Veni Vidi Ascendi climbing competition slated for this weekend
Western student Logan Ian climbing in the 2017 Dyno competition. Veni Vidi Ascendi staff Ian Dandridge, left, and Logan Fletcher, right, look on. // Courtesy of Veni Vidi Ascendi
By Giovanni RoversoStudents and Bellingham community members get to be the first to try their hands — and feet — at the 11th-annual bouldering competition this Saturday at the Wade King Student Recreation Center. Called Veni Vidi Ascendi, the event is part of a series the Northwest Collegiate Climbing Competitions. “It’s exciting to host the first event of the year,” said Dane Siegfried, Western’s operations and climbing wall coordinator. “We know how hard teams from around the Northwest have been working leading up to this weekend, so I think competitors will be climbing really hard.”Space is limited and registration closes at 5 p.m. on Friday, Siegfried said. Climbers can register online through the WWU Campus Rec website or register and pay with a rec center receptionist.Western, a founding NC3 member, gets to show off its latest iteration of the Veni Vidi Ascendi climbing walls. The competition will be segmented into three separate “heats” throughout the day, Siegfried said. These two-and-a-half-hour climbing periods give climbers the opportunity to compete on the routes they feel comfortable with. Siegfried said climbers will also come from the University of Washington, Central Washington University, Whitman College, University of Oregon, Oregon State University, Portland State University and the University of Idaho, as well as some other Pacific Northwest colleges.In the afternoon there will also be a Dyno, or dynamic movement, competition, Siegfried said. “The Dyno competition is something unique to Veni Vidi Ascendi, that climbers really look forward to,” he said. “Our staff will set specific routes where climbers will have to leap from one hold to the next, and go airborne. We see some incredible athletes compete in this portion of our competition, and it’s definitely a favorite for spectators.”The Dyno competition will be different this year as it features separate women’s and men’s divisions for the first time, which Siegfried said staff were excited about.Signups for this portion are limited to 20 people and are between heats two and three.Siegfried said six finalists, three from each division, will have a series of routes to complete in a limited amount of time. Sponsors provide the winners’ prizes. Last year these included an Osprey backpack, new climbing shoes, gift cards and a learn-to-lead climbing course through American Alpine Institute.
Solutions by The State News
