Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
April 23, 2009, Washington Post

This Sport Really Rocks

Lots of kids love to climb. Little ones climb on furniture even though grown-ups tell them not to. Older kids scramble up rocks and sand dunes at the beach or climb on jungle gyms at the park.

But did you know that climbing is a competitive sport? I spoke to Mike Lyons, the head climbing coach at the Earth Treks Climbing Centers. Lyons grew up playing football and running cross country in Ohio, and now he coaches climbing. His teams, which include boys and girls ages 9 to 19, travel around the country and sometimes the world to compete in indoor and outdoor rock climbing competitions. I met Lyons under the 50-foot climbing walls at the Earth Treks center in Rockville. Here's what he told me about climbing.

How did you get into climbing?

When I was about 14 years old, a cousin took me to an indoor climbing gym. I practiced inside for a while and then started rock climbing outdoors.

What did you like about climbing?

I liked climbing right away. It was a great feeling to be on something so big with just your body weight holding you to the surface. And there was a real rush to be up so high and look down.

Is climbing scary?

It's like the first time you ice skate or ski. It's a little scary at first if you haven't done it. But the more you climb, the less scary it becomes.

Fred Bowen writes KidsPost's sports opinion column and is an author of sports novels for kids.

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