“It’s all me versus me,” Mr. Rich Smith explains as he sits at his desk while adjusting his crisp plaid shirt and navy colored tie. Last week was the first time he decided not to wear a tie to school in eight years. If you’ve seen him around the halls or maybe been in his English or Debate class you could probably gather that he is a very regimented person. What you might not know is that every week, five times a week, Mr. Smith practices bouldering at a rock climbing gym.
For the past three years, Smith has been enjoying this activity, known as ‘bouldering,’ or free climbing, which is performed without any harnesses or rope. He was originally introduced to this sport through his wife, and the first time around he was completely uninvested in the sport.
“The second time around I sort of fell in love with it,” Smith reminisced.
Although he is still considered a beginner in the world of rock climbing he has made significant improvements in a sport that requires mental discipline and can take a lasting toll on your body.
“It’s easy to always be creaky and hurting,” he joked. “From where I am, experience-wise, I’m pretty good, and it’s fun.”
Besides physical activity, nutrition is something else that Mr. Smith highly values. He chooses a vegan lifestyle, which he once thought he would be unable to do because of the amount of protein he needs to consume each day.
“I used to think that you needed animal protein to hit your protein goals, and now everyday I live a life where I don’t have to do that,” he said. “And none of it has to be the result of animal suffering.”
When he is not busy grading papers or preparing lessons, Smith likes to take trips with his wife. Over summer break they spent ten days living in a van in Yosemite and Sequoia National Park and plan to travel to more national parks in the upcoming months. They are both avid travelers, even going as far as spending their honeymoon in a cave. More specifically, the largest cave in the world, Hang Son Doong in Vietnam.
“You couldn’t see the ceiling,” Smith recalls. “It was an incredible experience.”
A few places on their list of dream destinations are the Galapagos Islands, Mount Kilimanjaro, and Antarctica.
“It’s always a balance of ‘are we having a positive impact on the world’ and ‘are we really enjoying our lives,’’ he stated. “Finding that happy medium is pretty sweet.”
Whether he is inside or outside the classroom Smith is always making sure he is contributing to a healthy environment.
“I think I have a personality that lends itself to being a teacher and an active person.. To me it’s about the journey not about getting a win. Helping young people succeed and seeing the long term goes hand in hand with endurance sports, you’re not going to see the outcome right away.”