This time it was Rock Mill Climbing Gym.

There were 165 athletes in attendance ranging from 8 to 18 years old. Goat Fort had nine kids in four separate categories: Male Youth C, Male Youth D, Female Youth C and Female Youth D.

As a coach, the boulders are paramount. Each competition features a completely unique set. Teams never know what they are going to get and the kids have to adjust on the fly depending on the nature of these climbing challenges. For this competition, there were six boulders per category.

The Youth D boulders were solid. There was a good variety of movement and a consistent progression in the level of difficulty. Still, there wasn’t anything easy and the kids had to fight hard for tops which were in short supply. For the girls, Olivia Bailey, in her first year and first competition, succeeded in getting four of the six low zones and even managed to secure one top.

Olivia Bailey

Elodie Criswell captured five low zones and three tops to propel her into fourth place.

For the boys, Conor Ash, in only his second competition, was able to control four of the six low zones, plus, he topped two boulders elevating him to 10th place.

Coleman Miller secured all six low zones and topped three of the six boulders, finishing sixth overall.

The last Thundering Herd climber in the Male Youth D category, Grant Criswell, had an epic day getting all six low zones and topping five of the six boulders finishing third — only two attempts out of second place.

The Youth C boulders left a little to be desired. While the movement was good, there was a distinct jump in difficulty. The first three boulders were decent, but the last three were much harder. Nonetheless, Goat Fort’s athletes climbed well.

Lily White

For the girls, Natalie Muntz captured four of the six low zones and managed three tops to secure 13th place.

Lily White also topped three boulders, but was able to secure all six low zones to propel her into fourth place.

For the boys, both Chase Long and Owen Ash were able to control four of the six low zones. Plus, they topped three boulders. However, Long was able to do this in fewer tries, so the boys finished 15th and 18th, respectively.

“It was a great day. I am very proud of these kids, and they all deserve recognition for their determination and effort,” said coach Dana Harrington. “Three hours of climbing is both physically and mentally exhausting. We had a few standout performances. Lily White’s fourth-place finish propelled her to an overall fourth-place ranking in the region. Elodie Criswell’s fourth-place finish advanced her to an overall third-place ranking in the region. Grant Criswell’s third-place finish secured him a ranking of sixth in the region. And finally, we are so proud of Olivia Bailey, in her first ever USA Climbing event. She is a young Youth D, in some cases two years younger then the other kids in her category. She not only endured the pressure of this intense situation, but found her groove, climbed hard, and even topped a boulder.

We are at the halfway point in the season and have four athletes ranked in the top 10 in our region: Lily White, Natalie Muntz, Grant Criswell, and Elodie Criswell,” Harrinton added. “These four are almost guaranteed a spot at the regional championships. The remaining qualifiers are in Cincinnati, Detroit and Indianapolis. Most of our athletes who are vying for a spot at the regional championships have achieved two solid qualifying scores, and do not need to travel and compete in the three remaining events. Still, the qualifying season is far from over and we will have to wait until later this December for the final rankings.”

Grant Criswell

Elodie Criswell

Conor Ash

Coleman Miller

Chase Long

Owen Ash