Indiana Wesleyan University hosted its annual bouldering competition.
Ali Smith is a staff member at the rec and helped run the competition. She said that it is an annual event and that it consists of climbing the rock wall without ropes at a lower height than normal.
“It’s fun to just see people who don’t normally climb come in and just see what they can do. We try and make it a pretty welcoming place,” Smith said. “One thing that I love about the rock wall is that you’re only competing against yourself, really. I mean, yes, there are points involved, but ultimately, it’s just you trying to push yourself.”
The competition went on for two days, allowing more people to get involved.
Smith said that the competition was a good way to get the community involved, noting that a lot of children participated and other participants invited their friends.
Emily Montefiori was the manager of the event and was in charge of all the advertising for the bouldering contest.
“Not a lot of people know about the rock wall or the events that we have, so we do our best to kind of share those whenever we do have something,” Montefiori said.
Montefiori explained how the competition is held.
“So basically, if you get the route on your first try, you get the full number of points and if you have to try it a few more times, there’s a little bit of a penalty. But basically, you just try all the routes you can and then see how many points you can get and whoever has the most points wins,” Montefiori said.
Isaac Sewer said he has been climbing for a year and participated in the bouldering contest.
“I think it’s a ton of fun. I’ve really enjoyed my time here so far. I’ve been a climber for the last year, so this type of event is what I enjoy the most,” Sewer said. “It’s a great type of thing for the community because it’s right in the middle of the rec center. It’s open to anyone who wants to compete.”
