ABOUT
Summits of the Mind was founded by accomplished climbing coach and mental skills professional, Suzu Cornella. Suzu first discovered climbing at age 5 on mother-daughter outdoor climbing trips. Her passion for climbing and the outdoors fused when she joined the local youth climbing team in Southern California and developed a deep camaraderie with her teammates. Over the next 15 years she competed in the USAC competition series up to the International IFSC level. This experience blossomed into a rewarding career within the climbing community. After being an elementary school teacher for several years Suzu shifted to full-time coaching indoor and outdoor climbers, working mostly with youth competition climbers at the National level for over 10 years. In 2015, Suzu became the first female route setter in the history of Movement Climbing and Fitness where she also coached the youth competition teams. During her time as a coach, teacher, athlete, and route setter, she recognized the necessity of sport psychology skills in her competitive climbers and formed Summits of the Mind LLC to support a climber’s ascent that the mind creates.
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Today, in addition to working with athletes, Suzu is a staff member of the Coaching Education Department at the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC). With the USOPC she currently focuses on bringing youth development techniques to coaches of all sports. Suzu values coaching the whole athlete and experiential learning to form the building blocks of mental strength.
Summits of the Mind LLC offers services to help athletes and coaches of all levels, sports and disciplines better mentally perform whether it be in competition, post injury, or anywhere the competitive edge of the honed body and mind are at work. Suzu utilizes her diverse perspective to understand the variety of struggles and the necessary mental skills needed to summit any challenge.
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Outside of mental training Suzu enjoys spending time with her husband and toddler daughter, climbing and enjoying all things outdoors.
Education
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Master's of Science in Applied Sport Psychology
2020 Adams State University
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Bachelors of Science in Education
2013 Northern Arizona University
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USAC Level 2 Coach Certification
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USAC Level 3 Route Setter Certification
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Competition Achievements
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International
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2016 Team USA Sport Climbing National Team
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65th- World Championships (Paris, France)​
2010 Team USA Speed Climbing National Team
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14th- World Championships (Edinburgh,Scotland)​
2008 Team USA Sport Climbing National Team
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6th- Continental Championships (Montreal,Canada)​
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National
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2019 Open Sport Nationals- Alexandria, VA
2019 Collegiate Nationals - Murfreesboro, TN
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8th - Sport
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14th - Speed
2017 Open Sport Nationals- Denver, CO
2016 Open Sport Nationals- Boston, MA
2014 Open Bouldering - Colorado Springs, CO
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Outdoor Achievements
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Suzu has also sent V10 and 5.13b outdoors