SportClimber January 2023

I want to welcome you and more importantly thank you for supporting SportClimber. I couldn’t be more excited to share with you my hopes and dreams for 2023 and beyond as this little publication strives to promote youth sport climbing here in North America. My name is Mitch Hagy and I am the founder and publisher of SportClimber and a proud climbing dad of a Region 51 FYC daughter. I first need to thank my wife Karie for allowing me the time to put this thing together. You know what they say, behind every successful man is a strong woman. Next, I want to thank my daughter Paisley and all her hard work and effort to become a talented young climber. Your dedication to your sport and the desire to…

@eliteperformanceclimbing Here at Sport Climber Magazine I want to start things off right by laying a solid foundation that we can build a mighty fortress upon. Time for young climbers is a precious commodity. Many of them often feel overwhelmed while trying to juggle school, extracurriculars, climbing, training, and everything else life throws at them, which is a major bummer wave for anyone trying to become an elite athlete. At Elite Performance Climbing we have a saying: “_We Build Savages,_” but that’s hard to do with the limited time youth athletes have available, so we have to be VERY intentional. ‌Intentionality is a very powerful tool. It saves you time, effort and can be harnessed in life-changing ways to create incredible outcomes. By harnessing the power of intention, you will…

(@theshortbeta on Instagram) Not everyone is into photography but anyone can take a great picture of their kid while they are climbing. Here are 7 tips to help you get *the shot*. We’ll start with tips that work with any camera, be it our phone, a point & shoot, or a high end DSLR. Then finish off with a couple tips for my fellow photo nerds. 1. Be Picky About Light Most of our competitions take place in poorly lit indoor climbing gyms. But often, even in the darkest gyms, there are pools of light, whether that’s coming from a skylight, a window, or an overhead light. There might be a good climb with great angles and action, but if it’s in the dark, the pics are just going to…

@THESHORTBETA Let me start by saying that I am relatively new to the world of sport climbing. Having spent the last six years coaching shotgun sports with my oldest son’s high school team, I have taken on a waterhose of information about the incredible world of Indoor Rock Climbing. My journey began as my daugther had essentially retired from gymnastics after spending the seven years of non-stop training and competition. Her mother, wanting her to stay active, took her to the local Summit Climbing Gym in Grapevine, TX. Soon after being asked to try out for this “Team in Texas”, the next thing I know I am in a crowded gym full of a bunch of folks in black shirts asking me to Judge. Three years later and here I…

THE JUNIOR COMPETITIVE CLIMBING ASSOCIATION (JCCA) IS A PLACE FOR KIDS TO LEARN, GROW, CONNECT, AND COMPETE THROUGH OUR UNIQUE AND INCREDIBLE SPORT. THE JCCA IS OPEN TO YOUTH CLIMBERS AGES 18 AND UNDER. USA CLIMBING IS THE NATIONAL GOVERNING BODY OF THE SPORT OF COMPETITION CLIMBING IN THE UNITED STATES. IT PROMOTES COMPETITION CLIMBING IN THE UNITED STATES IN THE DISCIPLINES OF BOULDERING, LEAD CLIMBING, AND SPEED CLIMBING, IN ELITE, YOUTH AND COLLEGIATE FORMATS. USA CLIMBING IS RECOGNIZED BY THE INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION FOR SPORT CLIMBING (IFSC), THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE (IOC) AND THE UNITED STATES OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE. PARACLIMBING PROVIDES ACCESS FOR ATHLETES WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES TO COMPETE IN TOP ROPE CLIMBING AT THE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LEVEL. THE INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF SPORT CLIMBING (IFSC) IS THE INTERNATIONAL…

Editor Note: This Issue of Sport Climber begins a 2 Part Series by Coach and Author Matt Dendy and his teams preparation for Theo Massenat, Ellis Ernsberger, Dillon “Bob” Countryman and Anastasia “Annie” Sanders for Open Nationals I wanted to start with some background on who I am and how I got started in this sport. My name is Matt Dendy and I’m a coach for Team Texas in Dallas, Tx. I’ve been coaching in the DFW area since the early 2000’s. I primarily coach athletes of all ages in the lead/rope and bouldering disciplines. Our team is large and alongside all of our coaches requires a ton of planning and setting to get our team competition ready and this is ongoing throughout the year with a short break in the…