The NY climbing community has lost a great friend in the passing of Greg Beaudet last week. It has been a few years since he was living in the area, but his family and friends are still here and he would visit occasionally and, I'm sure, make the trip to the Gunks. If you are a boulderer at the Gunks, I'm guessing you'd recongnize him. In his senior year of high school, we spent quite a few days together down at the Gunks. He taught me how to boulder, and I introduced him to trad climbing.
Greg was ALWAYS a joy to be around. His energy was infectious; he was care-free, and he never had a bad attitude about anyone or anything. When he came to the competitions, everyone was excited. He was a high flyer, an encourager, and always climbed for himself, never to prove that he was better than anyone. His forearms were gigantic, dwarfed only by his heart and smile. His style was dynamic and powerful and although he was only about 5'6", I have NEVER seen him beaten in a dyno comp. I have set problems for every E-City competition and if we were concluding with a dyno showdown, we set knowing that only Greg could get the final one.
After he graduated high school, he went off to the Navy and became one of the best rescue swimmers they had. I'm sure he showed no fear jumping out of helicopters into the water. He had probably fallen from greater heights onto just 4 inches of foam and carpet. After entering the Navy, I didn't hear from him much. He was stationed in San Diego and Florida and spent time in the Persian Gulf too. We'd talk one or twice a year. His brother and father I would still see around, but not much was discussed besides "How's Greg doing? When's he coming home next?"
He had been a part of the Shiloh's Edge program; joining us on Saturday mornings for the indoor climbing league and on our trips out to Joshua Tree for spring break as well. I really wish I could keep up with all the kids who have ever been on a Shiloh's Edge trip, but unfortunately, life just doesn't afford that. I hadn't seen him in quite a while, but now that he's gone, I'm really kinda missin' him.
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2 comments:
Adam:
I just reread the kind words you wrote about Greg, and they comforted me again. He was SO lucky having made friends at E-city and at AIR. The climbing community was a huge part of his life. I miss him terribly, but I am so happy that he touched so many people in the short time he lived.
Thank you again.
Chip Beaudet
cbeaudet@nycap.rr.com
I knew Greg , he was one of my best friends. I just got home from my second deployment. Greg and I graduated from a few schools together and we rode bikes out here too. I just found out about this today. I miss my friend... FUCK THE COPS !!!
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