8/15/11 - Climbing Team try-outs will take place on Sunday, August 28 at 6:30 pm at Rocktown. If you want to try-out for the team please call to sign-up and then show up ready to climb. Click here for a flyer with more details.

7/14/11 - The Oklahoma Climbing Team wrapped up the Sport Climbing season with a trip to Nationals at Stone Summit Climbing Gym in Atlanta, GA. We had three competitiors qualify for Nationals and two were able to attend. Nicholas Strong (Male Youth B) and Emily Cole (Female Youth A) both competed in the qualifier rounds over two days of competition. Emily qualified climbed well enough to qualify for semi-finals on Saturday and faced an amazing 45 foot roof climb. And while the climbing was great it was quite enough to earn a place in the Finals. Overall the Team received a placement of 55 out of 71 total teams in the country. And while this seem far from a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place finish, one has to keep in mind the history of our team - and how little of it there is! We are still a young tem - this was our third season. And each season we have improved steadily. To have three teams members qualify for Nationals was quite an achievement of itself. To be reminded that most of our climbers began climbing ony two years ago or less is also worth noting. The point being that we made a good showing this season and the Oklahoma Climbing Team is fast becoming a recognizable and respectable climbing organization.

 

This officially wraps up the 2010-2011 season and we are already preparing for the 2011-2012 season which will begin with Bouldering in the Fall. Summer practice is in full swing and the team members attending are more motivated than ever to be climbing.

 

I feel like we have a really positive vibe going into our summer training session and already looking forward to the upcoming season.

 

6/14/11 - The Oklahoma Climing Team recently returned from Ann Arbor, MI where they competed in the USA Climbing Sport Climbing Series (SCS) Divisionals. We had 5 team members compete and of the five, three qualified for Nationals. Chloe Massanet placed 3rd in Female Youth D, Emily Cole placed 4th in Female Youth A, and Nicholas Strong placed 6th in Male Youth B. We are so proud of the entire team and what they have accomplished this season. It's been amazing to see the development of such wonderful climbers.

 

 

Nationals will take place in Atlanta, GA from July 7-10, 2011.

 

 

 

 

 

1/17/11 - The Oklahoma Climbing Team returned from Iowa where they competed in the USA Climbing, American Bouldering Series (ABS) Regionals competition.

 

Complete results for all team members are posted HERE.

 

The competition took place at the Climb Iowa climbing gym in Grimes, Iowa on Saturday, January 15. As with all Regional competitions this was an "onsight" format. Each climber waited in "isolation" until their turn and then they were faced with climbing three boulder problems in a limited amount of time for each problem. Each problem is not seen until the climber turns around and their 5 minutes of climbing time begins for the problem. They have as many attempts as they want but the number of attempts are recorded and become part of their overall score. Points are given based on how far the climber gets on the boulder problem.

 

Overall we had 9 out of 12 team members competing at Regionals - Elizabeth was out due to injury, Natalie did not qualify due to missing a local competition due to illness and Hannah moved to California. Of the 9 team members competing, 7 of them placed high enough in the qualifying round to advance to the finals round in their category. Those were: Emily (Female Youth A), Caitlin (Female Youth C), Bibi (Female Youth C), Chloe (Female Youth D), Judith (Female Junior), Nic (Male Youth B), and Theo (Male Youth D). Bailey (Female Youth C) and Colby (Male Youth A) did not qualify for finals but still made a great showing in the first round.

 

 

Finals were held in the afternoon and proved to be quite a showdown, with many of our team members having the added pressure of having to perform better in the Finals than in the Qualifiers in order to move up in rank. It was impressive to watch them all try SO incredibly hard. Each managed to either hold their place or move up in rank. In the end Chloe and Theo took 1st place in their categories (Youth D Female, and Youth D Male, respectively). Caitlin and Bibi took 3rd and 4th, respectively in Female Youth C. Judith took 4th place in Female Juniors. Nic took 2nd in Male Youth B and Emily took 2nd in Female Youth B.

 

Qualification for Nationals is based on a formula that involves how many competitors there are in each category across the nation. Therefore, there were a very limited number of invitations for Nationals. In many categories there was only a single invitation - meaning that if you didn't place first you wouldn't be going to Nationals.

 

We had several VERY close placements. In fact, Emily was within a hold or two from a first place finish and earning an invitation to Nationals. And Nic was only points away. That's the differences of either an attempt or hand hold. It was that close. Caitlin as well, was just one place away from earning an invitation. It's always a difficult thing to deal with being so very close and just missing it. But at the same time, there's no doubt that they gave it all they could and should be proud of their finishes.

 

Chloe, Judith, and Theo will all advance to Nationals which will be held in Boulder, Colorado on February 18-20.

 

Overall the Oklahoma Climbing Team placed 4th among all teams present - which is incredibly impressive.

 

The coaches, Chris, Jacquelyn and Aaron are extremely proud of their team - it's been a great bouldering season, and we are now looking forward to Nationals and the upcoming Sport Climbing Season.

 

Results for our team look like this:

Theo - 1st place Male Youth D

Chloe - 1st place Female Youth D

Caitlin - 3rd place Female Youth C

Bibi - 3rd place Female Youth C

Bailey - 8th place Female Youth C

Nicholas - 2nd place Male Youth B

Colby - 9th place Male Youth A

Emily - 2nd place Female Youth A

Judith - 1st place - Female Junior

 

Complete results for all team members are posted HERE.

