A former quarry on Pitts Gap Road in Graysville, Tennessee, found new life through the sport of World Extreme Rockcrawling, aka W.E. Rock, which paid its 17th annual visit to Kizzar's Farm over the weekend.
Competitors build vehicles they use to tackle obstacles, such as huge boulders, drops, rock ledges and crack lines, and steep climbs while avoiding cones on the course, which they are challenged to complete in under 10 minutes. Each team includes a driver, along with a spotter who helps the driver navigate the course and performs "saves," such as using a rope to pull a stuck vehicle out of a tough spot.
Multiple courses are classified for either professional or sportsman classes, and each competitor completes four courses per day during the two-day event, which wrapped up late Saturday. The top competitors in the professional class move on to the "Shootout" course at the end of the weekend to determine the winners of the event.
(READ MORE: Get a Grip: Four-wheelers in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina)
Competitions usually last about five or six hours a day, said Henry Elliott, who was running the merchandise store for W.E. Rock.
"The saves are pretty cool, and I just like seeing what incredible things a car can do," Elliott said, of what he likes most about watching W.E. Rock competitions.
Hundreds of spectators of all ages were in attendance at Saturday's competition, which is probably the largest gathering in Graysville - which has a population of around 1,400 people, according to 2020 U.S. Census data.
(READ MORE: State grant prepares industrial site in Rhea County, Tennessee)
W.E. Rock draws competitors from Washington to Colorado to just down the road.
Mike and Carmichael Crawford said they traveled from North Georgia to compete in their first W.E. Rock event in the sportsman category.
"I always loved the rocks and climbing rocks and just always loved the sport," said Mike Crawford, who has been rock crawling recreationally for about a decade.
The Graysville farm hosts Round 3 of W.E. Rock's Eastern Series, of which the first two rounds are located in Mason, Texas, and Glencoe, Oklahoma.
Up next for W.E. Rock is the final round of the Western Series on Aug. 6 and 7 in Goldendale, Washington, followed by the Grand Nationals on Sept. 10 and 11 in Farmington, New Mexico.
Contact Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6508.