I Can Climb That

I mentioned in a previous post a while ago that Florida Tech has a Rock Climbing Team. This post should give more insight into it.

There is one place in the entire state that can be climbed outdoors, and that’s only if the tides are at their lowest (Blowing Rocks Preserve). What we do have in Florida, are indoor rock gyms.

On The Edge Rock Climbing gym is the one our team calls home. Across the state, other colleges have their own teams and respective gyms where we all compete at during the Spring semesters. Our Florida Tech team just competed in Tampa at Vertical Ventures, the first competition this season in the Collegiate Climbing Series (CCS). We placed highly and our newest members were able to place higher than expected! The competition lasted 3 hours and required the top 5 highest rated routes for each person added up to for your score.

There are climbers from colleges make the drive from all over Florida to compete. Over the last year, I’ve made so many friends in other colleges by meeting them at competitions. Talk about a great way to meet new people, and not just at Florida Tech.

I joined the team last year with exactly 2 weeks of climbing experience leading up to my first competition. The team is open to anyone who wants to climb or learn to climb! As a way of getting away from the hustle and bustle of campus and the 5 hour homework sessions, climbing is definitely a worth while way to use ones time. For me, going 4 times a weeks is normal and lets my head reset for another day of classes. Even with a full class load of 18 credits plus finishing my Multi-Engine Commercial Certificate and applying for jobs and scholarships, there is still time for climbing. The gym is only 15 minutes away and requires nothing but shoes and a chalk bag.

For those incoming freshman who will need to look for a club or two to join for your University Experience class, why not climbing?! After a few times climbing, you’ll forever look at buildings, tall surfaces, and fireplaces thinking, ‘I can climb that’. As an added bonus, that freshman 15 you may or may not have heard about will not apply to you since climbing is a fantastic workout. In fact, you’ll be more fit by the end of your first year than you ever thought possible. Trust me.