Tim’s Climbing to New Heights!

Tim McLaurin has been a part of Teton Adaptive for “I don’t know how many years”. In his time in the program, he has learned to ski and snowboard, been a regular participant at May Park Bike Days,  and most recently, faced his fears on the rock wall. He likes to crack jokes, hang out with the staff and other athletes, and of course, dance.

You may know Tim better as “Jackson’s Biggest Rockstar” or “JBR” for short. 5 years ago, at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Tim “put [his] dancing shoes on and just [busted] it up” on the Town Square, dancing for passers-by. Equipped with a sign reading “Honk if you like my dance moves”,  Tim’s goal was to bring joy and love all over the world, but particularly to his home town, Jackson Hole. And boy, does Tim accomplish that goal. With his sense of humor and his killer dance moves, Tim has become a figure in Jackson, dancing in partnership with local businesses and selling t-shirts with his logo.

But Tim has been participating in Teton Adaptive programming long before his dancing notoriety. He skied for half his life before making the switch to snowboarding.  As a snowboarder, he has competed in several Special Olympics, winning a gold medal for his efforts in 2024! This summer, Tim also had the opportunity to learn how to climb at the Rec Center, where he works. Though he climbed as a child, he hadn’t done it in a long time. But when he heard about adaptive climbing, he thought “that’s cool”, and decided to try something new, even if it scared him! With the support of Program Director Josh, and Program Coordinator Pierre, Tim got on the rock wall, and worked his way up the wall. He crushed his climb! We are so proud of Tim for his courage to face his fears and try something new! 

A long time Teton Adaptive athlete, Tim had a full circle moment this summer when he auctioned off a JBR T-shirt to support TA at the 20th Anniversary Summer Soirée . He described the moment when he got to present the t-shirt to the winning bidder, saying it made him emotional, and it was one of the coolest things he has gotten to do. He was happy because he knew his shirt “went to a good home”, and he was proud to contribute to auction. Tim explained how grateful he was for Teton Adaptive and was glad that his t-shirt could help make a difference. Needless to say, we are so grateful for Tim’s support!