Moving Mountains for Bouldering Champions
by Terry Matthews-Lombardo
The sport of bouldering – a form of rock climbing that is performed without the use of ropes or harnesses – has problems, and most are usually less than 20 feet tall. You see in the vernacular of this sport, the word ‘problem’ (like a math problem) refers specifically to the path that a climber takes in order to complete the climb.
by Terry Matthews-Lombardo
The sport of bouldering – a form of rock climbing that is performed without the use of ropes or harnesses – has problems, and most are usually less than 20 feet tall. You see in the vernacular of this sport, the word ‘problem’ (like a math problem) refers specifically to the path that a climber takes in order to complete the climb.
During each climb, a competitor is ranked according to the following criteria:
So what does this fascinating bit of education have to do with the convention industry? Well, just ask Jamie Patrick, Director of Sports Sales and Program Development for the Madison Area Sports Commission, and he’ll enthusiastically explain: “It was recently announced that the 2015 American Bouldering Series (ABS) National Championships was awarded to Madison, WI, and this is a really exciting event for our area and partners to be able to host. It will bring the best bouldering climbers in the nation to our region next year for two days of competition among elite climbers and three days of youth competition among the young up-and-comers in the sport. With as many as 1,000 competitors and 2,000 or more participants, the event is expected to utilize close to 750 hotel rooms and will encompass more than two weeks of ingress, route setting, and egress.”
This is also a very family friendly event and the choice of Madison was made, in large part, due to the enthusiastic community of boulderers (the name given to participating athletes) found honing their sport at the nearby Boulders Gym, whose owner Brad Werntz, said was “honored to be selected as the 2015 Host Community representing the high caliber of boulderers found across the Midwest.” His facility will be the site for the competitor’s local warm up activities, but the main events will all be held at Monona Terrace, a distinctive and iconic community and convention center located on sparkling Lake Monona, that will provide the perfect setting for this unique competition.
- The number of successfully completed problems (Tops)
- The total number of holds controlled (1.0 point/hold)
- The total number of ‘flashed problems’
- The total number of attempts to tops, and
- The total number of attempts to ‘highpoint’
So what does this fascinating bit of education have to do with the convention industry? Well, just ask Jamie Patrick, Director of Sports Sales and Program Development for the Madison Area Sports Commission, and he’ll enthusiastically explain: “It was recently announced that the 2015 American Bouldering Series (ABS) National Championships was awarded to Madison, WI, and this is a really exciting event for our area and partners to be able to host. It will bring the best bouldering climbers in the nation to our region next year for two days of competition among elite climbers and three days of youth competition among the young up-and-comers in the sport. With as many as 1,000 competitors and 2,000 or more participants, the event is expected to utilize close to 750 hotel rooms and will encompass more than two weeks of ingress, route setting, and egress.”
This is also a very family friendly event and the choice of Madison was made, in large part, due to the enthusiastic community of boulderers (the name given to participating athletes) found honing their sport at the nearby Boulders Gym, whose owner Brad Werntz, said was “honored to be selected as the 2015 Host Community representing the high caliber of boulderers found across the Midwest.” His facility will be the site for the competitor’s local warm up activities, but the main events will all be held at Monona Terrace, a distinctive and iconic community and convention center located on sparkling Lake Monona, that will provide the perfect setting for this unique competition.
So, exactly who are these competitors and what else should we know about this sport? According to Kynan Waggoner, Director of Operations for USA Climbing, current memberships are pretty evenly split between males and females from all over the U.S., with many youth participants from 10 to 18. “We also offer opportunities for elite level competitors to compete for a spot on the US Climbing Team and represent the US at International events, World Cups and World Championships around the globe.” In addition to being physically fit for the challenge of climbing, the only equipment needed is a special pair of shoes and possibly some chalk, just like gymnasts use, to secure their grip. As mentioned earlier, no ropes or harnesses are used during these climbs, but boulderers are protected by 16” of foam when they fall.
Oh yes, and there’s one more ‘little’ item that is critical to this event, and that’s the necessity to move into place a manufactured climbing wall that is 20 feet high, 1,200 sq. ft., and 20,000 lbs. And for the 2015 Championships, this wall will have to travel from its’ current location in Boulder, CO, which is home base for USA Climbing, all the way to Madison, WI. (Yes, mainstream meeting planners, and you think you have challenges getting all the bells and whistles in place for your events?) Artificial climbing walls allow the boulderers to train indoors in areas without natural boulders; and most competitions take place in both indoor and outdoor settings in order to employ a variety of formats. So how is USA Climbing actually moving this wall into place? If you guessed “very carefully with lots of people and transporters on the support team” you would be correct. And the man in charge of coordination of the transportation and assembly is Kynan.
Oh yes, and there’s one more ‘little’ item that is critical to this event, and that’s the necessity to move into place a manufactured climbing wall that is 20 feet high, 1,200 sq. ft., and 20,000 lbs. And for the 2015 Championships, this wall will have to travel from its’ current location in Boulder, CO, which is home base for USA Climbing, all the way to Madison, WI. (Yes, mainstream meeting planners, and you think you have challenges getting all the bells and whistles in place for your events?) Artificial climbing walls allow the boulderers to train indoors in areas without natural boulders; and most competitions take place in both indoor and outdoor settings in order to employ a variety of formats. So how is USA Climbing actually moving this wall into place? If you guessed “very carefully with lots of people and transporters on the support team” you would be correct. And the man in charge of coordination of the transportation and assembly is Kynan.
“The climbing wall itself is transported in one 53 ft. dry trailer. We also ship a single 20 ft. shipping container full of other competition/management materials to the event site. I believe the drive will be at least 15 hours [from Boulder to Madison], and once onsite it takes a six man crew approximately 24 work hours to complete construction before another two man team take a day to do final ‘touch up’ work on the wall. After that, a crew of ‘route setters’ take an additional four days to create the 26 boulder problems used in the Open competition on the first weekend. We also use a completely different crew of route setters to create the 40 boulder problems used in the Youth competition for the second weekend. When the entire event is over, we can have the wall disassembled and ready for shipment within 24 hours of event completion.”
Apparently, like meeting planners all over the globe faced with enormous challenges and obstacles, moving a ten ton boulder is considered all in a day’s work for Kynan and his team!
Apparently, like meeting planners all over the globe faced with enormous challenges and obstacles, moving a ten ton boulder is considered all in a day’s work for Kynan and his team!
Terry is both a veteran meeting planner and a freelance writer, focusing on issues related to the travel, meetings, and leisure markets. A CMP since 1987 with a resume that covers both international planning and incentive work as well as positions on the supplier side, she advises industry newcomers that want to learn fast how to succeed in this business “make sure and sweat the small stuff!”
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