One of my earliest memories in the climbing center was falling. Shocking, right? Some of the University of Connecticut Climbing Team members happened to be there. Looking back on it, I find it hilarious that I got embarrassed, but I also can’t blame myself. After all, seeing them climb felt like being slapped across the face with awesomeness. Of course, after watching their technique in real time, you already know I asked them for some tips! I felt one word: welcomed.
Before I knew it, I fell in love with the relentlessness of the sport and the warmth of the community. I remember being stuck on a move for a jillion attempts and losing. My. Mind. When I got it with the help of a team member! As my friend always says, falling and failing 95% of the time makes the five percent when you succeed feel incredible.
It is this positive impression on the community that helps define the UConn Climbing Team. They are also defined by their tenacious attitude towards competition. My friend who is a new member on the team tells me that the rock-climbing team is a powerhouse of camaraderie, never failing to cheer each other on.
The team sends its members to the very highest level of competition. In recent years, it has been sending 5-10 members to the USA Climbing Collegiate National Championships, which is a massive deal! Unlike track, where there are multiple levels for collegiate athletes to compete in, our climbers compete at the very highest collegiate level.
Our team is doing so much more with so much less; it is competing at elite levels with a fraction of the funds. This is because it is designated as a Tier II sport funded by USG. After many club sports were pushed down into the Tier II category, USG now has so many more slices to split one pie into. Last year, these clubs could request up each to $15k, and this year, only up to $10k. his meant the Team was cut 33% of its funding, as explained by the president.
If the team is going to stay competitive, it obviously needs the resources. For starters, each climber needs a membership to Central Rock Gym, since they aren’t a club sport. If they were, they’d be able to use on-campus facilities. Next, each member needs registrations. One to compete in general, and another to compete nationally. Afterwards, when the climbing team makes it to nationals (because they’re unstoppable), they have to get there!
Luckily , our rock climbing team excels at being between a rock and a hard place, and they find a way to make it work. They can’t ask Undergraduate Student Government for help because Nationals is in May, when the academic year is over. Impressively, the team worked its tail off to fund their trip to nationals, and with the help of the community, they were able to fundraise $8,500 for their journey out west!
That is why fundraisers like Ignite have become heavyweight champions in securing resources for the team. This remains true for this season and those to come. The fundraising event runs from Oct. 2 to Oct. 23, and you can help! To start, you can become an Ignite Advocate, sharing your link with friends and family or you can show up on Wednesday, Oct. 14, where clubs will be tabling fun events.
While fundraising does help immensely to support the team, the university needs to step in too.It would do itself some good to recognize its immense advantage in infrastructure over other universities nationally. Our climbing wall is exceptionally rare, reaching 58 feet tall. Only about 4-5 other colleges with indoor climbing nationwide have facilities that clear this height. Even more, our bouldering section is complete with slab, overhang and cave, providing opportunities for budding athletes to develop well-rounded climbing skills right on campus. If UConn took all this time to be one of the top 10 schools for climbing, we should put our resources to good use and not just let it be a mere talking point for tours walking by.
Climbing at UConn is a very special thing. Its team makes a profound impact on the community while blowing us all away with their performances at nationals, even as they had funding challenges. UConn Climbing Team, we see you, we support you and you’re crushing it!