After winning a gold medal in rock climbing for the USA at the Pan American Games in Chile on Nov. 24, senior Collier Skinn continues to train in preparation for Worlds.
“The Pan American Games was a competition for North and South America right after Thanksgiving Break,” Skinn said.
The Pan American Games are the second largest multi-sport competition after the Summer Olympics. Achieving medal status is highly coveted and requires dedication and effort. There were three divisions of the climbing competition—with Skinn winning speed climbing. Because of his gold medal win, Skinn will have an automatic bid to Worlds for the next two years.
“I prepared for the competition with lots of training,” Skinn said. “The same wall is used at every competition and there’s only one in the United States, so I went to Reno to train.”
Skinn typically practices in Reno over the weekends for three to four hours a day. When he is in Austin practicing, he works with Austin Rock Gym to train four nights a week. These practice hours are normal for Skinn, who has been rock climbing since he was eight.
“I went to a summer camp when I was eight and liked it,” Skinn said. “I joined the team shortly after.”
Skinn has competed all over the world, including Europe and South America. His favorite competition, the 2010 Worlds in Scotland, was enjoyable for him because Scotland was fun to visit. Skinn plans to continue his career in rock climbing in anticipation of an even bigger competition—the Worlds competition in August.
“Right now it’s not competition season so I’ll start training again in March. I still climb but it’s more relaxed hanging out and climbing versus training the entire time. I plan to compete at Worlds, which is in Victoria, British Columbia,” Skinn said.
Despite the competitive aspect of the rock climbing world, Skinn’s favorite thing about rock climbing is hanging out with people who have the same interests.
“Rock climbing has taught me how to work hard and do my best,” Skinn said. “Doing my best is my inspiration to climb.”
