Emily Taylor

Experiential Life

Emily Taylor is an educator, facilitator, competitive climber, and professional coach.  She started climbing twelve years ago on a 2 month multi-adventure Outward Bound course in Colorado.  Immediately after her first experience, she began to study the process of competitive sport climbing and found her niche teaching children.  While competing on the adult circuit, Emily spent time under the tutelage of the climbing and teaching styles of Robyn Ebersfield, Didier Raboutou and Jim Bridwell.  On Oct. 8, 2003 Emily set out to be the first black woman to climb the largest monolith in North America by the most famous direct route, the Nose of EL Capitan, in Yosemite California.  It took her six days to summit. 

*Formally ranked #1 Advanced Adult Female in USA Climbing, Emily now coaches four youth climbing teams in the metro Atlanta area, as well as students in seven states across the US.   She dedicates her teaching, studies and learning experiences to diversifying the climbing community. She has established safe and holistic programs that support the needs of her clients and students.   Her coaching style is personal, compassionate, boldly expressive, and unique.  She fulfills the coaching role to motivate, educate, and teach self-disciple, responsibility and accountability.  Her teaching focuses on mental, emotional, and physical awareness, and on proper technique, and efficiency.
 

*Emily enjoys working closely with persons with learning, behavioral and physical challenges.  She specializes in teaching children and adolescents.  In 2001, along with engineer/gym owner, Nick Cocciolone, Emily designed and marketed a climb apparatus that would enable paraplegics to climb.  That same year, she developed a standard belay class design to be taught simply by gyms and guides to deaf climbers.  Both designs were featured on a PBS special in Ann Arbor, Michigan

*It has been Emily’s ambition to design and implement youth climbing programs for the Atlanta community.  In the fall of 2002, Emily designed and established the Urban Core Climbing Team (formally the WCRC Climbing Team).   With the willingness, enthusiasm, and support of community,  the programs gained momentum and great success.  The unique programs focus on the climber as a whole person.  Participants are approached with positive encouragement and respect, and are encouraged to meet challenges with a positive perspective of a “can do” attitude, personal accountability, responsibility, and reflection. The Urban Core Climbing Team is well recognized in the climbing community, the eyes of the parents, the bodies of climbers, and the heart of the coach.

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