their families are freed of the constraints of illness and injury at Operation Amped events, and though many have never set foot in the ocean, let alone on a surfboard, with the support of the organization, everyone has fun. From Cornwall, England, to Corpus Christi, Texas, to Camp Pendleton, California, they operate their events on shoestring budgets and a lot of stoke.

Read the full article here.

The emails and phone calls flying around on Wednesday as a winter storm rolled into the front range were fast and furious. The forecast was for 8 inches of snow in the Denver/Boulder area with a little less in Shelf Road. True to the forecast we got about 8 inches here and the million dollar question was whether we should go or not. After a few phone calls we learned that Cañon Cañon City got about 3 inches and the forecast was for the mid 60’s during the following days.

Shelf Road gets a lot of traffic during the colder months due to the fact that there is a lot of south facing rock allowing climbers to climb in the sun for the majority of the day. The camping is first come first serve so Malcolm Daly and I fired to Shelf Road on Thursday to secure a group site large enough to accommodate our group. WOW it was cold! When the sun when down I crawled in my sleeping bag and tried to stay warm. I really think it was less than 10 degrees that night.

On Friday the Paradox tribe started to trickle in in the early afternoon. We were able to get a couple of pitches in late in the afternoon. The range of experience was from first time climbers to very experienced. The snow was really beginning to melt and it was warming up however after the sun went down there was a pretty close huddle around the fire. Despite the fact that this would turn out to be the largest of the Paradox RockX Shelf Road events I am not sure if there were more dogs or people at the event. Samson was holding court throughout the weekend keeping the young whippersnappers in line. He literally took a stick from a couple of dogs who were fighting over it and ended the argument. It was a funny moment.

Saturday and Sunday were the crux of the event. Before I start talking about the climbing I have to say thank you to the BLM for their work with us to allow special access to the climbing. They were very generous. I would also like to say thank you to a Paradox Sports corporate sponsor, Osprey. Grace Gamble came to Shelf Road and did a great job representing this wonderful company and we can not thank them enough for their generosity. If you are in the market for a backpack take a look at an Osprey pack.

The Shelf Road area offers great climbing, mountain biking, and fishing. On Saturday most of the tribe chose to climb. We took over the Green Pillar area of Cactus cliff which offered great  climbing with a fun base area to “hang.” I was truly inspired throughout the day to see athletes of all disabilities grind it out on rock. There is something about watching a person with no legs or a severe spinal injury grind it out on the rock. Sitting back and observing the masses walk past our climbing area was the real treat. Jaws were dropping as people walked by. I really believe that this is fulfillment of one aspect of the Paradox Sports mission… INSPIRATION! The day ended with a filling meal of gumbo and stir fry.

The tribe split up a bit on Sunday. Several people left early to fulfill work obligations, others climbed, and some took advantage of the great mountain biking in the Shelf Road area. We climbed in the Piggy Bank area which again provided a significant number of moderate to 5.11 climbs. As the afternoon rolled around we began to trickle out of the area. It was truly a euphoric feeling for me that this tribe had come together once again and had another amazing weekend.

I came home happy and inspired. The human spirit is amazing and I am so happy to be a part of a group of people who look at their “disadvantages” and say this will not stop me! I will defy gravity and live a life that is full and robust. I personally can not wait for the next opportunity to hang with this tribe. Speaking of that keep your eyes and ears open for our upcoming ice climbing events in North Conway, NH and Ouray, CO. More details soon!

If you would like to support Paradox Sports become a Paradox Sports Ambassador today.

Chad

Originally posted on www.chadbutrick.com