Daniel Dulo exhales sharply as he grips each handhold with three fingers. His teammates watch with anticipation as he prepares for the next move.
If Dulo can complete the route on his first try, he will earn an extra point for his team. Daniel leverages his momentum and grabs the top of the wall. He then lets go and allows the automatic belay machine to lower him toward the high-fives of his teammates.
The WSUV Rock Climbing Club is currently competing in the Source Climbing Center’s climbing league. The season consists of three sessions, with the team currently competing in the last session, lasting from April 5 to 18. The championship session, which begins at the end of April, allows the top five scoring teams to compete for first place.
On the last day of the competition, the Source Climbing Center is hosting a party for all the teams and their supporters to enjoy.
Dulo, the founder of WSU Vancouver’s Rock Climbing Club, currently a sophomore majoring in environmental science, wasn’t concerned with performance when signing the club up to compete in the league; his motivation came from a desire to cultivate comradery.
“Rock climbing is mainly an individual sport, so whenever I get the chance where we can do something together as a group, it helps build our relationship with each other,” he explained.
This is also part of the reason Dulo chose to start the club. His busy schedule freshman year prevented him from joining other clubs he was interested in, so he decided to start his own club.
In addition, Dulo felt this would be a constructive and entertaining way for students to be involved on campus. The club meets every Friday night at 6:30 to fit as many people’s schedules as possible.
Reflecting on his time leading the club, Dulo admits that communication and member involvement both need improvement. Despite having over 40 members registered on CougSync, Dulo estimates that only 15 climbed with the club during the fall, and this spring as few as five.
Although attendance is sporadic, he remains optimistic and confident that membership will bounce back, and focuses on fostering an accepting environment for the club.
“This club is for anybody,” Dulo explained, “it doesn’t matter how strong you are, or how much of a climber you are.” This reflects the attitude he has towards the competition as a whole; performance is not nearly as important to the club as having fun and building friendships.