Bouldering event offers competition and entertainment
Planning and creating the bouldering competition that took place Oct. 14 at Liberty University’s LaHaye Recreation Center rock wall was not as easy as one might anticipate.
Elliot Gaunt, 2014 Liberty graduate and rock wall coordinator, and Tristan Landon, Liberty junior and rock wall monitor, were among the few that worked to transform the space for the ninth annual competition.
The staff stripped the rock wall, and was put in teams to create the best “problems,” or rock wall routes.
They moved more than 200 “holds,” or rock inserts, to do so.
Gaunt said they reset the courses so everything they put up would be new. The staff also foreran each problem to ensure they were navigable before the
competition.
“This makes it more of an even playing field so that none of the students that come in for competition have ever tried any of the problems,” Gaunt said. “We have 36 brand new problems for all the students to try.”
Upon completion of the setup, the rock wall space was packed for the competition from 4 p.m. – 10 p.m. with more than 60 students in attendance.
CLIMB — Competitors worked their way to the top in the Bouldering Competition. Photo credit: Caroline Sellers
The athletes only used the shorter, wider wall in the space for the bouldering competition.
“Bouldering is a form of extreme sport,” Landon said. “It is rock climbing without ropes and usually lower height, so there are a lot more difficult problems and more technical climbing for a shorter distance compared to lead climbing, which is farther with (less) difficult movement.”
Any Liberty student or staff member with any level of rock climbing experience was able to compete. There were beginner, intermediate and advanced level groups. Three winners claimed gift card prizes to local outdoor-gear vendors.
“This is our way of supporting local businesses and to get the students to be able to buy gear and go to them,” said Gaunt.
The advanced category winners were Ben Vincent, Mark Chauvette and Corey Messer.
In addition to the competitive atmosphere, Liberty provided food, beverages and music for attendees.
“I think the most fun thing about the bouldering competition is that you don’t have to be good, and you don’t have to do well to have a blast,” Landon said.
“You’re here with all your friends and you’re having a good time, and everyone is being goofy, and there is music and everyone is dancing.”
After the main competition, in order to keep the crowd entertained while Gaunt tallied the scores of the six hours of climbing, they put on what is called a “dynocompetition.”
Competitors started by grasping two holds, and then they jumped as far up as they could to grab another hold or two. If they held on to the holds, they moved on.
This competition increased in difficulty until one person was declared the winner.
“It’s really engaging and dynamic because there is so much jumping, and everybody looks like they’re really close and then they fall,” Gaunt said.
Workers were unable to take part in the competition, but Landon said his favorite part about past bouldering competitions were the memories.
“I have memories from these competitions that are so strongly ingrained in my mind compared to … anything I have ever done at this school,” Landon said.
For students that want to get more involved with climbing after watching or participating in the competition, the staff recommends to just jump right in.
“Just come back and get involved with everything,” Gaunt said. “Spend time here. Get connected. We have a lot of very regular students, like Tristan, that just get hooked. Not only does it have this whole exciting aura around it, but you get the comradery behind it too.”
Landon agreed that, for him, the best part about climbing is the family it brings.
“When I say this place is a family, that is an understatement,” Landon said. “These are closer relationships with the guys that you work with and climb with here than you will ever have with some people in your life. You become so engrossed in the family aspect of it that climbing is just kind of there when you’re with your friends.”
Null is a feature reporter.