BORP staff members Jorge Macias and Emily Seelenfreund had the opportunity to compete at the USA Paraclimbing Nationals Championships last month, held from March 9th-10th in Gaithersburg Maryland. Both seasoned competitors, this was Jorge’s fourth national competition and Emily’s sixth and their experience paid off. Both athletes climbed their way through three grueling qualifiers climbs to make it into finals, earning the opportunity to climb in front of a large in-person and livestream crowd.
Reflecting on his experience, Jorge notes, “Within the AL1 category [a category for “campus climbers” who only use their arms to make upward progress], competition reached unprecedented levels, with exceptionally strong climbers in attendance.” Despite coming in fourth, I was a mere hold away from tying for third and securing a podium finish.”
“It was powerful to see how much the event has evolved since I started, doubling in size, and really meaningful to serve as a bit of a mentor to the new athletes breaking into competition- the same way folks mentored me during my first nationals.” says Emily. “It was nervewreck heading to finals in a 3-way tie for first but the stiff competition made eking out my fourth national championship more gratifying!”
In addition to their training, Emily and Jorge are frequent volunteers at BORP’s frequent local adaptive climbing meetups, held in partnership with ParaCliffHangers. As Emily notes “my family part about climbing is how inherently adaptable it is. There are so many ways to climb and so many ways to enjoy the sport.” Come join us on the wall soon!
