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Post by Grodzki (Admin) on Jan 18, 2015 19:40:49 GMT
Feel free to post about yourself here and get to know one another!
My name is Cody Grodzki and I'm a route setter and outdoor climbing guide out of MetroRock Climbing Centers in Boston, MA. I've been setting commercially for 5 years and competitively for 4 in gyms throughout the New England area. I hold a level 2 route setting certification from USAC with an endorsement in sport climbing and have been lucky enough to be apart of many regional championships for both ABS and SCS, as well as multiple private comps, such as the Iron Maiden and Dark Horse series. I've also been a part of MetroRock's youth climbing team for 2 years and instructed for various university teams, such as Tuft's and Northesastern University.
In addition to route setting and guiding, I've completed my degree in Outdoor Education from the University of New Hampshire and received my Wilderness EMT certification from SOLO School of Wilderness Medicine, where I am also an instructor. Lastly, I wrote and compiled all of the Boston area destination profiles for the outdoor adventure website RootsRated.com and am an ambassador/ athlete for Granola Products.
I really hope to get to know all of you via the website route setter profiles, as well as on this forum. See ya out there!
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Post by Aubrey W on Jan 19, 2015 21:29:48 GMT
I'm Aubrey Wingo, and I am currently a routesetter at the Boulder Rock Club in Boulder, Colorado. I've been setting commercially since Jan of 2011, but here and there before that at Aiguille Rock Climbing Center and Tallahassee Rock Gym in Florida. I started climbing in 2006 at the TRG and although climbing outside is amazing and always top priority in my travel plans, I have growing soft spot and passion for the indoor climbing industry. I began as a summer camp counselor for Aiguille back in Summer 2007 and by Oct 2013, I left as an Operations Manager, Assistant Routesetter, Camp Coordinator and pretty much Social Media Director. Management just held my routesetting career back and I decided to pursue my passion for setting full time, and was lucky to find a home at BRC in Nov of 2013. I am currently only a Lvl 1 certified USAC routesetter after several rejections, mainly now due to location in a very crowded routesetting market. However, I regret nothing about my choice of home as I have met and learned from an amazing amount of people in such a short amount of time. I have set up to the Divisional level for both ABS and SCS/CCS and been involved in several private events both in FL and CO. I am always willing to do what it takes for my career and am always looking for new ventures. Typically, if I am not dangling on the wall, because extension ladders are the devil, I will be at the front desk or instructing kids. I like to attend and volunteer for any sort of trade shows, including the Climbing Wall Association Summit so if you're in town for such events, I'm happy to meet you. www.setting-thetone.blogspot.com/
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Post by pebblewrassler on Jan 20, 2015 0:56:41 GMT
I'm Arian Bates, the current head setter and head coach at Adrenaline Climbing in Suwanee, GA, a smaller (14,000 sq ft) family oriented gym. I have been setting commercially for 11 years, starting at my university wall as a hold washer (we've all been that person...) and belay slave and moving up to head setter for some smaller area gyms in Vermont/ New Hampshire. In 2011 I moved to Georgia, following the job of head coach for 2 area gyms, Escalade Climbing and Adrenaline Climbing. I set and coached for Escalade for a couple years, and then in 2013, moved to Adrenaline full time to become the head setter, head coach, and summer camp director. I have not pursued any USAC setting certificates, but currently hold a coaching membership with them.
At Adrenaline, I operate a team of 3 other setters with a rotational period of 12 weeks for 170 boulder problems and 16 weeks for 60 routes. My personal concentration is in youth setting as I'm the coach of 50 kids. We set 2 competitions a year, one of them being an all out blacklight bouldering comp, the other being fun and laid back. I have set for around 50 competitions both as an assistant and head setter in SCS, ABS, CCS, and your run of the mill fun competition.
I like to visit other gyms when I travel, so hopefully I'll see everyone around!
