Island gym to host World Youth Climbing Championships

[squamish climber]

Thought this was pretty cool. The Boulders Climbing Gym , located beside Stelly's Secondary School in Saanich will host the 2013 World Youth Climbing Championships. This will be the first time the championships will be held in in North America.

Also cool, the high school is offering climbing in the curriculum the only climbing academy of it's kind in North America.

Stelly's climbing gym reaches for the summit
By JEFF BELL, Timescolonist.com
Feb 28/11

Stelly's Secondary School is hitting the heights as the first North American site for the World Youth Climbing Championships.

The Central Saanich school has been home to a climbing facility since 1993, and was awarded the 2013 championship event on the strength of an expansion that brings it up to international standards.

The announcement was made Monday after the International Federation of Sport Climbing made its decision at a weekend meeting in Rome, and followed approval last month from the Saanich board of education to create a climbing "sports academy" for Stelly's students. The academy model is used in a number of sports to allow students to combine academics and a specific athletic pursuit.

At Stelly's, climbing takes place in a specially designed building beside the school called the Boulders Climbing Gym, which is run by the non-profit Boulders Climbing Gym Society.

Kimanda Jarzebiak, who chairs the society, told a gathering of students, Stelly's staff and local politicians that Boulders has grown from the vision of former teacher Peter Mason.

"It was a little climbing wall on the outside of the gym, and that little climbing wall inspired enough students that Peter and the staff at Stelly's and the broader community kept expanding to the point where in 2005, with the support of the provincial and federal governments, we built what you see now."

People in wheelchairs, older adults, recreational climbers and potential national teamers are all part of the mix at Boulders, she said, and the only real problem is that the facility has been too busy.

Boulders also has high-calibre climbers, and with the upgrade they will be able to train to international specifications.

"At our facility, we train students to climb 24-foot [7.3-metre] walls. And then they get to Worlds and we shortchange them, because they're competing on 60-foot [18.3-metre] walls. We've done really well with what we have to train on."

The expansion at Boulders, due for completion in July, will address that issue. It's competition-level walls will more than double Boulders' wall area to 1,208 square metres, and it will include huge metal doors on one side that open the building to outdoor spectators.

The upgrades, making Boulders one of the first North American facilities capable of playing host to a world event, has a $2.7-million price tag. To date, $1.7 million has been provided by the federal and provincial governments, $100,000 has been generated from fundraising, and supporters have given $350,000 in at-cost loans. Fundraising efforts are continuing.

"This huge new facility is going to be fantastic for Stelly's," said Stewart-Patterson, who has been in international competitions three times. "And I'm looking very much forward to the academy."

When the world championships arrive, up to 2,000 visitors are expected in the municipality. Wilson said 500 14- to 19-year-old athletes from 45 countries will compete.

Stelly's principal Bruce Frith said the 2013 event is great news for the school and the community.

jwbell@timescolonist.com

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And check out the news story about the climbing academy