Eagle Climbing and Fitness hosts inaugural American Scholastic Climbing League national invite

The goal of the American Scholastic Climbing League is to bring students nationwide to the world of competitive climbing. Last weekend, the nonprofit did just that with its inaugural national invite at Eagle Climbing and Fitness.

“Last year, we brought in Ohio, and then this year we brought in six other states,” said Theresa Morris, ASCL executive director. “And then we thought, well, let’s host a national final and see who shows up.”

The March 8 elite high school competition, which coincided with International Women’s Day, brought students from six of the ASCL’s seven states to the Eagle gym. Climbers from the Front Range made an impressive showing while Colorado Rocky Mountain School held strong in team rankings.

Led by Cordelia Peterson, Giovanna Chickillo and Stella Cooper, Northfield earned the elite girls team title with a total score of 23,548 points. The trio finished sixth, seventh and 10th, respectively. Colorado Rocky Mountain School (16,926) secured fourth, following Montrose in second and Colorado Academy in third. Senior Izzy Orner of Rock Canyon High School capped off an undefeated season with another win, topping the 28-member field with 9,451 points.

“Honestly, my biggest goal was to have fun and enjoy the moment,” Orner stated. “I’m super psyched to be the national champion of the inaugural year. It’s cool to meet people from around the country, too.”

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Orner secured the victory by topping the three highest climbs on lead; she was also the only student to successfully climb route 20 with falls. But according to her mother, Felisha, Orner’s biggest hope was to enjoy a day with her team.

“Her main goal was to have fun today and she hoped to do well, and I think she accomplished both,” said Felisha Orner. “She also enjoys cheering on her friends and teammates, which she did plenty of today.”

The elite boys competition was tight, with Aiden Harris of Denver East and Caden Shrewsbury of Cherry Creek tying at 9,891 points. The individual title went to Harris, who recorded two falls under Shrewsbury’s seven.

Colorado Rocky Mountain School won the team title with senior Devin Brush leading the pack in fourth place with 9,691 points. The same pattern occurred in more recent state competitions, with Front Range Climbers taking individual titles and Colorado Rocky Mountain School claiming the top team place. Wisconsin sophomore John Serna ranked highest among the out-of-state climbers at 20th place.

While climbers from Arkansas, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin are newer to the league, Morris hopes this national opportunity will motivate more climbers to compete against Colorado’s powerhouse.

“We initially created the Colorado high school climbing league and four regions in the state and just started running comps,” said Morris. “It’s the first time we’ve done a national and I think it went over well. We just hope to keep growing.”

The ASCL also hosted an open competition the following day for high school and middle school climbers. Arkansas sixth grader Meredith Higgins stood out with a first-place win among middle school girls, giving all open climbers a challenge with her 6,631-point score. Eagle Valley’s Waylon Larson also finished strong in second place for middle school boys with 6,565 points.

Adding to the competitions, the gym hosted a screening of seven films in honor of International Women’s Day. The films focused on female athletes in adventure sports and empowerment within their disciplines. It’s a theme the ASCL hopes to bring to competitive climbing at the youth level. Along with female athletes, the nonprofit wants to uplift their kids and have them recognized in schools across the country.

“Climbing is a legitimate sport and we want it to be a club or an athletic program at schools,” said Morris. “We want schools to give all the kudos and things (to climbers) that the other athletes get.”

To Morris, this includes mentions in morning announcements, having mascots at competitions and pep rallies hosted in their honor.

“We want all those things so they feel a part of their school,” she added. “But also a part of the climbing community.”