I love climbing. The sport has allowed me to create a gym and establish a great community. We bring like-minded individuals together who can share in the experience of climbing. My wish is to grow our community so that many more people can experience the environment.
Growing up, I played many sports. However, I was never able to build the same kind of friendships that I have built in a climbing gym. It was actually the total opposite — when I played hockey, I was small and got bullied. I didn’t enjoy being there. The other players hardly embodied the spirit that comes to mind when you think of “teammates”. I’m surprised I didn’t give up on hockey altogether due to that environment. Movies romanticize team sports, where everyone eventually bands together and becomes best friends — it didn’t happen like that in my life.
Climbing is different from other sports because it is inherently non-competitive. Normally, as a climber, you are competing against yourself. People are supportive of you rather than competing with you. Seeing you succeed might give them the motivation to push themselves harder. This in turn will create an atmosphere where people cheer you on to get to the top. In other sports, athletes are pitted against each other. Additionally, when you’re playing a team sport, your own teammates will fault you for your mistakes because they are affected by them. In climbing, your performance affects only you – there’s no one else you’re letting down. The vibes in the gym are just consistently more positive.
My commitment to our members is to always try my best to grow our community, and to grow the gym. I will try to host as many social gatherings as possible, and special event nights so that everyone can maximize the enjoyment they get out of being part of our gym.
I want to thank all of our members at Toprock Climbing for being there for us. It has been a long road to get to where we are today, but none of it could have been possible without your help. Keep climbing strong, and if you ever need anything don’t hesitate to ask!
Happy Climbing!
Author: Kevin Allen – Owner TopRock Climbing
For more information about TopRock Climbing visit https://www.toprockclimbing.ca/
Edited by: Amanpreet Chonkrian, Shantel Watson
