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Rock climbing requires nerves of steel, laser-like focus and vast reserves of determination – and even more of these if you’re going to be clambering up rock faces with a wheelchair strapped to your body.
Which is exactly what Canadian Woody Belfort, who has a form of cerebral palsy, does.
Woody (25) gets around in a wheelchair, but put him in front of a rock wall and he becomes Spider-Man.
The awe-inspiring basketball athlete and bodybuilder has been sharing videos of his incredible physical abilities on social media. Videos of him climbing walls while strapped in his wheelchair with ease fill his Instagram page and he says he is not afraid to show off his skills. “I always wanted to be moving, even with a wheelchair,” Woody says.
In a recent Instagram post, Woody, who has also competed in the Canada Games, spoke about his disability helping him appreciate who he is. “It makes you want to preserve who you are a little harder. It forces you to think outside the box and you are always outside your comfort zone. I’m using a lot of words to say that your handicap isn’t crippling your growth in being the person you want to be.”
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Woody’s natural athleticism began long before he took up rock climbing and his disability has not stopped him from trying various sports. He has rotated through fitness regiments, including yoga, CrossFit and calisthenics – exercises which rely mostly on your body weight and the use of light handheld apparatus.
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“I try to do everything,” he says, but admits that his first love is basketball, which he started playing as soon as he was old enough to manoeuvre his wheelchair.
He shares videos of his incredible feats to inspire others who might have similar challenges.
“I hope that youth realise the only limit they have is within themselves. No matter how tall a wall is, never stop climbing.”
Watch Woody’s incredible videos here.
SOURCES: BARDOWN.COM, BBC.COM, WOODY BELFORT (INSTAGRAM)
