CWA Blog Archive-Are You Our Next Board Member

Are You Our Next Board Member

Pdf Summary

This piece is a recruitment call for the CWA Board of Directors, framed through candid reflections from two departing members. The CWA is a non-profit that runs large programs on limited resources, made possible in part by a volunteer Board that directs the future of the association and the wider indoor climbing industry. With three long-time members stepping down, the CWA is actively recruiting, and the article aims to demystify what serving actually involves. Content Manager Jake Byk interviews Wesley Shih of Sender One and Kenneth Cronin of Crag X about their first years and their legacies. Shih is disarmingly honest about the start: joining a Board that included pioneers like Earth Treks founder Chris Warner, he felt nervous and intimidated, like he didn't belong. Much of his first year was spent realizing that feeling was in his head, and that he wouldn't have been selected without something to contribute. He also found, around that table, people wrestling with different versions of the same struggles he faced as a business owner and entrepreneur who cared about the industry's direction. Cronin's motivation was concrete goals he wanted to pursue, and a question about how cooperatively he could work to achieve them. Together their reflections paint Board service as demanding but deeply rewarding, a room full of peers who share your challenges and a real chance to shape the industry. The message to prospective members is encouragement: if you've wondered whether you'd want to serve, the impostor feeling is normal and temporary, and the CWA wants people who care about where indoor climbing is headed to step up and apply.

Asset Caption

A recruitment call for the CWA's volunteer Board, told through departing members Wesley Shih and Kenneth Cronin. Shih is candid about feeling intimidated his first year before realizing he belonged. Their reflections frame Board service as demanding but rewarding, and encourage anyone who's wondered about serving to apply.