This past Sunday, Feb. 26, Long¬wood University Health and Fitness Center housed the third annual Crux climbing competition at the center's rock wall. Jon Kirchgessner, a student employee working the event, said, "We're very excited this year because this is the first time we've had a lot of people come from out¬side of the Longwood community."
Kirchgessner said students from Old Dominion University (ODU) were present as well people from James Madison University (JMU). Sponsoring the event was the Longwood University Outdoor Club as well as companies such as Sterling Rope, Appomattox River Company and Peak Experiences in Richmond. A total of 23 individuals showed up for the event.
Theo Kuntz, the Crux climbing competition organizer, began the event at 1:30 p.m. by reading off the rules and then ended it at 5 p.m. Competitors had the time in be¬tween to climb as many routes as possible to earn as many points as they could.
The competition was divided into three levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced. Which level you were entered in determined how many falls you were allowed in the competition. Beginners are allowed five falls, intermediate four and advanced five. A fall counts against you if you begin a route or boulder problem with a scorer and/or belayer present. Up until they are ready to be scored, climbers are allowed to move about the wall and climb freely as long as they do not interfere with other competitors and stay be¬low the red chalked line on the wall.
Competitors score points by climbing the many different routes set up on the wall as well as solving boulder problems; both are worth a certain amount of points based on the skill level required. For a climber to earn points on a route, they must have a belayer and scorer on hand before they begin. As they climb the route, climbers are evaluated on their skill and use of holds as they try to reach the top without falling. Boulder problems consist of a climber reaching a certain point on the wall using different combinations of marked holds. The climber earns the points after they climb up to the marked hold and hang there with both hands for a couple of seconds to prove their ability. The scorer on hand, being the Longwood climbing wall staff, evaluates their skills during this process.
Angie Elgin, the only campus recreation staff member who participated in the competition, said the rest of the staff did a great job set¬ting the routes on the wall. "'Keep your hips loose' is probably my favorite route so far," said Elgin. Other names made up for the various routes included "Imperial March" and "Hulkin Out."
A first, second and third place was awarded to each category, and each place was awarded different sets of prizes. The prizes consisted of donated items from the sponsors as well as homemade chalk bags, donated by a family member of Theo Kuntz. First place in the advanced category went to Derek Samples, a student from ODU. "The format of the competition was pretty stressful, but the time was about perfect," said Samples. "I really like the bouldering part because it helped you get a feel for what the wall was like." Another student from ODU, Brock Spencer, said he spent a lot of time bouldering as well, but made sure to allow himself enough time to rest in between routes.
