By BARBARA EBLING
Photo by Jennifer Cyr Tinsman
RUTLAND–“On Belay!”… “Belay On!”… “Climbing!”… “Climb On!” The sounds of indoor rock climbing rang out at Green Mountain Rock Climbing Center (GMRCC) this past Saturday, at the 23rd Scholastic Indoor Rock Climbing Association (SIRCA) state championships. Dozens of middle- and high-school climbers from around the region vied for the top spot, ascending newly created routes ranging in difficulty level from 5.7 to 5.13. The harder the climb, the more points climbers earned for their school teams.
The day unfolded with middle-school climbers going first. Before the 90-minute meet, GMRCC owner and event host Steve Lulek welcomed climbers and spectators, reviewed safety rules, and explained what constitutes a “clean climb.” In keeping with sporting tradition, the event began with a flag salute and singing of the national anthem – from the spectators’ loft – by Rutland Town School seventh grader Anna Weideman.
A challenge to the people on the ground – the horizontally oriented – is knowing where to stand and walk. One must avoid walking under a climber, and avoid impeding the person on the ground belaying them. In a top-rope belay system, the rope runs up from the floor to the ceiling and back down – one end of the rope is fastened to the climber’s harness, the other is fed through a device attached to the belayer’s harness. The belaying device acts as a friction brake and enables lighter climbers to belay heavier ones (and, as I can attest, enables kids to safely belay their parents). On a few occasions, climbers reported loose holds to staff member Haley Elliott, who roped up, climbed up, and secured the offending holds in place.
We’re familiar with the concept of soccer parents, football booster clubs, bleacher coaches; What seems to set rock climbing apart from more well-attended team sports is that spectators intermingle, walk the venue, change vantage points, and cheer for all sides – reaching the top of a difficult route is an impressive accomplishment. I found myself holding my breath as multiple climbers navigated a tricky overhang, applauding those who succeeded, sighing disappointedly for those who didn’t, regardless of what school they represented.
Photo by Jennifer Cyr Tinsman
On this particular day, GMRCC was populated by rock climbing parents: both parents-of-rock-climbers but also parents-who-rock-climb. Jennifer Cyr Tinsman, who shares OVUU coaching duties with Andy McMillan, is both. Mother to junior Sawyer Tinsman, she’s an experienced climber who frequently volunteers to design and set routes at GMRCC. In preparation for Saturday’s competition, the gym was closed to the public last Thursday and Friday to enable staff and volunteers to remove the holds from walls, powerwash them, and reinstall them. Why go through all the trouble? To ensure that none of the climbers at Saturday’s meet was familiar with the routes, and that no one had a “home gym advantage.”
Despite having a distinct team-size disadvantage, Otter Valley Middle School 7th graders Olivia and Amelia Gibbs beat out the two-person team from Rutland Middle School to clinch a 4th-place finish. Rutland Town placed first, followed by Mill River and Long Trail School tied for 2nd, and Rutland Area Christian School in 3rd.
As middle-school participants and spectators left, high schoolers geared up with harnesses and climbing shoes. Their event began as before – welcome, flag salute, and singing of the national anthem – this time by Otter Valley Union High School senior Adia Polli. “The Star Spangled Banner” is a difficult song to sing under the best conditions, but despite any pre-competition jitters, Polli scored a perfect ten… knocked it out of the park… (searching for appropriate sports metaphor) free soloed her vocal performance. Adia and her sister Danika are climbers as well as thespians – both of them were on stage that evening in OV Walking Stick Theatre’s One Act Plays.
Also representing Otter Valley were sophomores Patrick Daly, Andrew Easter, Kyle Frankenberg, Kaiden Lee, and Ian Miner; junior Sawyer Tinsman; and senior Kelsey Adams (senior Morgan White and junior Adrianna Watkins complete the team roster but were not at Saturday’s event). Along with climbers from seven other area schools, they showcased their agility, strength, coordination, persistence, and camaraderie. Because it’s a contest on many levels – between people, but also between the climber and the climb – competitors from opposing teams conferred on strategies for tackling routes and “problems.” Rock climbing embodies skills that translate into situations both on and off the wall.
BEOFRE THE 90-minute meet, GMRCC owner and event host Steve Lulek welcomed climbers and spectators, re- viewed safety rules, and explained what constitutes a “clean climb.” Photo by Jennifer Cyr Tinsman
As the clock ticked down, Lulek shouted the remaining time – “Five minutes left!!” “Two minutes!” “One minute!” (Rules stipulate that climbers who have started a route may stay on the wall after time is called, so several people scrambled to add one last attempt before the final bell.) When the scores were tallied, OVUHS placed fourth over Mill River, RACS, Proctor, and Woodstock; with RHS in 3rd, BBA in 2nd, and Green Mountain coming out on top.
Considered a club sport, indoor rock climbing is not included in the list of winter sports officially recognized by the Vermont Principals’ Association (such as basketball, cheer, dance, gymnastics, ice hockey, alpine and nordic skiing, snowboarding, and wrestling). To watch a climbing event and to see the athleticism on display, one wonders why it hasn’t risen to the level of varsity sport with all the attendant benefits and funding.
GMRCC owner Steve Lulek knows the importance of introducing rock climbing to young people. Since starting the gym in 1999, he’s built a base of climbing enthusiasts by hosting birthday parties, running week-long summer camps, sponsoring school teams and competitions, and welcoming amateur and expert climbers alike. Other rock gyms, he says, don’t necessarily want to host school teams because that doesn’t bring in as much money as adult climbers. A former military EMT and drill sergeant, he’s an avid outdoorsman and guide who knows how to convey his enthusiasm clearly and contagiously. My kids – and countless others in the area and beyond – are climbers because of Steve’s good natured approach to teaching kids the love of rock climbing.
His effect on building community was evident throughout the morning’s competition, and wonderfully underscored by a Burr & Burton senior asking Steve and Haley to sign his score sheet, like rock stars.
