This past January, the Student Recreation Center received a new addition to its selection of exercise equipment: A rock climbing and bouldering wall, in an effort to support Pittsburg State’s Rock Climbing Club. The wall, which has different lanes for rock climbing and bouldering based on people’s experience levels, was built at the request of the Rock Climbing Club after their old wall was removed unexpectedly.
“We used to have a rock wall, back two or three years ago, at Pittsburg High School,” explains senior automotive technology major Patrick Tryban, a member of Rock Climbing Club.
The wall, which was open to the members of the club at Pittsburg State to use as they wished, was suddenly sold to someone else without their knowledge. It was this unexpected occurrence that prompted them to talk to the Student Rec Center staff about building a new wall inside of the Recreation Center. After numerous meetings, the Rock Climbing Club got their wish granted. The wall officially opened to the Pittsburg State student body just in time for their return from winter break. Since its opening, students have been eager to give it a try.
“I have been coming to the Recreation Center for a while now, and I noticed they put up the wall,” senior art education major Lydia May said. May, who had been coming to the Recreation Center for a while, had always wanted to give rock climbing a try, but had never had the chance. Since the wall was open to the public, May thought she would give it a try, saying it felt “awesome” and that “the adrenaline was real.” As with any new thing, however, May wasn’t the only one wanting to give it a go.
“I had just seen a lot of people having fun with it, so I thought I’d give it a try,” junior automotive technology major Jayden Wade explained. Wade, who also cites the wall as a good workout, said it was a little scary going up at first, but he had trust in his harness and the Rock Climbing Club members on duty, and once he got going, he said it felt good.
Aside from being a good pastime, rock climbing also carries a lot of physical benefits. On the Rocks, a rock climbing gym in Amherst, Ohio, states that rock climbing is a good full-body workout, and on top of being able to improve endurance, flexibility, and balance, it can also improve one’s focus and technique, and it is also a good way to socialize and build camaraderie.
Pittsburg State’s rock wall is open for business on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Members of the Rock Climbing Club must be present for students to use the wall, and students must wear a safety harness. Also included, but optional, are specialized rock-climbing shoes and liquid chalk to help improve grip on the stones on the wall. The wall has five different lanes, each with different colored steppingstones to indicate the lane’s difficulty, as well as a two-lane bouldering wall just behind it.