42 | July/August 2017
On Belay
Constance added rock climbing walls to her son's room
with a flat screen mounted to the wall. "He would climb the
walls and hang from climbing holds on the ceiling as he
watched TV," she said.
So, it seemed like a good idea to invest in rock climbing
training. ese lessons were where the two met Shane Messer,
Kai's coach, who was more than a little surprised. Messer is
a rock climber himself who also runs nationally recognized
high-end training camps for competitive climbers and who
has coached the U.S. National Team multiple times.
"I was surprised to see an African American kid climbing.
Back then, when you worked in a climbing gym, your vision
became white washed for sure," Messer said.
Plus, in a sport dominated by males 5'10'' and under,
Kai's height made him stand out. "He's a giant," Messer said.
"When I met him, he was six years old and probably 4'10'' or
something."
Now at the age of 17, Kai is 6' 3''. "He holds things over
my head and I can't get them back. It's kind of messed up,"
Messer said with a laugh.
Kai's height hasn't gone unnoticed by other climbers at
competitions. ey call him a man-child, his mom says, and
a prodigy.
Photo
courtesy
Tara
Reynvaan
Kai's climbing achievements—and his great academic record—have helped him acquire
nearly $1 million in college scholarships. He has been accepted into Babson College, the
top school in the country for entrepreneurship.
