It seems that everyone at the Colorado Springs climbing competition knows Doug Englekirk.

A glance at the tournament program provides a simple explanation of why his name is well-known by people more than a thousand miles from his California home. On the page featuring the Top 25 American Sport Climbing Federation Ranked Competitors, Doug Englekirk is listed No. 1.

Englekirk's success is the result of fierce determination and hard work. He didn't reach the top of his game through sheer athletic giftedness. "Climbing" magazine summed up his style in a 1994 profile: "Not always the picture of grace, Englekirk . . . hangs on with uncanny crimp strength and determination. However tenuous he looks, he is completely composed inside."

Englekirk says, "I believe God has given me the ability to climb, and He put me in a position of exposure in the climbing community so I can be a light for Him."

He adds, "Most people know I'm a Christian. They respect my climbing ability, which gives me an opportunity to show others who God is by the way I carry myself. How do I handle victory or defeat? What do I do when things don't seem fair, like a judge's decision in a competition? Do I make a scene, or do I show God's light?"

Dana Webster, a committed follower of Jesus Christ and a climber, saw Englekirk's photo while flipping through "Climbing" magazine. She noticed that he was wearing a sweatshirt with a picture of Jesus on it, and she became angry.

"I thought, 'Who is this heretic making fun of Christ?' " she remembers. "I started reading and was surprised to discover that he was a Christian."

By the time she finished the article, she was so impressed that she remembers saying to herself, "This is the man I'm going to marry." Later, they met, climbed together, and within 4 months were married.

Dana says, "Doug is a man of integrity, and what he says, he lives."

This weeks Time Out resource is Sports Spectrum, a monthly sports magazine produced by Discovery House Publishers.

©1995 RBC Ministries--Grand Rapids, MI 49555