UTSA rock climbing club is for new or experienced climbers. The club practices climbing and techniques, and they also build bonds. For them, it’s about teaching people a sport they love and helping others find a passion for it as well.
The club has a habit of making practices into games. For example, new climbers will compete in trivia about slang and safety precautions. They also will make their own routes and have the rest of the club climb and rank them.
They also have a discord server open to anybody in the club. They use this to communicate with each other, help people with homework or set up events with members.
UTSA’s rock climbing club started in 2016. The club holds practice every Tuesday and Wednesday night from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Recreation Center. The Recreation Center has a rock climbing wall that is open to anybody, along with climbing shoes that can be rented for free.
Anybody can join, and no prior experience is needed. The club will teach newcomers everything they need to know. New climbers are taught all the safety techniques and slang behind climbing.
The club has eight returning members and 42 new members. They focus on bringing people together through rock climbing and teaching people about climbing.
“I really enjoy rock climbing because it’s not as intimidating as going to the gym,” club treasurer Bianca Aguirre said. “It feels kinda embarrassing trying things out, but here people are so willing to talk about everything because communication is the most important thing in rock climbing because it also means safety.”
While the club is mainly for fun and to bring people together, they also have a team that competes. The competition team is composed of four men and four girls, and competitions are held against other universities including Baylor University and Texas State University. There are different levels of difficulty in rock climbing: beginner, intermediate and advanced. Climbers are given points based on complete runs, difficulty, time and route. While it is technically an individual sport, the team still supports and acts as a group.
These competitions can be a day trip or an overnight trip. When possible, the club likes to camp outside on overnight trips. Outside of competitions, they also go on trips with all the club members to go climbing and camping in Texas. The club has three more trips played for this semester.
“We like to go outside a lot,” media officer Jazmin Snow said. “Our outdoor excursions are super fun. We travel, we go to Austin, New Braunfels. Getting to enjoy climbing especially if you are a new or a freshman is really fun.”
The rock climbing club has more events and competitions planned for next semester. To stay up to date, follow their Instagram.
