Profile by peter coish

Lukas Wiborg

Loving the Outdoors

By: Peter Coish

L

ukas!? are you alright? I yelled down the face of the cliff. I saw him pick himself up off the ground as he responded to me “Yeah I’m fine”. He then jumped onto a rock and cried out multiple swear words.

He

knew he hurt himself in some way; of course I would have expected that given he had just tumbled 30 feet down a sheer cliff. With most of the skin scraped off of his left arm and leg, I asked him again, “Are you alright?”

He looked at me as I finished rappelling

2

down the cliff and told me that he was used to accidents by now (just not on this level). One week later I met up with him again, and he had a large cast because he had fractured his heel.

I looked at the cast and back at him and joked, “Guess you’re gonna take a break from rock

at home resting, and If he loves to be outdoors that much, why doesn’t everyone else?

climbing for a while!” He responded, “actually, I’m going climbing again this weekend” (Wiborg).

It was at that moment that I wondered, why does he do it? Why wouldn’t he rather be

to 2011, childhood obesity has more than tripled; showing that one in three children in America are obese.

Being overweight is not just an issue of whether you look good or not;

L

ike few others, Lukas is a very extreme individual, but he always makes me wonder why people aren’t as excited to get outside as he is.

According to an American Heart A s s o c i at io n study, from 1971

HE’S A VERY “OUTDOORSY PERSON” 3

it has major effects on your health and well being. If a child does not maintain a healthy weight and proper exercise, it can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol. Though it may seem like such a small thing to

go outside and play, nowadays it is one of the last things on a kid’s minds today.

L

4

ukas’ mother has told me that Lukas is not like other

kids. She went on to talk about how Lukas spends so much more time outside than other teens nowadays.

With social media captivating a majority

of the teenagers today, I wonder what about being outdoors made Lukas so happy. What very few people realise is that

I

t all started a few years ago. Lukas says that he was the one who got his family

into extreme sports and climbing. When I interviewed Lukas’ mom, Jill Kopeikin, she told me “Lucas originally started rock climbing pretty

c a s u a l l y, things like rock climbing at birthday parties with kids at any age where he was not old enough to belay (the term for the person who stands at the bottom holding the rope so the person climbing can be safer during the climb and descent). So he started, and by the time he turned 14 and was allowed to actually belay me, I started

as well. “ on how when Lukas started rock climbing it was originally at birthday parties only. At the time Lukas couldn’t boley his mom since he was so young and little, and because of that his mom.

W

hen Lukas broke his heel, it was almost like watching a bird unable to fly.

Though his broken heel forced Lukas to live a more relaxed lifestyle, he still got outside and tried his best to participate in his regular outdoor activities. “He has a broken heel and I still see him out there everyday, not running but just being part of the team, ” his friend Felix Nordmark said about Lukas at cross country.

Lukas says that he isn’t going to let his heel stop him from doing what he

loves.

I am Positive that no matter what obstacles Lukas will face, he will always turn to rock cl i m b i n g when he

needs something to calm his mind. And as Lukas always tells himself, “You can’t fall if you don’t climb, but where’s the joy in living your whole life on the ground?”

5

Citation: Kopeikin, Jill. Personal interview. October 2015 Nordmark, Felix. Personal interview. october 2015 Wiborg, Lukas. Personal interview. August 2015 Source Citation (MLA 7th Edition) Alt, Jeff. “Start ‘em young! Getting kids hiking.” New York State Conservationist June 2014: 12+.Student Resources in Context. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.

URL http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA373579978&v=2.1&u=moun43 602&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=7e8f4fe8ac527cf86aa28b859c871421 Source Citation (MLA 7th Edition) “The big question.” Backpacker Sept. 2015: 14. Student Resources in Context.

Web. 15 Oct. 2015.

URL http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA426719164&v=2.1&u=moun43 602&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=8c472942f91eef53f3320be15394b865 Source Citation (MLA 7th Edition) “Re: When Kids Fly.” The New York Times Magazine 31 May 2015: 10(L). Student Resources in Context. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.

URL http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA415684858&v=2.1&u=moun43 602&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=9710eb6baafe29b4df7a9e287f088e30 Source Citation (MLA 7th Edition) “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. (Fitness & Exercise).” American Fitness Sept.Oct. 2002: 9.Student Resources in Context. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.

URL http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA92840187&v=2.1&u=moun436 02&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=9496acfd95cc5fea84a012f57805863d

6