Clarke Central High School junior Micah Shannon rests after attempting a bouldering project at Active Climbing on August 27. Shannon joined the climbing community after moving to Athens, Ga. six years ago from Minneapolis, Minnesota. “I knew (Minneapolis) enough to kind of grow up there and identify with it culturally. It’s kind of part of who I am,” Shannon said. “I live in Georgia now, which is a lot different.” Photo by Shea Peters
Clarke Central High School junior Micah Shannon moved to Athens in the fifth grade and now finds a community at Active Climbing
The ODYSSEY Media Group will provide viewers with stylized profiles that center on people in the Athens community telling their own stories.
Straining to reach a hold on the crux of his bouldering project, Clarke Central High School junior Micah Shannon is cheered on by his fellow climbers at Active Climbing. Shannon’s warm reception in the gym is evidence of his sense of community in Athens, but this hasn’t always been the case.
Micah grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a highly metropolitan area with a population of well over three million people. His parents, PhD students at the University of Minnesota, were frequently strapped for cash, but the Shannon family made the best of it. Micah remembers walking around the Mall of America with his parents on weekends, an inexpensive pastime.
“There’s a lot of places to go there, to see things. If you’re lucky you got to go on one of the little roller coasters,” Micah said.
Regardless of his parents’ efforts, however, Micah felt out of place in his community.
“North Minneapolis especially is pretty high poverty and now I live in a suburb, basically,” Micah said. “I can remember people getting shot, and crime. I think that’s something that a lot of people don’t think about.”
He remembers Minneapolis as gridded, highly organized and crowded. The oppressive atmosphere didn’t catalyze friendships well, leaving Micah with few close friends up north.
This feeling of isolation changed when Micah moved with his family to Athens, Georgia. He attended Timothy Road Elementary starting in the fifth grade, and met his friends, forming a fast and steady bond that they still share today. Micah attributes this to the warmth of the south and the friendliness and openness of Athens.
Clarke Central High School junior Micah Shannon reaches for a hold in the cave at Active Climbing in Athens, Ga. Shannon has been climbing for three years now, and finds it pushes him past his limits. “You’re putting yourself out there, I think. The first time I went to a climbing competition, I was so scared, because I was so bad and everyone else was so good,” Shannon said. “But then it also encourages you to be better.” Photo by Shea Peters
Now, climbing is just one facet of the life Micah Shannon has built in Athens. He has found a place where he can feel comfortable and expand on his interests while remembering and respecting his past experiences.
