Anna Fox's practice climbs at TBA helped take her to nationals.Quick Facts
Dan HarperAge: 18School: McCallieStarted climbing: at age 12, at a climbing birthday party at TBAAnna FoxAge: 17School: St. Andrew’s-SewaneeStarted climbing: at age 4, on a climbing wall at an outdoor expo
Climbing on Tennessee Bouldering Authority's youth team is no walk in the gym. "When I got the opportunity to be on the TBA team, my definition for training for climbing was definitely rewritten and taken to the next level," laughs McCallie senior Dan Harper.
Despite the rigorous training regimen - which is about to increase from two to three practices a week - both Dan and fellow teammate Anna Fox advanced to the Bouldering Youth National Championship in Madison, Wisconsin, earlier this year. It was Anna's second year at nationals.
"I didn't get as far as I wanted to but it was still a good experience," says Anna, a junior at St. Andrew's-Sewanee School who's been climbing since she was 4.
While Anna and Dan didn't make it past the first qualifying round at nationals, coach Kasia Pietras and assistant coach Brianna Garriss don't call it a loss. The kids on the TBA team spend all year participating in local and regional competitions, jockeying for a position at the next-level-up competition, culminating in the national competition, the coaches explain. "So many kids don't even get there," says Garriss. "Even though you train all season you have to accept that the next competition might be the last."
"When I walked in [to nationals], all my goals were accomplished," says Dan, explaining that to make it to nationals in his first year on the team was a huge dream-turned-reality. "It was a long, hard journey. It was hard to do but it was gratifying. I learned so much for that 24 minutes we were up there on the wall [at nationals]."
And since training doesn't stop just because the season is winding down, Garriss says the team is already looking ahead, planning to learn from past goals and hopefully "take as many people back to nationals as we can."
Students like Dan and Anna will be on the team for another year, but Garriss adds that she and Pietras hope to recruit some younger climbers to invest in. "Our goal is to grow our team and to do it from the lower ages, up," says Garriss.
If your child is interested in getting involved, no matter their ability, find out more about the TBA youth climbing team at tbagym.com/kids-programs.