Name: Danica Graves

Age: 27

Height: 5’6”

Weight: 125lbs

Nationality: Bloody American

Description: Danica stands average height with a lean and well-toned build. She has tan skin, ash brown hair that falls below her shoulders with wispy bangs that she usually wears in a ponytail. Her eyes are light green with starbursts of amber through them. Her hands are calloused as are her feet and she has a few scars running over various portions of her body. Her back is covered in a single large tattoo that starts at her lower back and ends over her shoulders. It is of a mountain cliff where a murder of crows is flying off from. It is completely black in color and has the words – Sometimes You Have To Fall before You Can Fly – in script at her right shoulder blade. She tends to wear black yoga pants and fitted sports tops under a grey hoodie with running shoes when not climbing, when climbing she just changes out her shoes.
[img] http://www.todayifoundout.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/female-rock-climber.jpg[/img]

Biography: Danica is a traveler by trade, working for an outdoor magazine that she writes for. Though she writes to make money she uses the job to pay for various trips around the world to keep her adrenaline junky nature in check. A skilled climber and base jumper she enjoy seeing new places and pushing her limits. She grew up in a small town in the U.S. and started fighting at a young age because there really wasn’t anything else to do besides that or get drunk and race tractors. Neither of which she had any interest in. 

After a few local Martial Arts Tournaments her grand master, a man who had moved from South Korea after the Korea War, saw she had a talent and a tenacity that could be channeled into something better than a brawl with her school mates. Over the next decade she trained every day after school and spent her weekends traveling around the U.S. for National and International Competitions for the W.T.F. and the U.T.A. She did well and even won a spot on the Junior Olympic Team where she won Silver in Forms and Bronze in Fighting as well as a Gold at U.S. Nationals when she reached adult age. She took years to earn her rank in T.K.D., spending time in Seoul South Korea at the Kukkiwon, The World Taekwondo Headquarters, training for a summer as part of an exchange program and earning her first Dan/Poom from them. During her travels for tournaments she met many people from all over the world, spending time with them over long trips and learning their languages and interests. 

The one that she fell in love with the most was Rock Climbing. A friend of hers Luis who was from Colorado introduced her to the sport and after an injury during a tournament that prevented her from performing the aerial displays her sport was known for with proper technique she flipped from T.K.D. to rock climbing. She still practices T.K.D. in her home studio when she isn’t out traveling but when she is on assignment you can find her at the closest cliff working her way up it. After a few years of traveling she got tired of climbing back down and decided to take up base jumping. She felt it was the best way to get down. 

Though after years of climbing and jumping she has forced herself to take several first aid classes and wilderness survival lessons since she tends to climb alone or with just a photographer to remote locations.  Several close calls and injuries forced to admit she isn’t Wonder Woman, so she had to at least learn how to be a make shift Major Houlihan in the field.  She has a love for older T.V. Shows and very corny movies, so half of what she says that comes off as witty is probably just a line from something she watched.

Possessions: Basic Rock Climbing Gear in a climbing pack she keeps on her – harnesses, climbing shoes, ropes, carabiners, belay equipment, Black Diamond Camelots and 2 Climbing Hammers(one for rock, one for ice)

Skills: Rock Climbing, Free Climbing, Base Jumping, First Aid, Wilderness Survival, T.K.D. - Speaks: English and Korean & Japanese

Personality: Danica is pretty laid back under normal circumstances but does tend to stress out from time to time. She can be the most caring and compassionate person but she has a typical Type A personality that makes her butt heads with those around her and she rarely keeps her opinion to herself.  She is quick to trust


Photographer - Sean McConner