R ock Gy m Staff The MAC Rock Gym is a part of the MAC Outdoor Department and boasts one of the most well rounded and experienced staffs in the country.
t Drew White Outdoor Supervisor and Head Coach Drew White leads the staff. White started at MAC in a very part-time role as an assistant coach, and became the Outdoor Supervisor in 2012. White has a degree in business from North Greenville College and a masters in higher education and theology from Baylor University. He ran the Baylor University Outdoor Program for years and was an outdoor program coordinator at Reed College. White has summited Aconcagu once and Denali twice, with a rare climb of the North Summit, along with more peaks in Nepal and South America. White is also a volunteer for Portland Mountain Rescue. He’s lost count of how many times he’s summited Mount Hood. These days, White spends much of his time as the head coach of MAC Climbing Team, and running operations at the Rock Gym.
Molly Beard u Recently hired route setter Molly Beard is one of the best and most respected route setters and climbing wall industry professionals in the country. Beard was a coach for the Stoneworks team in Beaverton for fifteen years, all while maintaining her full-time job as a USA Climbing level 5 route setter, which is the top tier of certification for the sport. Beard has set the routes for countless regional, divisional, and national championships in the U.S., as well as international championships. MAC’s coaches are thrilled to have her, and she’s thrilled to be here. “I’ve been working in and around the climbing gym industry for over 18 years, the last decade as a freelance routesetter traveling throughout the U.S. organizing comps, teaching and much more!” Beard says. “As I began to think about retiring from full-time work, I knew I would want to continue to do some setting. My ideal place would be in Portland, be supportive of climbers of all ages and abilities, be well managed, and most importantly allow me to share my knowledge with the next generation of climbers and routesetters. Given how much I enjoyed working with Drew and his team in the past, this new opportunity made perfect sense.”
t Michael Brown p Marquis Member Coach Timy Fairfield Timy Fairfield is a legend in the American climbing community. He is the one of only three North Americans to win an international climbing competition, and is the only American to win professional international events in all three disciplines of the sport. Fairfield is also owner of Futurist Climbing, which designs modern cutom climbing floors, including the new floor usewd in MAC’s expansion. As a member coach, Fairfield consults with MAC’s coaches about training plans for the climbing team, teaches summer camps, and puts on occasional clinics for members.
46 | The Wınged M |
february 2014
The Rock Gym has many great staff members that fulfill a variety of tasks at the wall, and just as a watch has many springs, gears, and cogs to make it function perfectly, so does the climbing gym. Keeping with the watch anology, the most important part of a watch is the main spring. Almost every other part in the watch must work in harmony with the main spring for it to work properly. Brown is the main spring of the climbing wall. Michael is the longest tenured Rock Gym employee, and chances are if you climb at the wall, he has taught you or your child how to climb and how to use the facility.
Rock Gym Staff u The Rock Gym staff, back row from left, Head Coach Drew White, Tim Weiskopf, Michael Brown and Molly Beard; kneeling, Assistant Coach Jack Simonson, Isaac Showman, and Outdoor Manager Chad Failla; seated, Justin Tom and Lisa Chulich.