4 Utah kids place in top 10 during national youth bouldering championships

4 Utah kids place in top 10 during national youth bouldering championships

(Courtesy of Momentum Climbing Gym)


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

SALT LAKE CITY — Four local kids under the age of 16 placed in the top 10 during the Bouldering Youth National Championships in Salt Lake City where they were required to climb an indoor rock wall without the use of ropes or harnesses.

Noah Keithley, 12, placed fifth, and Oscar Boudrand, 11, placed eighth in the 11- to 12-year-old male category, while Shyanne Williams, 11, placed sixth in the 11- to 12-year-old female category. Devin Hammonds, 15, placed ninth in the 15- to 16-year-old male category. The competition took place at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake on Feb. 10-12.

Keithley, Boudrand, and Williams compete with Momentum Climbing Gym and Hammonds competes with The Front in Ogden.

Keithley, Boudrand and Williams have all been climbing since they were young and, according to their coaches, have stood on podiums quite a number of times throughout the years.

“What really separates them from a lot of other athletes that I work with is that they have the mental skills,” said Noah Bigwood, one of the kids’ coaches at the Momentum Climbing Gym where the kids train. “Climbing is all about figuring out the puzzle as quickly as possible, but it’s also about confidence and determination. I watch them get the next hand hold, and it represents overcoming mentally all the things that can keep a climber back.”

Rock climbing has grown rapidly in recent years, evident by the decision of the Olympic Committee to include the sport in the 2020 Olympics — something that has really excited the up-and-coming athletes.

The four kids represent the future of the sport, especially for the state of Utah where climbing has become especially popular.

“They have opportunities to go out and climb on real rock and the number of types of climbing challenges they get exposed to here in the Wasatch might be greater than almost any other location in the U.S.,” said Jeff Pederson, CEO of Momentum and a former coach. “The overall exposure to as many different types of movements and challenges is a huge asset for the kids.”

During the bouldering competition, each kid faces away from the wall while they await their turn. When it’s finally their time to shine, they turn around and have 4 minutes to climb. While the task is physically taxing, it also requires a lot of mental effort.

“We do something called reading the problem and it’s when you map out where your hands and feet will go,” Williams said. “I think about what parts would be hard for me and then I think about the pressure of the crowd.”

Williams began climbing at the age of 6 and hasn’t stopped since. According to the coaches, the kids practice around three to four times a week and have worked hard to develop the confidence and skills necessary to compete at a national level.

Part of the competition depends on the kids’ mental stamina and how calm they can stay under pressure. If they fall, they have to reassess the wall and think about how to change their approach.

“(The hardest part) is the falling part,” Williams said. “It just scares me that I’m going to break something, and when we do … big moves where you have to jump … my mind was saying, 'you’re going to fall and break something' or 'you’re going to miss and you’re going to hurt yourself,' but over the past year I think that my coaches have helped me overcome that fear.”

And as the kids continue to overcome and grow, so do their skills and ambitions.

“I can’t compete in the Olympics in 2020, but maybe 2024,” Williams said.

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

UtahOutdoors
Liesl Nielsen

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast