By Staff
Athletic Management, 16.4, June/July 2004, http://www.momentummedia.com/articles/am/am1604/wuclimbing.htm
At McCallie High School in Chattanooga, Tenn., student-athletes have an unusual option when it comes to winter varsity sports. They can swim, wrestle, play basketball—or climb the walls. McCallie’s climbing team finished its fourth season as a varsity program this April, and the school is among a growing number offering competitive varsity climbing teams.
McCallie competes in the East Tennessee Indoor Climbing League, which this year comprised 350 athletes from nearly 20 teams. The climbing season runs from October to April, and monthly competitions are held in both boys’ and girls’ divisions at the Climbing Center in Knoxville.
"At our competitions, officials mark three routes by putting tape next to the holds that the athletes are allowed to use for each route," explains David Ellis, the faculty sponsor for the Maryville (Tenn.) High School team. "Each climber has two minutes to make it to the top. The first route is the easiest. The second gets a little more challenging, and by the final route, only the best climbers make it to the top."
A climber scores one point for each hold he or she successfully navigates, with most routes having about 25 holds. Schools can enter up to 10 boys and 10 girls in each competition, which involves two or three teams, and the scores of teams with fewer than 10 participants are prorated. At the end of the season, boys’ and girls’ championships are awarded to individuals and teams with the most points, and an overall championship is awarded to the school with the highest combined boys’ and girls’ scores.
At McCallie, the climbing team practices for two and a half hours four days a week. Two days a week are spent climbing. On the other two days, the team does a conditioning program that combines yoga, running, and core body workouts, says Head Coach Stuart Chapin.
Climbers with long, lean frames and a high strength-to-weight ratio have an advantage, but athletes with varying body types can succeed. "One of our girls who became a league champion was barely five feet tall," Ellis says. "She went against the mold, but she had the tenacity needed."
In fact, many students who hadn’t thought of themselves as athletes thrive at climbing, according to Chapin. "We’ve had a huge response from kids who wouldn’t otherwise be playing a sport, but have excelled quickly at climbing," he says. "At McCallie, they’re probably not going to make the baseball team as a ninth grader if they’ve never played before. But even if they’ve never climbed before ninth grade, they can be really good climbers by the time they’re seniors. Very few kids have climbed before they enter our program."
Athletes from other sports are also finding that climbing is an excellent way to stay in shape. Lacrosse and soccer players, cross country runners, and track and field athletes routinely show up on Chapin’s roster. "The last three years, our top pole vaulters have been climbers, so now the track and field coach sends them to me," he says. "The physical and psychological aspects of the two sports match up really well."
The benefits for high schoolers go beyond athletic development, according to Chapin. "Climbing gives kids self confidence," he says. "In practice, they’ll choose a route, and they probably won’t be able to do it the first time. Then they keep training and trying over and over, and eventually, they make it. Success is very black and white, and high school athletes thrive on the instant feedback."
Funding and sport status vary widely among the teams in the East Tennessee Indoor Climbing League. Several, like McCallie, consider climbing a varsity sport and fund it through the athletic budget. Others consider it a club sport and students raise funds or find local sponsors to cover the costs. The cost of required equipment (a harness and climbing shoes) is $100-$200, on top of competition, travel, and practice time fees, Ellis says.
David Rowland, Founder and Director of USA Climbing’s Junior Indoor Bouldering Series, says the sport is growing in several different areas of the country. "The interest has really started to explode in the past four years," he says. "We’ve located strong high school leagues in several places, including New England, Maryland, and Colorado, and a lot more high schools have been asking us questions about starting a team."
For high schools interested in adding the sport, finding a facility is usually the biggest hurdle. Since building a competition-level climbing wall costs $15,000-$20,000, most teams find a private climbing gym within driving distance where students are offered a reduced membership rate.
However, a few schools are finding ways to construct their own facilities. McCallie built a wall inside an existing racquetball court, and Maryville was able to obtain a stand-alone climbing gym by fund-raising and agreeing to share it with other programs at the school. More affordable climbing walls may be available to high schools soon.
"There are wall companies working specifically on reducing the cost by as much as 50 percent so that high schools can afford them," Rowland says. "Once that happens, I think we’ll see a big boom at high schools. The return on a school’s investment is great, because the interest is huge." Chapin’s experience supports the theory: The McCallie team went from 13 participants to more than 40 in four years.
A second logistical glitch—the fact that no uniform set of rules exists for high school competition—is also being addressed. "USA Climbing has an initiative this year to develop a list of protocols for high schools so they can say, ‘Here are the rules, and here are the policies and procedures,’" Rowland says. "That will make it easier for schools to be involved."
Information about competition climbing is available at www.usclimbing.org/.