Member Spotlight: April 2016
Julie Mangrum
Edgeworks Member since 2004.
One of 7 current members who have been with us since the very beginning – almost 12 years!
How did you start climbing?
Julie: As a kid I liked watching the show “American Gladiators.” One of the events the contestants had to go through was climbing a wall before a Gladiator could yank them off. I always wanted to try that for myself (minus the Gladiator) and I got my chance to as a student at the University of Puget Sound. There’s a climbing wall in the fitness facility that had been constructed in a racquetball court. That’s basically where I learned how to climb.
Why do you climb at Edgeworks?
Julie: I climb at Edgeworks because I love climbing and it is only 1.8 miles from my house! I have never been into sports or fitness, but to me, climbing is about how to physically solve puzzles. It’s super fun and it doesn’t seem like exercise to me.
Where is your favorite place to climb outside?
Julie: Either Thailand or New Zealand. Just kidding, I’ve never been to either of those places. Even though I’ve been climbing for so many years, I don’t have a ton of experience outside. Climbing anywhere outside is great to me.
What do you do when you’re not climbing?
Julie: When I’m not climbing I am probably doing something fun with my family (my husband and 2 kids), reading a book, or walking at Snake Lake or Chambers Bay. I also work part-time as the director of children’s ministries at a local church.
What are some interesting facts you’d like to share with the Edgeworks community?
Julie: Lake Malawai is sometimes called the Calendar Lake because it is 365 miles from top to bottom and 52 miles at it’s widest point. A mantis shrimp can swing its claws so fast it boils the water around it and creates a flash of light.
