Adrenaline Snags Coveted Golden Toothbrush Award

There’s something in the water in Georgia. And whatever it is, it sparks a burning flame of competition. In 2008, Adrenaline climbing team of Suwanee, Georgia, placed second in the Access Fund TeamWorks youth stewardship competition, missing the coveted Golden Toothbrush award by a narrow margin to the neighboring Escalade climbing team from Kennesaw, Georgia. Not ones to be bested by their Georgian rivals, Adrenaline started off 2009 absolutely gunning for the Golden Toothbrush. And they got it.

The kids took the competition with three events that drew hundreds of volunteers who contributed nearly a thousand hours of volunteer work to local conservation and stewardship. “It’s the competition that gets them stoked,” says team coach Trey Johanson-Smith. But the desire to win took a backseat for the 40-plus members of the A Team. “We had a blast every time we were out there working and climbing together. The camaraderie and sense of accomplishment became more important than the competition.”

The team hosted two events this year at Sand Rock in Alabama, each drawing over a hundred volunteers to help revitalize the area. “Since Sand Rock is right next to the road and it is so easy to get to, the trails get really worn down and the area gets trashed,” says team member Victoria Nabb. During these events, Victoria and her teammates built rock barriers and shoveled mulch for erosion control.

When asked what the defining moment of the TeamWorks experience was for her team, Johanson-Smith says, “This year after we’d finished one of our Adopt a Crags, one of the new members of the team took on his first outdoor climbing route. He got a taste of that paralyzing fear and pushed through it, with the whole team shouting encouragement. It’s an experience I don’t think he’ll ever forget. And he got to learn it hand-in-hand with stewardship work. That’s what it’s all about.”

Adrenaline took home the Golden Toothbrush Award, the $1,000 top prize grant (which will be put toward an Espresso Lessons clinic for the team), and serious bragging rights in the Southeast. Already looking forward to the 2010 competition, the Adrenaline kids are ready for more friendly competition this year.

The Access Fund would like to thank all of the TeamWorks members who participated in the 2009 program. These kids embody everything that is good about young climbers today—lots of heart, energy, and a sense of responsibility for the places they play. We’re proud to have them in the Access Fund’s corner and look forward to seeing what they’re made of in the 2010 competition.

TeamWorks is made possible by the generous support of our corporate sponsors:
* Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI)
* GORE-TEX Products
* The North Face
* CLIF Bar
* URBAN CLIMBER Magazine
* USA Climbing