Cole Thompson takes part in a local climbing competition. An American Bouldering Series youth regional was held at High Point Climbing and Fitness on Broad Street in this file photo.As Chattanooga continues to progress as a climbing place, the young in particular are being served.
A new high school climbing league is in progress with 10 schools and more than 80 students participating in meets at the Tennessee Bouldering Authority, Urban Rocks Gym and High Point Climbing and Fitness, and recent USA Climbing-sanctioned bouldering competitions at TBA and Urban Rocks included 50 to 85 participants.
Some of those and many more will be at High Point this Saturday for an American Bouldering Series youth regional competition. It's a "slightly more serious event" than a local-level meet but highly entertaining, according to Wills Young, who with his wife, Lisa Rands, runs the High Point Climbing School at the gym at 219 Broad St.
Young said he understands that more than 120 are entered -- from Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and Florida.
He and his wife, a former national champion and world No. 1 in competitive bouldering, coach a High Point team that will have six to eight participants Saturday, ranging in age from 8 to 13.
"Most of the children we teach are by no means experts," Young said Wednesday. "We started our climbing school last December, and most of our students have been with us about nine months or so -- some a little bit longer. This will be the first regional for all of them."
Being in Saturday's meet or any other regional requires at least two local-level participations. Those are designed to be as unintimidating as possible.
"Generally, at local events they let the competitors watch each other perform. At a regional, they don't get to see the climbs ahead of time; they don't get to practice; they don't get to discuss the setup; they don't get to view the other competitors. They bring them out one at a time and they see the boulder problem for the first time. Then they have four minutes to do it.
"They go back inside and then come out again. There will be six boulder events for each of them."
The competition day starts at 8 a.m., but the actual climbing won't commence until about 9:30, Young said. The isolation period follows sign-ins. The day should be over by 5 p.m.
High regional finishes lead to national rankings and divisional competition.
Young is a Southern California native who grew up in England and learned climbing there and in neighboring Scotland and Wales and then returned to California, according to the High Point Climbing School website.
He was an editor at Climbing magazine and wrote the "Bishop Bouldering" guidebook among numerous authorships pertaining to the sport, and he coached Rands to national supremacy and international victories.
Rands also is from Southern California and was the first American woman to win a Bouldering World Cup, and she reached the rank of No. 1 in the world in her first year of international competition. Known for "bold, gutsy ascents of climbs previously regarded as only 'for the guys,'" according to the website, she has been a pioneer in the sport in a variety of challenges throughout the world.
Contact Ron Bush at rbush@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6291.