This competition featured some of the best young climbers from Indianapolis to Morgantown, West Virginia facing off. The Goat Fort Thundering Herd is still a very young team. Several of the children on the team have been climbing for a year or two now, but about half are in their first year. For this competition, first-year Owen and Connor Ash stepped up to the challenge.

The day was broken up into two separate three-hour sessions. Half of the competitors climbed in the morning and half in the afternoon. In each session, climbers had the task of mastering six different boulder problems (routes). These challenges are designed to be both mentally and physically demanding. It is quite difficult to know how to squeeze, pull, press, or sometimes even jump your way up the boulder. Plus, there were roughly 75 climbers in each session vying for time on a limited number of boulders. Managing time and making the most out of every try was critical. Athletes are not guaranteed a certain number of tries or time on each climb. Every miscalculation, each slip, was costly. Still, each triumph was exhilarating.

The day was exhausting, but the Thundering Herd showed effort and determination. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that they scored well. Several were in the top 10 of their respective categories. More than a few will likely qualify for the USA Climbing Regional Championships this season.

Following are the official results:

Connor Ash

Male Youth D, Grant Criswell, fifth, and Connor Ash, ninth; Male Youth C, Chase Long, eighth, Owen Ash, 13th, and Marshall Harrington, 14th; Female Youth D, Neola Harrington, sixth, Elodie Criswell, 11th, and Eloise Harrington,13th; and Female Youth C, Lily White, third, and Natalie Muntz, 11th.

Neola Harrington

Chase Long

Natalie Muntz

Marshall Harrington

Elodie Criswell

Lily White

Grant Criswell

Eloise Harrington