This year, the climb team is back with a fresh start under new head coach John Hayes, who has rebuilt the program from the ground up. Hayes was inspired to revive the team by a student’s interest in forming a group to compete in the Wisconsin High School Climbing League. With a mix of beginner and experienced climbers, Hayes hopes to foster a love for the sport and help members develop their skills.
Hayes, who is passionate about both climbing and working with students, is excited about what seems like a promising start to the program.
“I got a lot more people interested than I thought I would,” Hayes said. “Some [members] are competitive [and] some of them are just there to climb. It’s both a club and a team…but if you want to be competitive, you can be on the team and sign up for competitions. It’s a lot of fun.”
Donovan Flower, senior, is excited to return to the sport as part of the new program, and he has found working under Hayes’s guidance both helpful and motivating.
“I’m so happy,” Flower said. “I was waiting for a while to be able to get going with this again, just because I love climbing, and I’ve never really gone to compete before. It’s a pretty unique opportunity for me.”
James McLaughlin, freshman, is a newcomer to climbing, having recently joined the team four weeks ago.
“[Hayes] is a great teacher,” McLaughlin said. “My teammates are kind, supportive, and it’s a great environment. [Climbing is] a nice mix between physical and mental challenge. My goal is to eventually move up to D2 climbing.”
While climbing is focused on the individual, Hayes found that climbers at various different skill levels formed supportive groups.
“Everyone does their own thing, but everybody needs a belayer, too,” said Hayes, “Climbing is…like a puzzle you have to solve, and there is a lot that goes into it. I want the competitors to learn some new techniques, some new styles, maybe get stronger, [and] maybe get some goals they didn’t have before.”
Ross Isaacson, junior and team member, has been climbing for two years and is now aiming for the high-level V10 and 5.13 grades. According to Isaacson, the team’s sense of teamwork and camaraderie is strong.
“Climbing is such a communal sport,” Isaacson said. “Often somebody will be on the wall and you’ll cheer them on and try to [get] them to keep going….A big way the team helps each other out is they’ll give each other tips on what they could try differently the next time or what they could improve on.”
Isaacson says that coaches also play a critical role in the team’s development.
“Our coaches help coach the kids and teach them how to climb better through little tips on the wall and off the wall,” Isaacson said. “They also help teach kids how to belay each other so they can climb on the rope. They help facilitate a more team environment so everybody kind of stays together.”
Isaacson says he faces challenges in his climbing journey, the most difficult being the competitions.
“Competitions can be super high-stress,” Isaacson said. “You really have to deliver all this work you’ve been putting in for months, and then you only have an hour to climb. You just have to put it all out there.”
Despite the pressure, Isaacson has learned to manage his stress and focus on the task at hand.
“I often like to think of it as a false fear,” Isaacson said. “It’s easy to feel scared when you’re up high, but falling is fine. There is no real danger.”
Flower also acknowledges the sport’s challenges, but ultimately finds the experience rewarding.
“Climbing is definitely one of those sports where, [if] you really, really want it, you gotta be okay with being uncomfortable, and being in pain, and not having things easy,” Flower said. “But I think it’s really worth it if you can get into it.”
Ultimately, Hayes is optimistic about the future of the club and hopes to see it continue to grow.
“There’s always room for more people,” Hayes said. “Who knows, if it goes well this year, maybe it will happen again next year.”