LIFESTYLE AUTHOR
Julia Salas
A QUICK CLIMB TO SUCCESS n James Roberts, a Westlake High
School student, shares how he became the 2021 youth national champion in speed climbing.
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limbing up the 15-meter-wall, the boy was neck and neck with his opponent. Grabbing onto each red hold and propelling himself up, the young climber raced to the finish line. Reaching the top, the clock struck 8.22 seconds, marking a two-second lead over his opponent and securing his victory. Sounds of applause and cheering erupted across the gym in seconds. This would mark the moment James Roberts, a student at Westlake High School, became the U.S. Youth National Champion in speed climbing. After competing in Reno, Nevada in July of 2021, Roberts took home first place against competitors traveling from across the country. “I was pretty ecstatic after I won the race,” Roberts says. “Everyone was cheering.”
AUGUST 2022
Speed climbing, a form of indoor rock climbing, is where two athletes compete head-to-head to be the fastest to the top of a 15-meter-wall. Introduced to the Olympics in 2021, this once-niche sport is now one of the fastestgrowing sports in America. “(Speed climbing) requires strength, quickness, balance and intense focus,” Roberts says. “It’s an amazing sport.” Prior to his win, Roberts had been training for five hard years to get to where he is now. His climbing career first started after
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a visit with his uncle, who brought him to an indoor climbing gym. “I couldn’t make it up an easy route because I was so scared of heights,” Roberts says. But even though he was scared, he continued to improve. Before long, Roberts fell in love with the sport and has since joined Team Texas, where he found his passion for speed rock climbing. “I love the speed and the intense focus that (speed climbing) requires,” Roberts says. “I love the instant feedback I get when I slap the timer at the top of the wall and
