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Volume 72, Issue 75,
Monday, January 22, 2007
News Climbing takes on new heights Campus rock wall competition will offer training and awards to all levels of expertise in a free month-long event by KELSIE HAHN
Sir Isaac Newton will be rolling in his grave. The Outdoor Adventure department in the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center is inviting climbers of all ranges of skill and experience to challenge the laws of physics in the Anti-gravity free climbing competition starting Feb. 1 at the rock wall. Bryan Ng, one of the assistant directors for Campus Recreation, said climbing has an unending capacity for both reward and improvement. Å0Ç9Climbing is a sport that will challenge you both mentally and physically as well as push you to learn how to use your whole body to push to new heights,Å0É0 he said. Å0Ç9There is absolutely no upper limit, and yet there is always success.Å0Ñ2It is the great irony, I think, of climbing and many other sports.Å0É0 Competitors will have four competitive days between Feb. 1 and March 1 and can score points by completing marked routes up the rock wall °™ Feb. 7, 15, 21 and March 1. To count a route as completed, the climber must reach the last marked handhold without falling or allowing his or her weight to be supported by the safety rope. The five most difficult routes completed during the competition days will count toward each climber°Øs final total. At the end of the month, trophies will be given to the top climbers in the beginning, intermediate and advanced skill range as determined during registration. Participants can also win giveaways or attend training classes throughout the month of the competition. Although the rock wall, at more than 50 feet tall, may be daunting to those who have never climbed, Ng said taking on the challenge builds strength as well as confidence and is a good start to overcoming a fear of heights. °°If you are afraid of heights, this is an amazing way to begin to gently push those boundaries. With the help of our staff, several students have been able to begin that process,°± Ng said. °°Even if all you do is put a harness on and walk to the wall, you are taking steps by getting yourself out of your comfort zone.°± Talley Johnson, an instructor for Outdoor Adventure, said perseverance is the key to successful climbing. °°Don°Øt give up your first couple of times,°± he said. °°Keep coming back, and learn to trust your body.°± Anti-gravity is a way for Outdoor Adventure to give back to UH, Ng said, and is designed to not only encourage and support current climbers but to introduce new ones to the sport. °°Our competition is aimed directly at our own students,°± he said. °°As one of the only free climbing competitions out there, it is incredibly valuable as well as being truly open to all levels of climber °™ even the ultimate novice or the well-trained, advanced climber.°± Electrical engineering sophomore Robert Reko has been climbing at the rock wall for six months, and said he plans to compete in the February competition. °°(I°Øm competing) just to be able to compare myself to other climbers,°± he said. Outdoor Adventure began reaching out to the student body last year by removing the rental fees on basic climbing equipment for students and sponsoring the first Anti-gravity competition. °°Anti-gravity helped to promote a 240 percent increase in participation (at the rock wall) for 2006. While we only had about 64 competitors, they inspired a greater surge in participation and re-invigorated our outdoor program,°± Ng said. While the 2006 competition allowed climbers to earn points any day during February, Ng said limiting competitive climbing to four days will foster greater interaction among the climbing community and facilitate possible gear demonstrations by vendors. The rock wall will also be open for extended hours on the competition days to allow as many climbers as possible to compete. °°I would love to have 100 competitors °™ that would be an amazing goal to reach for our program as well as would make for an incredible event for our community,°± he said. °°There will be tons of people around to offer assistance. Sometimes that little bit of motivation, or that friend who pushes you to try one more time is all you need to stretch into your goals.°± University Studies freshman Jay Weaver said he began climbing at the beginning of last semester and is looking forward to the competition. °°I (climbed) when I was a kid, and we have a wall here. I just felt like starting up,°± he said, adding that new or nervous climbers should relax and take the wall one step, or reach, at a time. °°Take it easy, and have fun getting to the top,°± he said. For more information, contact Outdoor Adventure at
(713) 743-9512 or at outdoor@uh.edu.
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