Hi, my name is Madeleine Louisell. I’ve been rock climbing competitively since the start of 9th grade. My climbing coaches have always been a big source of motivation for me and have supported me on my five year long journey. My interest in coaching younger climbers began at the start of this year. For Senior Project I will be spending my time coaching team kids (both getting trained and running team sessions) multiple times each week. I plan on incorporating my interest in photography to create a final piece of work that reflects both interests. Not only will the project provide more opportunity for leadership in a work setting, but it will allow me to apply techniques and skills I wouldn’t otherwise.
Just after I began rock climbing, I became intrigued by climbing “setters”, experts who create complex climbs in the climbing gym. A large part of competing is figuring out the “beta” of a climb, how your body can move and change so you can finish the route. The more I climb, the more curious I’ve become about how the route setters have the knowledge and skill to create these complex puzzles. Being in the gym for so long sparked my interest in the project, and coaching will be another opportunity for me to think about beta and the work of “setters”.
Both of my recent honors projects have been about Photography. Photography has always been captivating to me: the simplicity or the chaos of a photo, color, or lighting. My first honors project in tenth grade was one that aimed to change the way I viewed simple moments in life. My second honors project was study on adventure photographers: Jimmy Chin, Daniel Gajda, and more. This project grew from an interest in both photography and climbing.
For my Senior Project I will spend my weeks doing a mix of training and coaching within my rock climbing gym. This means multiple two hour long coaching sessions with “Rec/Climb” clubs at CRG Manhattan, and training sessions at least three times a week with my teammates. The Rec/Climb clubs are the non-competitive teams within the climbing gym. During coaching sessions, I will be planning the exercises, activities, drills, and providing advice to the younger team kids about their “projects” (a hard climb). Activities can consist of exercises like “add on” where the kids are able to create their own climbing routes. It could also be “4×4”, where team kids are expected to improve their endurance by repeating a climb four times on four different routes. I will continue my normal team sessions while also utilizing the time by extending PT training and mental training. My goal for this project is to also “send” my second V8 (my best bouldering grade/level) , which will help keep me motivated until the end of the trimester.
I plan on turning this experience into a creative project, where I document my experience through film photography. I will be working closely with Susan Now to curate a selection of photos that most demonstrate my skill. Although I have never shot on film, it’s something I’ve been wanting to explore for some time now.
I will also be taking the seminar “The New Yorkers for New Yorker” on Wednesdays. Although no longer an X-block, I would like to continue posting on the Human of LREI’s instagram account and discuss with the other leaders a plan for the leaders next year. I hope to conclude my Senior Project with a book of photographs, a documented experience of immersing myself within the climbing community where I can demonstrate how I spent my time and what I learned about rock climbing, coaching, and photography.