USA Climbing recently announced that the host venues and communities for a number of “premier events” in the 2021 competition season will be decided through a bid process. USA Climbing thus invites any interested venues to submit proposals detailing key aspects such as facility size, accommodations, proximity to lodging and food, connection to the local climbing community, and other areas of importance.
Competitions included in the announcement were the Youth National Championships, scheduled to be held in July 2021, and the (Open) National Championships, which will be held in November 2021. Unlike in previous years, both the 2021 Youth National Championships and the 2021 National Championships will see separate championships for Bouldering, Lead and Speed combined into one new championship event.
“These events will feature the top climbers in the U.S. and enjoy extra attention as climbing makes its Olympic debut in 2021,” said John Muse, USA Climbing’s Vice President of Sport, in a press release. “We are looking for great venues and community partners to climb with us.”
The announcement also included mention of National Team Trials, a new event scheduled to take place in March 2021. “This event will be hotly contested as the best climbers in the U.S. vie for a handful of coveted National Team spots,” noted the same press release. Essentially these trials will determine the members of Team USA that will compete abroad on the IFSC World Cup circuit.
The full press release can be found here. More details, including full information for bid submissions, can be found here. The deadline to submit bids for these events is July 31.
John Burgman is the author of High Drama, a book that chronicles the history of American competition climbing. He is a Fulbright journalism grant recipient and a former magazine editor. He holds a master’s degree from New York University and bachelor’s degree from Miami University. In addition to writing, he coaches a youth bouldering team. Follow him on Twitter @John_Burgman and Instagram @jbclimbs. Read our interview Meet John Burgman, U.S. Comp Climbing’s Top Journalist.
