Breaking News
Local Sports

Goat Fort Thundering Herd compete in Akron, Ohio

2 min read

AKRON, Ohio -- Nine climbers from the Goat Fort Thundering Herd Climbing Team in Warren competed in their second USA Climbing competition of the fall qualifying season at Rock Mill Climbing.

The goal of the qualifying season is to earn enough ranking points to qualify for the Regional Championships in March. Athletes are ranked based on their top two qualifying scores, and with a limited number of events on our calendar, athletes have limited opportunities to improve their ranking.

Using the classic redpoint format, there were nearly 50 boulder problems. They varied in style and difficulty, and each was assigned a point value. Points were only earned if the boulder was completed. There was no partial credit. There were three hours to climb, and each athlete’s total score was the sum of their top five highest boulders that they completed. This type of competition is fun as there are so many climbs to choose from. However, it can also be overwhelming. With so many options, it can be difficult for athletes to know on which climbs they should spend their limited time and energy.

As with the Cincinnati qualifier just a few weeks ago, the Warren climbers did very well. In their respective categories, Elodie Criswell finished first; Connor Spear was fifth; Lily White was sixth; Grant Criswell, Coleman Miller, and Nina Harrington finished seventh; Ivan Darling was 10th; Freya Heath was 12th; and Eloise Harrington placed 18th.

The majority of the team will be taking a three-month hiatus with no competitions until Jan. 23. Many of our climbers have started out the season very strong with solid performances in both of their events this fall. This takes the pressure off going into the long break. However, there is a qualifying event in Michigan on Dec. 5 and some of our athletes may opt for another competition to break up the long gap, and try to improve on their season ranking.

Starting at /week.