From record-shattering ascents to speed competitions, the thrill of conquering gravity has led rock climbing to become one of the fastest-growing sports nationwide. At Communications High School, students have some familiarity with the sport, with many participating in casual events at rock climbing gyms.

Sophomore Tyler Walsh of Tinton Falls, who has participated in indoor climbing in Juneau, Alaska, says that he feels the two main aspects of the sport are “upper-body strength [and] calloused hands.” 

But rock climbing hasn’t always been known in such simple terms. According to National Geographic, modern recreational climbing originated during the late 19th century in three distinct areas of Europe: Northern England, Southern Germany and Northern Italy.

 Since then, the sport has quickly adapted to modern times. Climbing gyms with indoor walls were introduced in the 1980s, giving way to the sport of competition climbing. 

Early events include the 1988 International Sport Climbing Competition as well as the IFSC World Cup series. Eventually, these competitions would lead to rock climbing’s inclusion at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. 

Although this decision was largely celebrated, it was met with some controversy. Three disciplines were to be included in The Games:bouldering, lead sport climbing and speed climbing, but only one medal would be awarded overall. 

The International Olympic Committee explained that this action was necessary in order to not exclude any part of the sport, but athletes felt that each discipline was different and challenging in its own way.

The 2024 Summer Olympics partially addressed this problem by making speed climbing a separate event with its own set of medals; however, the International Federation of Sport Climbing still advocates for three separate medal events due to the unique challenges of each one.

Senior Fiona Griffin of Middletown agrees with the sentiment. 

“It’s definitely something that I admire people for doing because I know that I could never even be paid to climb a rock wall,” said Griffin. “It’s a more difficult and more complicated sport than I think people realize.”