Jen Venon: Shes Got School Teacher Socks

Jen Vennon had just accepted a scholarship to the University of Florida, where she aspired to become an engineer, when some friends took her climbing for the first time. With a childhood spent in gymnastics, Vennon took to climbing immediately. I quickly realized that engineering school in Florida wasn t going to work out with my newfound climbing schedule, she says. Vennon gave up her scholarship and transferred to the University of Tennessee to be closer to climbing, and get a degree in early childhood education. In the last 10 years, Vennon has risen to become one of the top female sport climbers in the U. S. while holding down a fulltime job as a Kindergarten teacher. I love Kindergarten, Vennon says. Those kids are the only people who think I m She is one of the few women to have ticked the elusive 5. 14 grade in Rifle with her recent (second female) ascent of the 7 P. M. Show in addition to ticking off some dif br, br,