Last weekend, six ETSU students participated in Outdoor Adventure Center’s first climbing competition at Ohio State University.
“They called us and personally invited us,” said Jesse O’Hatnick, president of ETSU’s climbing club.
This is the first competition OAC has held. One hundred climbers participated, coming to Ohio from schools in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio. This is the only climbing competition held as of yet for colleges, O’Hatnick said.
The competition was divided into three sections: beginner, intermediate and advanced. The climb was judged by flash comp, but the climber only received points if he or she made it to the top of the 35-foot wall.
“Five of the six [ETSU climbers] ranked in the top 10,” O’Hatnick said. “[It was] nice to see another school do it, see what they could pull off and give us ideas for what we can do for our next competition. The way things are headed, we’ll probably see a league develop for colleges soon. And hopefully ETSU will be a part of that.
ETSU’s climbing club will be holding their first rock climbing competition on Thursday at the indoor wall in the CPA. All climbers are welcome.
“We really hope people will come out and not be intimidated,” O’Hatnick said.
The registration will be $10 on Thursday, and the competition will begin at 6 p.m.

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