It has been a long season. Goat Fort’s kids have been preparing since the end of last summer, and have traveled all over the region competing in qualifying events with the goal of making the cut, and earning their place at this championship event.

The competition featured the best young climbers from southern Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

The pressure was high. Each climber would only have four minutes on each of four separate climbs. It wasn’t enough to be a good climber. It was critical for athletes to be able to manage their energy, attempts and time. Their entire season boiled down to only 16 minutes. And to top it all off, this format did not allow for any coaching. These kids were quite literally on their own.

For some of the athletes, this was not their first trip to a USAC championship event. Muntz and White were both on their fourth consecutive regional championships; and for Grant and Elodie Criswell it was their third. On the other hand, for two of the climbers it was a whole different story. First-time qualifiers, Miller and Harrington did not have the luxury of experience. It was all brand new for them.

Submitted photo Lily White climbs to a third-place finish at this past weekend’s USA Climbing Region 62 Championships.

Experienced or not, all six athletes placed in the top 20 in their respective categories. Miller and Harrington both finished 19th. Muntz was 15th, just missing the mark to move on to divisionals. Grant and Elodie Criswell each made the podium with respective fifth-place finishes. And for the second year in a row, White placed third, earning her place at the USA Climbing Divisional Championships next month in Indianapolis.

For most of the team, this concluded a fantastic season. The athletes have worked and have proved that The Goat Fort Thundering Herd from Warren can compete, and achieve so much, at the highest level of competitive youth climbing in the country.