Once again athletes from the Vail Athletic Club Climbing Team are traveling across the country to compete against the strongest kids in the nation at the USA Climbing National Championships. Logan Jauernigg, Becca Wirth and head coach Larry Moore are spending the weekend in Atlanta, GA at Stone Summit, the nation's largest climbing gym, hoping to gain a spot on the USA climbing team. This competitive series is roped climbing and began back in April with competitions throughout the state at local climbing gyms before moving on to Regionals in Albuquerque, NM. From there athletes must qualify to continue on to Divisionals, which was held in Boulder at the new world-class gym Movement Climbing and Fitness back in June. Other athletes from the VAC who competed at Divisionals included Luke Rasmussen, Erik Warmenhoven, Annika Heid and Julia Heid, who tested their mettle against climbers from the strongest Division in the nation, representing 7 states.
The Sport Climbing Series (SCS) includes top rope (for younger athletes) and lead climbing, with the focus on difficulty of the routes. Climbers advance based upon the height the achieve on extremely difficult climbs throughout up to 3 rounds of climbing. All climbing is done indoors at some of the best climbing gyms in the nation and includes climbers from 7 to 18 years old from small towns to big cities. The Vail Athletic Club Climbing team has been producing Nationally ranked climbers, both in the bouldering series and roped climbing since it's inception 5 years ago. Special thanks goes out to all of the families and coaches, (Larry Moore, Adam Markert and Justin Miller) for all of their support throughout the year to help get these athletes focused and strong to compete at this level.
The SCS National Championships is a four day event including two days of qualifiers, semi-finals and finals. The top competitors will earn a spot on the USA Youth Climbing Team, with an opportunity to represent our country at international competitions throughout the world. With the growth of competitive climbing, including the World Cup held here in Vail during the Teva Mountain Games, comes greater exposure and expanded possibilities, with the hope of competitive climbing being in the Olympics within the next 10 years. This fun, supportive competitive environment allows athletes to make new friends across the nation, while experiencing the chance to climb at new gyms and visit cities all over the US.
Best of luck to the VAC Climbing Team, CRUSH IT in Atlanta!!
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