Charlotte Cox: Climbing to the Top

Charlotte Cox is a senior at Camas High School (CHS) who three years ago discovered a new passion: rock climbing. Not only is Cox a competitive rock climber but she also swims, skis, and mountain bikes. 

Rock climbing is not for the faint-hearted. It requires courage and perseverance, which Cox has an abundance of. She first tried rock climbing for fun at a gym and as she kept climbing up fell more in love with it. She was later invited by her old coach to join the team and compete in rock climbing competitions.

“My biggest rock climbing achievement so far has been qualifying for Divisionals three times! I currently climb on the Source Climbing Team and compete with them in different competitions,” Cox said. 

“My favorite memory is anytime we do workouts outside the gym in downtown Vancouver,” Cox said.

Cox has had a huge impact on her teammates and everyone who meets her. She treats everyone with kindness and respect and always succeeds in making everyone around her smile and laugh.

“Charlotte is one of the kindest girls I know. She is easy to talk to and so sweet; she shows everyone kindness. My favorite memory with Charlotte is talking to her during our stretches before swim practice,” freshman Jamie Harris said.

“Charlotte is a hardworking student who always puts forth her best effort in class,” Kathryn Carmichael said.

“My best competition so far happened last May in Bend, Oregon, at the Regional meet.  I got a top on my first lead route and halfway up the other two lead routes. I placed tenth and climbed my absolute hardest,” Cox said.

Cox’s determination to keep going has helped her enormously when rock climbing. She is a leader in everything she does and always makes sure that everyone around her has fun. 

“I have a lot of goals for outdoor climbing, and I really want to lead an outdoor climb,” Cox said.

While Cox may be graduating, she plans to continue rock climbing in college; however, she will not be climbing competitively. Cox plans to attend the University of Portland in the fall and pursue a degree and career in public health and wellness. 

“If I could give any advice to someone interested in pursuing competitive rock climbing or rock climbing in general, it would be: just keep going! Everyone in the climbing community is so supportive, no matter what grade you climb, so just keep going,” Cox said.