The Regina Climbing Centre says it’s excited about climbing now being a part of the Olympics and hopes the added exposure will attract even more individuals to try it out.
“Climbing, it’s really one of the natural parts of the human condition … how do you learn to walk … you go to the nearest coffee table and pull yourself up and that’s how you take your first steps,” said Jordan Mackay, the owner of the Regina Climbing Centre.
“So, I think it fits really, really well with the Olympics,” he added.
Mackay says there are three different types of combined climbing included in the Olympics, which are speed climbing, lead climbing and bouldering.
For climbing instructors like Emma Young, seeing the sport she loves reach a new and higher level gives her hope of now one day being able to compete in the Olympics.
“I’ve always watched the Olympics with my family and I was just always like, ‘oh, that’s so cool, but I’ll never be able to do anything like that,'” Young explained.
“Like my sister is a gymnast, so she’s always been like that’s going to be me one day and I just wanted something like that, that I can train for,” she added.
Young climbers also share the same kind of passion and enthusiasm for the sport.
“I like how it’s different and it challenges you in different ways,” said Victoria Hall.
“I already do compete in Alberta, and I plan to try and work towards that if I can,” said her brother Marcus Hall.
Both brother and sister get their affinity for sport climbing from their parents, who are avid climbers themselves.
Mackay says he’d also like to highlight it’s imperative for beginners to work with an experienced climber and always climb with supervision in order to be as safe as possible.