How the Olympic Climbing Team is Pushing Comp Climbers to a Whole New Level
In 2015, there was only one rock climbing gym that was easily accessible to climbers looking to train indoors near LAX. Today, there are four climbing gyms in the South Bay area and close to 20 in LA County alone. If you had told me back in 2008 that climbing would become an official Olympic sport, I probably would have laughed. I was one of eight people who climbed in my area. While I had certainly seen the popularity of the sport growing (I was a member of a community of upwards of 200 climbers in Southern California in 2017), the announcement that climbing would become the next big Olympic sport for the 2020 Olympics was a bombshell.
How Climbing in the Olympics is Pushing the Sport of Rock Climbing
Now that the significant outcry about speed climbing being grouped with the bouldering and sport climbing events (thank you, Olympic officials, for listening to the people!), climbers can now shift their focus to enjoying the event. The Olympics are an event set on a world stage; the best of the best athletes give their best efforts to best their peers and bring home medals for their respective countries. Climbers all around the US got ready for their watch parties, excited to see the US Olympic climbing team compete against rivaling countries and push the envelope of competitive climbing.
Olympic climbing has elevated the sport to new heights. More and more parents are recognizing the value of encouraging their children to pursue rock climbing alongside the more mainstream sports. When movies and media may have brought the sport to the attention of everyday Americans, climbing fever began to sweep the nation. Climbing becoming an officially sanctioned Olympic event is exploding the scene of competition climbing.
Climbing in the Olympics will Push the Boundaries of the Sport
Just like any sport, there are the trad dad climbers of the world who love an easy run-out 5-8 and climber’s climbers who climb for fun and for the community while other climbers project and train furiously to push grades. The latter are climbers who aspire to climb 5-13 and beyond, who are focused on maybe even going pro. Competition climbing is all about competing at the top level and beating your peers in sport.
So how is climbing in the Olympics changing the face of the sport? People are taking it more seriously. More and more parents are recognizing that climbing has value. More and more parents are amenable to having their children join their local rock climbing team. Typically, the younger a climber starts climbing and sticks with it, the stronger and more technical of a climber they become. The US has been having quite the year at the 2024 Olympic events, bringing home more overall medals (126) than any other country. The big excitement for US climbers was watching Brooke Raboutou from Boulder, Colorado, claim the silver medal in Women’s Overall Boulder and Sport. Raboutou started climbing at age 1 and was the youngest climber in the world to send 5-14b at 11 years old. She was also the first climber from the US to qualify to represent Team USA during climbing’s Olympic debut.
Youth Climbing Teams and Competitive Gym Climbing
Are you considering signing your child up to join a climbing team? Vertical Rock Climbing and Manassas in Northern Virginia offers coaching for competitive youth climbers. The gym offers climbing mentorship and coaching for children of all ages.
From our Toddler Climbing Class, which serves as a friendly introduction to climbing where parents also participate, and our Scramblers Team, which is a climbing club run by skilled instructors, to our 10+ Bouldering Team and Junior Team groups that offer a bit more of an environment of friendly competition, Vertical Rock provides the ideal space for local youth to grow into not only stronger climbers but technically better climbers.
Are you curious about our clubs and teams or about indoor climbing camp, or homeschool PE credit? Visit our website or drop by the gym and see what we have to offer.