New Club Climbing Onto the Scene at Catholic University
Image courtesy of Dylan Stern.
By Ryan McGinn
Ever felt tempted to climb Cladwell Hall? Then this new club might just be for you!
Climbing Club is an upcoming student organization dedicated to indoor and outdoor rock climbing. Members will meet and travel together on excursions to local climbing gyms to climb individually or take turns to collaborate on challenging climbs.
The club will initially focus on bouldering, a form of rock climbing using short walls (15 to 20 feet) without the need for ropes or harnesses. They will meet on Fridays at 4 p.m., usually traveling to Bouldering Project Eckington, which is just two Metro stops away from Catholic University.
I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with both founders: sophomore politics major Chloe Dodd and junior business major Dylan Stern.
Before they formed the club, they both had a deep love for climbing; Dylan learned it from his older brother, and Chloe has been climbing since she was ten years old in her home state of Colorado. At the beginning of this year, while on the Metro, they spotted each other, but only upon getting to Bouldering Project’s gym in Eckington did they realize they were both there to climb.
After talking and seeing each other’s skills, they realized their hobby could become a great club at Catholic.
“I saw her bouldering, and she is, like, absolutely incredible… And so that made me go, like, okay, this is the right person that I need to start this club with,” Dylan said.
The club plans to make many trips to Bouldering Project, climb together, and, most importantly, foster a community of climbers. An average meeting is usually “just a group of people who have a common interest hanging out, going bouldering, and enjoying each other’s company… starting a community, pretty much,” Dylan said.
They also plan to eventually visit other local gyms, such as Movement Crystal City, which has top rope climbing (rock climbing with tall walls with the use of ropes and harnesses).
“One of our long-term goals is doing outdoor climbing, but that’s gonna take a lot of planning… My hope personally is [we] end up getting to do it next semester,” Dylan shared.
No prior climbing experience is needed to attend, and no one is judged by where they are in their climbing journey.
“Newcomers don’t need any prior climbing experience or any equipment to get started,” Chloe explained. “It’s all for all skill levels, and so we try to help people out if it’s their first time, like, teach them some basic skills.”
Members do have to pay for their day passes to the gym and rent climbing shoes if they don’t have their own. With that being said, Bouldering Project offers a free first-visit day pass and climbing shoe rental on their website so newcomers can try it out free of charge.
When asked why students should join the Climbing Club, Chloe had this to say: “I think students should join climbing because not only is it a great way to get involved on campus, but the climbing community is just really awesome.”
Ultimately, the club aims to fill the gap in the school’s climbing scene, while introducing newcomers to the sport and fostering a community of climbers. According to Chloe, climbing offers something different than other sports and activities at Catholic University.
“Climbing changed my life because it’s a really good way to be active and work out, but there’s also a really good mental side of it. It tests your problem-solving, It tests your courage,” Chloe expressed. “I think not only it grows you athletically, but as a person as well.”
You should join the Climbing Club because it is the perfect way to exercise your body, your mind, and grow in a community.
Join the Climbing Club chat on GroupMe for updates and additional information.
