Saturday, June 28, 2008

Climbing Their Way to the Top

Two members of Team Reality, a youth rock climbing program out of Reality Indoor Rock Climbing Gym in Tyrone, Ga, are on their way to the USA SCS Youth National Championship in Sunnyvale, California.

On June 14th and 15th, six members of Reality’s Competitive Climbing Team attended the USA SCS Climbing Division 4 Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Division 4 Championship is a two day long, invitation only competition for the top 18 climbers in each gender related age group. Climbers from Reality competed in both the Difficulty and Speed Climbing Categories.

Difficulty climbing competitions are based on a particular route or path that climbers must complete without falling or sitting on the rope. Speed climbing competitions pit two climbers against each other in a literal ‘race to the top’ where the average time of two runs is computed. Climbers who place in the top 6 of their gender and age group categories at the Division 4 Championship for either Difficulty or Speed receive an invitation to the prestigious Youth National Championship.

The USA Sport Climbing Series Youth National Championship is the largest roped rock climbing competition in the world. It is a three-day difficulty and speed climbing competition in which the 300 of the best youth climbers in the Nation take their shot at a top National Ranking and the chance to be invited to the USA Climbing Team. This years’ event is being held in Sunnyvale, California from July 11-13 and Team Reality members, Billy Porter and Victoria White, will be there to represent at this very exciting event.

Billy and Victoria, both 9 years old and in the Youth D age category, are already ranked among the top 30 climbers in the Nation within their respective divisions for both Difficulty and Speed Climbing. They will use the next three weeks and extend their already 10 month long training and competition season in an effort to garner every last bit of knowledge and skill that they can take with them to this extremely challenging event.

No comments: