Peak performer

One has to wonder how Doug McGraw feels when he falls.

Known as a senior captain on the No. 17 Penn wrestling team, McGraw has compiled an 11-5 record this season, and is ranked No. 11 nationally by Amateur Wrestling News.

Suffice to say, he doesn't have much experience getting pinned.

McGraw, however, takes his falls in a different capacity -- as a world-class rock climber.

"I've had my close shaves," said McGraw, who was influenced by his father to begin the pastime. "I consider myself to be fairly conservative. I try not to be reckless.

"But any time you're climbing at a high level, you get your share of scrapes. You [also] know that if you fall, maybe there's a ledge down there. If you fall, that's going to be it, man -- you're done."

Despite his numerous near-death experiences, McGraw is not done.

In fact, he heads up the Penn Outing Club, a campus group funded by the Student Activities Council that specializes in outdoor activities. Working alongside him are juniors Amanda Moyer and Emmanuelle Humblet and sophomore Alex Harris.

"Doug does a lot" for the organization, Harris said. "He does a lot of the budget stuff and gets people to come.

"He's instrumental in setting everything up, like scheduling speakers."

McGraw engineered this Friday's visit by renowned rock climber Lynn Hill. A five-time winner of the Rock Master Invitational in Arco, Italy, Hill will speak at 8 p.m. in the Hall of Flags.

"She's probably the premier female rock climber of all-time, and one of the greatest climbers, regardless of gender," McGraw said. "She's going to give a slide show presentation that'll be free to anybody from Penn.

"We've already raised over $4,000 to bring her in."

While he might not be Lynn Hill, McGraw himself is no slacker on the slabs.

The Emporium, Pa., native does most of his climbing in California's Yosemite Valley, but also has tackled the biggest challenges Colorado and Nevada have to offer.

"Doug is really good," Harris said. "In the summer he does big-wall stuff in Yosemite -- the multi-day climbs. He'll just be camping out on a ledge all night."

For most, sleeping one nocturnal roll from a 200-foot free-fall is an impossibility. It would evoke a sense of imminent danger, and perhaps a panic attack.

But McGraw sleeps sound.

"You do need to have a certain amount of fear. If you weren't afraid to do anything, you probably wouldn't last too long," he said.

But "I don't get scared," he added. "Heights don't have any effect on me."

According to Penn wrestling coach Roger Reina, the sort of mental toughness bred in rock climbers is compatible with the rugged nature of wrestling.

Although no one on the Quakers' wrestling squad approximates McGraw's skill level, Reina said that he and several members of the team are recreational climbers.

"To me, there are a lot of wrestlers that have gravitated toward climbing," he said. "There's a lot of similarities.

"There's a great deal of mental toughness involved with both [and] a great deal of physical endurance. The fact that he's been elected to leadership positions in both of those speaks to his character."

What also attests to McGraw's steadfast psyche are his experiences with injuries. A knee injury during his freshman year sidelined him for the remainder of the season and into the next. On the plus side, it allowed him to increase his involvement in the outing club.

And this year, he battled back from a series of concussions and is now in prime position to return to the NCAA National Championships in St. Louis.

Last season, McGraw lost by a point in the Round of 12 at NCAAs -- one victory away from All-American status.

"I definitely see myself on the podium this year, and I could definitely win the whole thing," he said. "My weight class is very open this year.

"I don't see a whole lot of difference between the number one and the number 12."

But as soon as March 21 hits, marking the end of the wrestling season, it will be back to nature for McGraw.

It's been months since he's climbed a mountain, and he's itching to get back.

"Any free time I can get, that's what I'd like to be doing," McGraw said. "Unfortunately I don't get to climb a whole lot during wrestling season."

Although McGraw won't be able to venture to California for a few months, Harris said that his two-sport friend will serve as a climbing instructor at Eastern Mountain Sports, an opportunity the club offers for free to its members.

According to McGraw, it takes only three things to become a skilled rock climber.

"Time and commitment," he said.

"And you have to be a little crazy."

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