Adopt a Gym Rat

In the climbing community the word “growth” is met with mixed reactions. Some see this as a positive attribute that will move our sport forward by incurring more financial backing, more climbers equals more money.  The other group, measures climbing in different terms and equate the word “growth” with the term “impact”, as in more climbers means more people at the crag, which in turn, in their eyes, means loud mp3 players, trash, spray downs, and environmental impact.  This second group may not be too far from the truth, but instead of filling their blog with pessimistic ideologies or endlessly trolling forums promoting their negative agenda perhaps they should consider offering a solution and not adding to the problem by becoming a “mentor”.

Much like the 80’s infomercials that promoted taking a struggling youth from the city and exposing them to the fruits of the wilderness, a climbing mentorship will allow seasoned outdoor climbers the opportunity to guide/direct new climbers.  As the flashing headlines state you can either be a part of the problem or you can be the solution.  And, if climbing is going to continue to grow, it needs to do so responsibly and everyone that is a part of the community is directly accountable for its direction.  That’s right, even the finger pointers who continue to complain about their quiet areas being invaded by strong newbies are responsible and can make the greatest impact on the new faces that are being introduced to our sport.
How can we all help make a positive impact you ask? To do this we must be open to the idea of a new program floating around the crags called Adopt a Gym Rat, it is as easy as it sounds and can be done in 3 simple steps.

1.) Pick out a fresh gym rat bouldering at your local gym. Look for poor footwork, lurching campus
      moves, and that overwhelming newbie glow.
2.) Okay, here is the hard part, walk over to them and strike up a conversation. Generally, "Hi my name is..
      with a hand shake is common ground for everyone, but if you are to be so bold you could revert back
      to the ass slap prominently found in professional sports.
3.) Next, offer them some beta and start climbing with them until their session is done or you have no
     skin left to offer the conversation.

These steps will establish the relationship with said climber and if they did not find the ass slap invasive and you are not currently in jail then you need to continue the relationship.  Those were only the first steps needed to create that bond. Yes, you will have to continue to put yourself out there and tread away from your lonely bouldering session and deal with a semi-pubescent youth, but there is so much to be gained from the experience. 

www.chaffeementors.org

On your next trip to the gym make sure you pick the youth out again and offer them your insight about the sport, where it was, where it is going, ask how they see things and enjoy the energy of a meaningful back and forth conversation. Listen, educate, and share your dueling perspectives and you both will grow from the experience. After several sessions your bond will be partially cemented and you can offer to let them tag along on your next outdoor trip, with the guarantee that it will be a highlight for them. They most likely don’t have a license or can’t afford gas money, so this may be the first time they make it outside in their climbing career.

Once you get them to the crag start climbing and continue your mentoring and offer them your outlook on proper crag etiquette (hopefully it is positive).  Spend the day showing them how they can positively help the climbing community by contributing on a basic level, it may sound simple but it is very impactful.

Conversations and relationships like these are important and will stay with that climber for the rest of their climbing career. And, if the program works right that climber will do the same and pass on his knowledge and that growth will then become exponential. Yes, they might Tweet about it or post-it to their Facebook status first, but at least they are helping to spread the message.

As our community continues to grow our crags will be impacted. We can piss and moan relentlessly or we can offer a solution to the problem that is currently presented. The efforts that we make in our community can help curb the impact our region may be seeing and reconnect us with a simple process, which is a shared off-line conversation between two people. The only way to truly affect change is to work within the problem, not to stand outside of it and point a finger.

Be a part of the Adopt a Gym Rat program and provide some mentorship for that new gumbie taping up the tips of their fingers.
To be a mentor you should probably fit the criteria listed below:
1.) Have no past or present criminal charges**
2.) Be willing to be open and share/receive an alternative perspective. Old dogs can learn new tricks too.
3.) Devote 30-40 minutes of your gym session with said climber. That is the same amount of time you
      would spend hitting on the young desk staff at check-in, whom you know will never give you a
      chance.
4.) Have a safe driving record and remember not to offer the kid a Four Loko on your shotgun morning.
5.) Lastly, be willing to be a part of the solution. Otherwise please paste your negative comment below
      this piece. Thank you.
** And perhaps, not appear anything like the photo below: