Save the South 2018 holds a special place in my heart. Not only was it my first rock climbing competition, but this event also spurred my journey into becoming more involved with Tallahassee Rock Gym (better known as TRG) and the climbing community. Last year I was a newbie, having only climbed for a couple of months. Little did I know that a year later I would not only be participating in the annual competition but also help design the t-shirt and sponsor the event.
You might be asking what is Save the South? Well unless you have climbed at TRG before you probably don’t know. Save the South is a benefit competition for the Southeastern Climbers Coalition (aka the SCC) hosted by Tallahassee Rock Gym. All of the proceeds go to keeping our crags clean and accessible. The event has become a way to help preserve climbing areas in the southeast, such as Sand Rock and Rocktown where we’re often found climbing on weekends.
~Cover photo taken by Noah Mobley~
This year 145 climbers participated in Save The South,
and together we raised over $5,500 for the Southeastern Climbers Coalition!
Click through the slideshow to see more photos from the competition
Photos used with permission from… Jay and Aaron Weinburg, Full Press Apparel, Kelsey Thompson, Noah Mobley, Quyen Vo and portraits taken by Vitor Chies.
Behind the Scenes of Save the South
The past two years I have volunteered during Save the South along with route-setters, gym staff, and many other volunteers. Together we worked tirelessly to completely strip, clean and transform the gym to prepare for the competition.
I asked Noah Mobley, one of TRG’s staff/setter’s to tell me a bit more about what goes into putting on such a large event.
Me: What was it like being a part of the volunteer community for Save the South?
Noah: “Volunteering for this event was a blast, and everyone put in a lot of work. Being ‘behind the scenes’ for the Save the South is not for everyone. You sacrifice a lot of time and energy, but in the end, it’s all worth it. Our team was very supportive and encouraging, and we all helped each other during long hours of setting.”
Me: How did you guys complete so much work in such a short period?
Noah: “The ability to completely tear down and build the gym back up with dozens of new climbs isn’t easy. There’s a constant sense of urgency to get the routes up. The key to our success is most certainly the organization and preparation beforehand. While much of it is a group effort, it couldn’t have been done without Manager Adrian Thompson’s layout of the spread. He was able to tell everyone what their responsibilities were during the set and ultimately kept everything on track.”
Brandon Gould, one of the competition route-setters, captured these photos during the setting process that lasted three days. Brandon is the head route-setter at ProjectRock in Oakland, Fl. He is also the owner of Climb and Create, which is a group of climbers/artists who use their talents to further the community, the gear, and the art of climbing!
~Photo’s taken by Brandon Gould / Climb and Create~
The Day of the Event
The day of the event TRG was showered with an overwhelming sense of community. Over one-hundred participants poured in from nearby states such as Alabama and Georgia whereas others flew in from Utah and Washington, D.C. There were new climbers, TRG veterans, locals, South-Florida climbers, spectators and more that filled the gym to the brim.
Every year a Save the South t-shirt is designed and included in the participant package. This year my sketch ended up being chosen to be on the front of the shirt. I can’t explain the feeling when I first looked at the finished product. The shirts turned out better than I could have ever imagined and I was honored to be a part of something that has had such an impact on me.
~T-shirts printed by Full Press Apparel~
Here are a couple of photos Noah took of me during the competition. I was determined to send this blue route that had me bending in all directions and grinned from ear-to-ear when I finally sent it. After seeing these photos, I learned that I tend to be very focused while climbing and thus produce “my concentrated climbing face” shown below.
~Photos taken by Noah Mobley~
A special thanks to my sister Shelby who came up from Gainesville this weekend to climb with me during the competition. I look forward to climbing with you in the future!
I have to give another shout out to my boyfriend Noah who was one of the comp route-setters. He went above and beyond to contribute his talent and time to the creation of this event. I know this to be a fact because I didn’t see him for a week because he was always at the rock gym. Not to mention he took some sick photos during Save the South that I’m using in this post.
The Comments
Louie Bacayo
With thanks! Valuable information!
Earlie Krahenbuhl
With thanks! Valuable information!
Lana Belken
With thanks! Valuable information!
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