Saturday, Outdoor Recreation is hosting their annual T-Town Pull Down climbing competition beginning at 10 a.m. The event will shed light on the sport of rock climbing and expose viewers to a non-traditional sport.
“We host the T-Town Pull Down climbing competition to provide a chance for the regional climbing community to get together and enjoy the sport that we all are passionate about,” said Lance Haynie, program coordinator for Outdoor Recreation. “There is a competitive aspect to the event, but more than anything, it provides an opportunity for fellow climbers to enjoy each other’s company and have fun.”
UA climbing gym employee Michael Rosato said he’s excited about the event.
“It’s usually a good turnout,” he said. “A lot of people don’t know about the climbing wall, so when we have this big crowd sitting in the [Student Recreation Center], a lot of people will just come over to watch and that’s a really big part of it. Just to get people excited about the sport because it is a small sport is what I get out of it.”
Both students and non-students should pre-register on or before Friday. The cost of participation is $30 for students and $40 for non-students until the day of the event when the price will increase by $10. A registration form must be turned in with payment.
Climbers ages 14 and up can compete. There will be prizes for competitors. The redpoint competition format, a system for judging climbing events in which points are awarded on the basis of completing a climb, will be used and the top three male and female finishers will compete in a flash finals showdown.
Derek DeBruin, who worked last year as a graduate assistant for Outdoor Recreation, said the maximum number of competitors was met in 2010, and this year should see a similarly high participation rate.
“We usually get about 50 competitors,” DeBruin said. “We usually max out; last year we had more than 50 [hopeful] competitors and easily 100 spectators. We generate a pretty solid crowd. The place is packed, especially for the finals, which should be super showy this year.”
There will be two climbing periods, the registration form states. Session A will be from 10 a.m. until noon while session B, which is reserved for out-of-town participants, will be from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. The finals will begin at 3:30 pm.
There will be different routes, divided according by difficulty. Haynie said this is a way anyone interested can get involved.
“People should join in because it will allow them to see another side of the sport of climbing,” Haynie said. “Competitions can be very tense, but we want to make sure ours is fun and enjoyable. Anyone is able to participate. We have catered to all ability levels and we are very careful not to discriminate against ability level.”
Tyler Stenger, a sophomore majoring in finance, said he thinks the competition will turn out well and that there will be a lot of people going.
“I especially like how they have beginner, intermediate and advanced levels of competition so it’s really open for anyone wanting to climb, regardless of their skill set,” he said.
In preparation for T-Town Pull Down, Outdoor Recreation has redesigned the entire wall.
“Basically, we are tearing down everything we have on the wall so far and we’re setting new routes so that nobody has an advantage of seeing them,” Rosato said. “We basically closed down the wall for a week and a half to do so.”
T-Town Pull Down will also feature Rosato playing music through the speakers located on top of the climbing walls. The music will be playing throughout the competition to keep the climbers and the crowd pumped.
For more information call 348-7045, email [email protected] or visit the website at urec.ua.edu.
