This coming Saturday, fifteen US climbing gyms will host the 2014 USA Climbing SCS Youth Regional Championships. A total of 1,817 youth athletes, aged 7 to 19, will compete for the chance to eventually make it later this summer to the National Championships in Atlanta, Georgia and for the opportunity to be crowned best youth climber in the country.
The Sport Climbing Series covers the disciplines of route climbing and speed climbing. Competitors aged 7 to 13 compete on top-rope protected routes and competitors aged 14 to 19 years must lead climb. The speed climbing portion of the event will consist of two identical routes placed side by side. A few gyms like Central Rock and Summit will even have the official 10 meter IFSC speed routes available for the older categories.
The format for Regionals will be a single on-sight round consisting of 3 routes. On-sight is the most demanding, yet fair, method for determining who is the best climber. No climber shall see the climb before hand and climbers do not get to watch the other climbers in their category.
Regional Championships is the first step in the climbers path to the National Championships which will be held for the fifth year in a row at the world-renowned Stone Summit climbing center near Atlanta, Georgia. The next step for the athletes before Nationals is the Divisional Championship which features the top seven climbers from each category.
There are no qualifications to enter Regionals other than the climber must have attended at least two USAC sanctioned local competitions. This makes Regionals the first elimination round on the road to Nationals, and is the arena for much heartbreak and triumph.
The Chief Rouetsetter for each Regional event must be USAC Level 2 certified with an endorsement in the competition discipline. All other routesetters are determined by the host facility.
| The Source – Vancouver, WA | 129 Athletes |
| Bend Rock Gym – Bend, OR | 114 Athletes |
| Touchstone Ironworks – Berkely, CA | 154 Athletes |
| Rockreation – Costa Mesa, CA | 111 Athletes |
| Stone Age – Albuquerque, NM | 187 Athletes |
| Movement – Boulder, CO | 148 Athletes |
| Boulders Sport Climbing Center – Harker Heights, TX | 58 Athletes |
| Summit – Grapevine, TX | 113 Athletes |
| Upper Limits West County – St. Louis, MO | 141 Athletes |
| Planet Rock – Ann Arbor, MI | 88 Athletes |
| Urban Rocks – Chattanooga, TN | 96 Athletes |
| Inner Peaks – Charlotte, NC | 108 Athletes |
| Earth Treks Climbing Center – Rockville, MD | 104 Athletes |
| Central Rock Gym – Glastonbury, CT | 134 Athletes |
| Evolution Rock + Fitness – Concord, NH | 133 Athletes |
If you’re in the area of any of the USAC championships stop in to the host gym to watch a good show and catch a glimpse at the future climbing stars of US sport climbing! CBJ is excited to attend the Regional event at Movement in Boulder, Colorado and the Divisional Championships at Sender One in Santa Ana, California. If you’re in the area please stop by and say “hi”!
Climbing Business Journal is an independent news outlet dedicated to covering the indoor climbing industry. Here you will find the latest coverage of climbing industry news, gym developments, industry best practices, risk management, climbing competitions, youth coaching and routesetting. Have an article idea? CBJ loves to hear from readers like you!