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Post by kaylee on Jan 20, 2015 16:30:44 GMT
My name is Kaylee Frano. I started climbing when I was 18 and quickly fell in love (like most of us). When I started climbing at MetroRock Climbing Center, I was incredibly lucky and spoke to the owner when I didn't know who he was. He gave me a job working desk and after a few months I was comfortable and so happy with my new knowledge of the climbing world and position. I started hanging out with the setters of our gym, one in particular, and he was really patient and wonderful and taught me how to set. I realized being a route setter is a life style, it's a passion that is so fierce and artistic that it made climbing a different world for me. It was easy to say that was inaccessible for my height, but now, I am able to look at moves and a sequence and think, what does this person want me to see.
I became a head youth coach for our climbing team and feel that setting has helped me explain and develop basic movement and technique to our munchkins.
I am lucky to have amazingly gifted (strong and artistic) climbers around Mass and that are now great friends. I hope to learn as much as I can from you all, and also contribute.
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ckzch
Belay Slave
Posts: 3
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Post by ckzch on Jan 24, 2015 5:44:00 GMT
Hello!
Glad to be here, I am excited to both contribute and find inspiration through this forum. By way of an introduction, my name is Charlie Hall. I come from a place far from any bullet hard granite, sandpaper sandstone, or slick limestone. Grand Rapids, MI is, give or take, 6 hours from the nearest rocky outcrop that won't crumble when pulled upon. That being said, setting is extremely important to the local climbing community. As a disclaimer the following is more of a background story than a setting profile. I am not a full time setter, but I have been and continue to be involved in the community.
My passion for our sport started (like most of you) the moment I stepped into a climbing gym. It was 2006, I was an 18 year old kid who knew nothing of the world escaping the grasp of living under my parent's roof. I quickly learned that my social, competitive nature blended perfectly with this climbing thing. I would wake up, go to class, go to the gym, go to class, realize i couldn't open my fingers, go back to the gym and stay there. I would climb as much as possible; every day of the week. Within 4 months of my entrance into the sport I began to work at the local climbing gym; Climb Kalamazoo. I started with the front desk, then began giving lessons which morphed into wall maintenance and listening to everything I could possibly absorb from the owner of the gym, a guy who like any great boss is patient and actually listens. I began setting under the guidance of the gym's more seasoned setters who showed me that like any activity, if you don't have the fundamentals down, everything else is just a show.
I set at Climb Kalamazoo for about 2 years until I became the head route setter. I held the position for another 4 years. During my time there I was the event organizer and head route setter for numerous USA climbing sanctioned and non-sanctioned events. In addition to competitions held my place of employment, I assisted with setting for regional and divisional competitions at other gyms in the area. I also created and coached a competitive youth climbing program with Climb Kalamazoo. In addition to setting and coaching I obtained my Wilderness First Responder certification (which I used to guide the youth team and gym members on outdoor trips). After obtaining my Masters in Accounting I left the gym to begin my accounting career. While working in public accounting, I remained dedicated to the sport. I still set for as many competitions as I could, albeit climbing in them took over a bit due to lack of time. After leaving public accounting for the private sector (this is flying by, I know) I began setting commercially again. Freelance setting is the term I will use. I accepted cash, gear, climbing, and thanks for setting all while working with friends to create a spot (large woody called the "Pull Barn") to call a home base. After settling in to this spot, I began on a project to design and assist with construction on a new commercial bouldering gym in the region. This project has just completed a successful phase 1 and I am happy to see that all parties are extremely excited with the outcome.
I always look forward to climbing outside and exploring the vast landscape of what creative setting can provide.
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Post by onermaa on Feb 2, 2015 16:35:23 GMT
Hello All,
My name is Andrew Onermaa and I'm currently a climbing wall manager and rock climbing/backpacking guide at the University of Arkansas. I'm still fairly new to the game but the psych level is through the roof. I'm saving up enough money to go on a year-long road trip across America to hit up the best climbing destinations and gyms to find inspiration, gain experience, and get strongerrr. Route setting is a major passion of mine and I hope to continue pursuing it by learning from other great people as yourselves.
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