By: Weber Way to Wellness Reporter
August 4, 2012
Letter Winning UF runner, Alicia Weber’s rise to rope climbing came accidently at the University of Florida after Alicia graduated. Wouldn’t that be the only natural place to rise in sports considering the Univerisity of Florida’s tradition of producing champion athletes and Olympians?
The University of Florida has an 8m rope that sits beside the track stadium. Rope Climbing is part of the conditioning in many sports and while at University of Florida, Alicia trained in rope climbing to help with her running. Alicia said, “I climbed the rope and didn’t think much about the sport of rope climbing. In fact, I didn’t know there was a sport!!”
The accidental moment came on Oct 14, 2009, when Alicia climbed the rope casually in L-position to shoot a strength video for VideoTeasing as her character – Aussie Amanda. Alicia posted a snippet of the video on youtube as shown below and the responses were huge! Alicia said, “I had all kinds of people writing to me saying that I went faster than world record, while holding a rigid L position when all that is required is the much easier version of the arms only legs dangling rope climb. I was told competitive L-position climbing was abandonded in late 1800’s and the only competitive format is arms only rope climbing. ”
Alicia’s famous video that caused her to Rise to Rope Climbing World Records
Alicia then became acquainted with the sport of rope climbing, and of course, she decided to go for more world records! Alicia got a 22ft Outdoor Climbing Rope
If only rope climbing was still an Olympic sport, Alicia would be going for Gold and joining the other 145+ Letter Winning Gator Athletes that have competed in the Olympics, which makes UF the top school for producing Olympians.
During the 2012 London Olympics, Ryan Lochte’s 5th and final medal (silver medal) won in the 200IM marks UF’s 100th Olympic medal won by a Gator Letter Winning Athlete. UF letter winning swimmer, Elizabeth Beisel then took the 101st medal won by a Gator letter winner when she won the bronze medal in the 200m Backstroke (her 2nd individual medal won at Olympics).
Every Olympic year, the Florida Gators keep increasing the # of Olympians and # of medals won. In 2008 at the Beijing Olympics, if the University of Florida (known as Gator Nation) was recognized by the International Olympic Committe as a real nation, it would have tied for 18th for total medals earned in those games!
In 2012, the Gator Nation has a record 37 Gator Athletes competing in the London Games. The two biggest sports represented by Gator Nation are swimming (23 athletes) and track (10 athletes), although fewer athletes are in the other sports (i.e. basketball, tennis, and soccer) they are very strong in everything!
The Gator Nation has reached over 100 Olympic medals won by Letter Winners as of this 2012 London Olympics and starting the medal count when UF won their first medal back in Mexico City 1968 Olympics. They have produced many world records too (maybe too many to keep track of..).
Alicia Weber may not have been born in time to be an Olympian in Rope Climbing (1932 Last Olympics with Rope Climbing), but she CAN be counted in the world record count for the Letter Winning Athletes that have set world records representing Gator Nation.
Alicia Weber alone has set and held over 150 official world records and she should soon see on the radar her BIG 200th world record in strength and endurance!
One thing is certain, the Gator Nation brings their “A Game” and attracts the most determined and dedicated athletes into their sports programs and the results are letter winners that go on to become great champions in life and in sports!
Alicia Weber has preventative health and physical fitness programs for all ages and ability levels in Central Florida and can be reached at Awinningway@gmail.com
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