Rock climbing has gripped the attention of LHS students. As more and more people are loving this sport, they are hanging on to do more of it. This slightly obscure activity inspired the formation of the LHS Rock Climbing Club.
A couple of years ago, the Rock Climbing Club dissolved after the students who ran it graduated. However, LHS juniors Phinehas Kroesche and Jake Vermeer decided to start the club up again this year. They are determined to grow the club and share their love of climbing with other students.
“Our goal is to have fun, more than anything, even if you’ve never climbed before, or if you don’t want to get into climbing that much. [We are] just trying to get people to try it out and have a good time,” said Vermeer.
The club gathers at Frontier, an indoor rock climbing gym in Sioux Falls. There, climbers will learn about and try different methods of climbing, such as bouldering, lead climbing and speed climbing. Bouldering is climbing without ropes; lead climbing is climbing with ropes and speed climbing is competitive climbing. Each method requires different skills and knowledge.
“There’s a lot of technique and training that goes into it. It is definitely a learning process,” said Vermeer.
In addition, the sport requires heavy strategy in order to complete a course, making it different from many sports. One must strategize to get around obstacles and be aware of their physical limits. Therefore, rock climbing is perfect for those who seek a mental challenge.
“It’s fun because it’s a mental game. You have to know how to do it, as well as actually being physically able to do it,” said Kroesche.
Kroesche and Vermeer plan to start having raffles and games during club days and meetings. The club usually meets once a month, typically on a Friday, but the day and time could vary due to the gym’s schedule. To climb for a session, it costs $10, which is half of the usual cost.
“If somebody could find the club’s Instagram [@lhsclimbingclub], or contact one of us, that would be the best way to figure out when the next meeting is going to be,” said Vermeer.
Rock climbing’s popularity is reaching new heights, and this club is rising to share the sport.