 

9/14/10 - Congratulations to the 12 kids selected for the 2010/2011 Oklahoma Climbing Team! We have a great group this season and are looking forward to a wonderful season.

 

8/5/10 - Tryouts for the Oklahoma Climbing Team will be on Sunday, August 29th at 6:30 pm. First practice of the season is Tuesday, September 7th.

 

Become a Team Sponsor for 2010/2011

The Oklahoma Climbing Team has launched a campaign for support and progression of the climbing team and the advancement of competitive climbing in Oklahoma. We have designed a sponsorship program that utilizes the generous support of business owners and individuals to enrich and enhance and make possible the sustainability of the Oklahoma Climbing Team.

 

Feel free to download this Oklahoma Climbing Team Sponsorship booklet which details the purpose of the climbing team and how you can help. If you are interested in further details or would like to arrange a meeting with the Team's coaches to discuss sponsorship please call us at 405-319-1400 and ask for Aaron.

 

Here's the document (PDF 8.1MB). Hard copies of the booklet are also available.

Mission

The mission of the Oklahoma Climbing Team is to promote and develop strong climbers by teaching the principles of leadership, sportsmanship, commitment, and teamwork in a fun and safe climbing environment while enhancing the self esteem, confidence, and fitness level of each climber. The goal of our team is to represent climbing throughout the state of Oklahoma and compete at the highest level possible and to cultivate other climbing opportunities for a lifelong
pursuit.

Previous News and Updates

1/18/10 - The Oklahoma Climbing Team competed in the 2010 American Bouldering Series (ABS) Regionals competition in Houston, TX. The competition was great and the team did an outstanding job. Four of the eight on the team made it to the Finals round. Emily Cole and Nicholas Strong earned fourth place finishes in their categories (Female Youth B and Male Youth C respectively) which qualified both for Nationals in Virginia. Invitations to Nationals are based on category size and Nicholas's category was granted invitations to the top four spots so he earned an invitation to Nationals. However, Emily's category was only allotted two invitations which means only the top two finishers were granted invitations. There is still a possibility of an invitation but we won't know for another few days. We'll keep our fingers crossed - we'd love to see them both go to Nationals!

 

Speaking for the Coaching staff, we are very proud of our Team's performance, sportsmanship, and determination. In the large scheme of competitive climbing we are a relatively "young" team but we have seen time and time again that there is talent in young Oklahoma climbers that is well worth developing.

 

 

12/30/09 - The Oklahoma Climbing Team competed in a bouldering competition at Austin Rock Gym (South) in Austin, TX on 12/12/09. Unlike the other bouldering competitions this season, this competition was an "Onsight" format meaning that there was no preview of the boulder problems prior to climbing them. This style of competition is much more difficult. We had five team members compete and all did outstanding. We saw two of our climbers finish in the top 3 and the others finished quite competitively for their respective fields.

 

We are gearing up for Regionals on 1/16/10. This competition will be in Houston, TX at Stone Moves and will determine who advances to Nationals!

 

11/23/09 - The Oklahoma Climbing Team just returned from a bouldering competition at Little Rock Climbing Gym. The competition was great and the everyone on the team performed wonderfully. We had several first place finishers and a couple of second placers. I a relatively short amount of time our newest tea members have become accomplished climbers and competitors.

We took the opportunity on the way home to stop at a climbing in the Ozarks called Cave Creek and do some outdoor climbing.

 

We are looking forward to our next competition in Austin, TX on December 12.

10/14/09 - We had our first competition of the bouldering season on 10/3 at Dallas Rocks Climbing Gym in Dallas, TX. Three of our team members are brand new to competitions and they did an outstanding job! On the whole the team had a great first competition, it was a good experience for all. Emily Cole performed especially well placing 4th place in her extremely challenging category of Youth B girls.

Pictures from the event will be posted soon.

 

We would like to thank the Mathis Brothers of Mathis Brothers Furniture for their generous sponsorship of the climbing team. And a very special thank you to John Tarkington for helping making it possible. The sponsorship money will go towards team apparel and competition expenses. If you are interested, or know a company or individual that might be interested in sponsoring the Oklahoma Climbing Team see the section below and download the sponsor document.

 

9/22/09 - We have some new team members this year. We'd like to welcome Josilyn, BiBi, and Colin. And welcome back Caitlin, Emily, and Nicholas who are in their second year with the team.

 

Our first competition of this USA Climbing American Bouldering Series (ABS) season is Saturday, October 3 at Dallas Rocks in Texas.

 

About

The Oklahoma Climbing Team is the first organized and professionally run competitive climbing team of its kind in Oklahoma.

 

We are entering our second year as a team and we have some new talent this year.

 

We have also introduced the Oklahoma Climbing Team Club - which is a great alternative for those kids who want the fundamentals of climbing and training at a team level but do not necessarily wish to compete. The Club Team is also a great mechanism for those young climbers who want to work their way up to being on the competitive team.

 

The Oklahoma Climbing Team is looking for sponsors! If you think you might be a good fit for the team and are interested in helping us advance the sport of rock climbing in Oklahoma contact Rocktown today and ask for Aaron.