Gyms. You’ve read article after article about how they are ruining climbing. The kids chase grades, they’re scared of runouts, they’ve got no ethics, etc. You’ve read about the mentorship gap and how its partially the fault of the old guard for not taking them under a wing. You’ve heard about how the instant-satisfaction cell phone culture, Instagram, spray, self-promotion is destroying the soul of the outdoors.
Well, I think you’re wrong. I’ve been at this more than a dozen years now, mostly in a gym, shamefully. And this isn’t a self promotion – climbing is in my top-5 things to do, but I’m not out there living in a van, or sacrificing hard for the sport. But let me tell you what I have seen in those gyms, and outside of those gyms. In 12 years, I’ve watched 10 year olds that were pulling real hard for their size grow and mature into adults. Grow into regional, divisional, and national championship contenders. Grow from someone I could give beta to, into people that climb miles harder than I ever could, with big dreams of climbing even harder.
“So what?”, you might say. “Them kids live in the gym, compete on plastic, and climbing hard isn’t what climbing is all about.”
But that’s not what impresses me most about them. Even if they had turbulent teenage years (who doesn’t?), almost all of them have grown into what I would consider great people. They’re kind, they’re polite, they’re supportive. I’m not going to dime them out by name here; there are too many and I risk leaving a few out, and moreover they’re humble, modest folks. They work hard – I know that the subset of youth that can afford to be in the gym and on the road are generally from more affluent families, but many made it tothrough college on merit based scholarships from hard academic effort. They’ve made it into young adulthood with more grace than many, and they serve as excellent examples for those still coming up in the gym system. Even with a 10+ year age gap, I consider many of them good friends, full stop, no caveat required. Gone is a lot of the elitism I saw when I was younger, where you had to climb at a certain level to feel accepted. Gone are the “passionate” outbursts resulting in thrown pole brushes, punted chalk pots, and punched walls.
Yes, they take to Facebook and Twitter when they win something big, or send something hard, but those posts read less “look what I can do” and are more a group celebration, almost inevitably ending with a list of thank-yous to those that helped along the way. Its an invitation to share in their happiness, not an invitation to watch their happiness.
Where did they get it from? Many were fortunate to have good role models at home, or at school. Believe it or not, some times from the very same gyms. The mentor-types need to train too, and you can see and meet them there if you’re paying attention and have the right attitude. Through my 20s and into my 30s, I’ve seen those mentors in the gym, and used their example as a means to make myself a better climber. Not a stronger climber, but a better one. A better steward of our sport. Hopefully a better influence on others myself. I enjoy climbing so much more because of the lessons they’ve taught me, which could fill many more columns. I won’t dime them out here because many of them aren’t on the internet that much, and they’re humble, modest folks. In more cliff-dense regions of the country, you might get lucky and run across them out at the crag, and on the weekends in the rest of the country you still might. The gym provides an updated hub, a meeting place where any weeknight a newbie in need of direction and encouragement can meet a mentor to keep our community growing in the right direction.
Gyms aren’t ruining climbing. They’re essential to making introductions between the current and the future, especially in markets away from the cliffs. They’re an opportunity to emulate and teach the habits, ethics, and social skills needed at the crag, if everyone is willing to put in the effort. For the sake of the sport, it’s worth it.