USD climbers reach for new heights
The University of South Dakota offers plenty of extra curricular opportunities, and one of those options is on its way to new heights: the USD rock climbing team.
USD offers a rock climbing wall for all students at the Wellness Center seven days a week.
Around February last year, USD created their own rock climbing team with the idea of introducing people to the sport.
Graduate Student Eric Wiedenman, the president of Climb USD, said being the head of the team is an enjoyable process.
“Right now, we have around 55 members and everyone is having a blast,” Wiedenman said. “It honestly doesn’t take a ton of obligation. If you enjoy the outdoors and are looking for people with common interests, I highly recommend Climb USD.”
On Feb. 16, the team competed in their first-ever Collegian Climbing Series (CCS) event. The CCS was the next step on the process for Climb USD.
Wiedenman said competing was exciting for everyone.
“To be apart of the CCS is pretty special. We competed against SDSU, Omaha, Lincoln and Northern Iowa,” Wiedenman said. “We did alright, but it was mainly about being apart of the event and being apart of the cool atmosphere.”
The events were scored by points, where teams get a certain amount of points depending how they fare in the different divisions. The level of difficulties range from beginner to intermediate to advanced, and the tougher the wall, the more points your team is awarded.
One member of the team, Austin Fisher recently participated in a tournament at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and finished first place overall.
Wiedenman and first-year Brad Zwart both agreed that winning is always fun, but this sport isn’t high on pressure. It’s a time where everyone is enjoying themselves.
“Yeah, it is competitive, but I would describe it more as friendly competition,’” Zwart said. “You really get to set your own goals and try your very best to accomplish them.”
Another first-year on the team, Nick Bell said many of the members are getting better together, and this encourages other students to give it a try.
“I, like many, didn’t get serious into rock climbing until I came to USD,” Bell said. “I’ve already made numerous friends, and it’s been very enjoyable. It can’t hurt to give it a chance. I’m happy I did.”
The team is young, and has already accomplished many of their goals. However, Wiedenman said the team can still expand. Their next tournament is March 23 against the rival Jackrabbits in Brookings.
“Yeah they are our rivals, but again, our goal is just to enjoy ourselves and have a great time.” Said Zwart.
Bell said he sees a bright future for Climb USD.
“We will continue to try and get more kids on the team. I hope we expand and continue to attract more people,” Bell said. “Who knows, maybe we can get more people, and have the wall expanded. As a freshman, I think its going to keep getting better and better.”
