Climbing Wall Hits Organizational Stumbling Block

A movement to build a climbing wall that has been going on for over a decade has slipped a little after some success earlier in the semester. The effort has finally found the administrative and financial backing that it needs, and a couple of months ago it looked like it might be built this summer. However, some problems have arisen in the planning to make it impossible for it to be built before next winter.

“We have a lot of athletic kids who just don’t come over here because they’re not into what we offer,” Recreation Center Director Betsy Bruce said. “I think a climbing wall will give a whole other dimension.” 
A committee was formed to help the project through the final stages. The committee includes juniors Kert Heinecke and Dan Rattigan and senior Maya Leonard-Cahn as well as faculty from the athletics department, alumni office and development office. 
The project has been passed from to student to student as progress stagnated. Leonard-Cahn inherited the project from Steve Kehler, OC ’00, when she transferred here in the Fall of ’99. 
The project has made substantial progress in the past year, but seemed unable to find the financial support it needed. 
“It kept struggling along,” headof the Climbing Wall Committee Roger Laushman said. 
When the idea of building a climbing wall was first conceived, it was going to be on a racquetball court. But then the wall would be in the back of the building where it would not be very visible. 
“Early on we pushed to have it out in the open and what a big sell that would be, but we couldn’t get very far with that,” Laushman said. Fall ’99 saw the arrival of two new players in the climbing wall, Leonard-Cahn and Bruce. 
“It seems like the whole thing has been waiting for someone like Betsy to come along and provide the administrative stimulus,” Rattigan said.
During Bruce’s hiring process her involvement with outdoor recreation was cited as a definite plus. Bruce is interested in ropes courses and has been through the National Outdoor Leadership School twice.
“In my first fall here there was a committee of the alumni council that was concerned with not only athletics but general recreation,” Bruce said.
That committee brought together the right people to get the ball rolling for the climbing walls. Kehler and Leonard-Cahn were there to make their pitch for the climbing wall. But more importantly, Oberlin alum Dick Bailey (’51) was there.
Bailey became very interested in the idea. He went home to Texas where he traveled, looking at other climbing walls. He eventually donated a large portion of the cost of the wall and make the whole project feasible. 
“Finally we got a donor,” Laushman said. “That got things going very quickly,” especially when the College agreed to put up matching funds.
A year ago Bruce went to the National Intramural Recreational Sports Association. There she met a representative from Nicros, a company that builds climbing walls. Nicros has built walls for Kent State, Slippery Rock State University and Kendal Cliffs Climbing Gym, where most Oberlin Students go to climb. However, it is more than an hour away. Trying to go regularly becomes time-consuming and expensive.
“The commute is horrible,” Leonard-Cahn said.
The wall will be in the lobby of Philips and will be visible from the street. The tour that the administration office gives goes right by there. 
“The President and the Dean have been very excited about this and know that it’s going to be a visible thing,” Bruce said.
As well as providing a draw for prospective students and saving climbers an hour trip once a week, the wall will help to integrate the Oberlin campus by drawing a larger crowd to the gym. 
Climbing can bring groups together, and hopefully the wall will help Oberlin’s community do that. La Alianza is planning a group trip to Kendall Cliffs. If there weren’t such a drive, many different groups could use the wall for community building.
“For me it’s especially important that women get involved in climbing, because it’s a male dominated sport,” Leonard-Cahn said. “It’s a great opportunity for people to get their feet in the door and learn that they have the strength to do these things.”
Nicros worked with the committee to create a design for the lobby of Philips. The proposed wall will be 24 feet tall and will have roughly 1,776 square feet of climbing space. There will be a pillar made of Art Wall. Art Wall is molded to look like real rock and is slightly more expensive. Although it is more attractive looking, a lot of serious climbers don’t prefer it. The wall would also feature a section of West Coast wall, which is a smooth surface with climbing holds. There would also be a West Coast bouldering cave.
“If it lives up to what we imagined it will be an amazing triumph,” Leonard-Cahn said.
When they finally returned the plan, it was not clear enough in certain areas. It didn’t provide an itemized budget making it too risky to accept as it was.
“The project right now is in limbo. We have a donor, who has given a good amount. We have been promised another undisclosed amount from the college. But when we got our bid back it was very inconclusive,” Bruce said. “It was so open-ended that we couldn’t accept it.”
Originally, Nicros was the only company involved, so the committee has had to back track and find other companies. Two other companies, Elderado and Entre Pris, have been contacted, but have not submitted any proposals as of printing.
“Ideally it would have been up in the fall. We’re now shooting for winter term,” Bruce said. “It’s not an intentional procrastination by any sense. We want to make sure we get our money’s worth.”

Compiled by Blake Rehberg from a previous article and new information.