by Michelle King

Durango is known as a mecca for everything from mountain biking to kayaking. Now, a dedicated group of young athletes is scaling new heights in bringing the town top rock climbing status, too.

With the help of Durango’s climbing gym the Rock Lounge, local middle and high schoolers are showing the world what they are made of. Overseen by head coach and climbing pro Marcus Garcia, the gym sponsors a USA Climbing traveling team, Team Durango, as well as a middle school/high school “climbing league,” where students can letter in climbing and even work toward college scholarships in the sport.

“With Durango’s athletic gene pool, if we get them to Marcus Garcia young, we could have some amazing little ‘senders’,” says Rock Lounge co-owner Keeton Disser.

When Keeton and her husband, Nate, bought the once-struggling Rock Lounge two years ago, they inherited a small climbing team of five kids started by San Juan Mountain Guide Tyler Nelson. Keeton has reorganized and energized the team by adding more youth climbing programs and reeling in local Omega Pacific sponsored-climber Garcia, a 2014 Winter Olympic hopeful in the newly adopted Mixed Climbing event, as head coach.

Climbing team member, Josiah Haisman, clips into an anchor after leading a route at the Rock Lounge recently./Photo by Steve Eginoire

Garcia, who is currently training for Olympic-qualifying ice climbing competitions at the Ouray Ice Festival, held in mid-January, and Vail’s Winter Mountain Games, held in February, is modifying his own training regimen to the needs of the kids. “There is a science to it. Everybody climbs differently. I like to see where their weaknesses are and develop drills to improve those weaknesses,” he says. “I climbed actual ice twice before the (2012) Ouray Ice Festival Competition and I placed 10th,” he admits.

Supported by assistant coaches Nelson and Inge Perkins, also strong climbers, the team is flourishing.

Part of that success can be attributed to the team’s workout program, which is fine-tuned to assess each kids’ progress individually. At the beginning of each semester, kids set goals and track their progress throughout the year via various fitness and agility tests.

 

They are scored on climbing movements, endurance, climbing terminology, etc. Kids are grouped according to similar weaknesses and strengths, with a tailored workout plan and one-on-one attention sprinkled throughout. Each team member also has a folder where Garcia tracks their progress. “He’s added a whole new dimension to the team,” says Disser.

Each workout includes interval training drills based on basic climbing moves, such as toe edging, lock offs and hip rotations. Since most of the climbers’ young bodies don’t have the core strength or muscle mass to power through climbs, Garcia works on muscle memory, stop watch in hand, to know when he is training aerobic and anaerobic. The end result allows the kids to climb more efficiently and safely, as their bodies already know the correct positions and postures.

No movement is left unwatched. Garcia, Nelson and Perkins are constantly assessing technique and endurance at the gym and during competitions. “Then we know what to work on – hip placement, trust of ability, etc.,” says Garcia.

Muscle-memory is working – even the kids see the progress. Katie Austin, 14, began climbing through Rock Lounge’s Advanced Kids Rock program last year (a non-competitive summer and after-school program for ages 5-12.) In August, she took the jump to Team Durango, focusing on USA Climbing Association competitions. “At Katie’s first competition, she was apprehensive, not quite aware of how her body works,” Garcia said. “In three weeks, at her next comp, she increased her points by 100 percent.”

Austin, who began the team struggling with V0 rated climbs (the equivalent of a 5.8/5.9 climb) and is now completing in V3s, sees the results as well. “His exercises are helpful,” she says. “With Marcus you really learn what you need to work on. I’ve improved enormously.”

Austin is not the only one reaching new heights under the Rock Lounge’s roof. One of the original five climbing team members, Skylar Smith, 13, qualified and placed 16th at his first National Sport Climbing competition in Atlanta last July.

Garcia is now preparing climbers for the strategies involved in competition and aims to have a strong group competing at the National Bouldering Competition in Colorado Springs next March as well as at the National Sport Climbing Competition in July (location yet to be announced). “We’re definitely going to Nationals this year,” says Team Durango member Charlie Malone.

Though competitions are open to everyone on the team, the Rock Lounge is set up to foster climbing improvement on any level. Team members join the traveling/competition team when they feel ready to compete for USA Climbing points and rankings.

Jael Harris, 17, has been climbing since February. She is not competing but simply working to improve her technique and confidence. “The drills have helped me get stronger a lot faster,” says Harris. Like Austin, she also has improved three climbing grades this year. Currently, she is working on footwork drills each practice. “I like being on two feet at all times,” a habit not conducive to climbing, admits Harris with a smile.

Garcia spends time drilling her each practice, having her repeat movements to increase her confidence and balance. “Baby steps,” Garcia prompts as he stands behind Harris spotting her falls. She works from one foot to the other, doing dynamic moves and jumping off the wall onto a thick pad. Over and over.

Assistant Coach Nelson is pleased with the team’s progress. “They are ranking in the top 10s of kids all over Colorado,” he said. The original goal was to start a youth climbing culture in Durango and it is catching on, the group now counting 22 members and climbing, with the sky the limit.

 

For more info on the Rock Lounge’s kids programs, call 259-7625 or visit www.rockloungedurango.com