My Trip to Youth Nationals in Salt Lake City, UT

Hello Everyone,

Recently I was asked to be one of the routesetters for the upcoming SCS Youth Nationals in Salt Lake City, UT on July 10-12, 2009. I can't tell you how excited I was.

Well I just got back from that event and it was awesome. If you have been keeping up with my blog you would have read that I was going to be working with Cheif Setter Molly Beard. Molly and I worked together at the recent Divisional in Harker Heights, TX.

The crew arrived and I arrived in Salt Lake on Sunday, July 5th. We went straight to Momentum Climbing Gym and talked about the upcoming youth nationals. Everyone was given their assignments by Molly and then we all went and checked out our walls and got ideas for Monday when we would begin setting.

The crew was made up of Molly, Kevin, Kyle, Mark, Joel, another Kyle, Scott, Ted, Andy, and Myself. I had already worked with the first 5 before and recently had worked with Joel this year at the World Cup in Vail, CO. The event went ok. As always it is a learning experience and some things can always go better.

We were at the gym everyday for about 12 hours and longer on the competition days. I missed my family very much while I was gone and was excited to see them when I returned home on Monday, July 13th.

Once again my wife picked me up from the airport and was dressed to kill. She had read my mind.

The next day after returning home I went straight back to work. I stripped the belly and reset it competition style. There is everything from a V0 to V10 on it right now and as of last night some more V3s, V5s and V6s were added to the mix by Tom Carter.

Also, the front climbing wall has been reset. There are a lot of easy climbs on it. Three below 5.8, Two 5.9s, Three 5.10s, Two 5.11s and One 5.12.

Check them out and let me know what you think.