Six young athletes from Climb Youngstown spent this past season doing something many parents might not expect their children to do: scaling 15-foot walls, solving complex physical puzzles and competing against climbers from across five states—all without ropes.
Youth Team (Y-Team) members—Rihanna Guzzetti, 15; Emerald Cronin, 13; Huxley Boyle, 12; Raina Carson, 11; Grant Pavlicko, 11; and Cora Duerr, 8—each competed in at least two competitions this season, starting training in September and traveling to events in Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and cities across the region.
“When parents first hear about competitive climbing, they often think it’s just kids going to the gym,” said Josh Boyle, co-founder of Climb Youngstown. “But what we’ve seen this season is so much more than that. These athletes have learned to push through fear, solve problems creatively, support their teammates and handle both success and setbacks with grace. Those are life skills that go far beyond the climbing wall and sports.”
For six months, these young climbers committed to regular training sessions, working on strength, flexibility, problem-solving and mental resilience. They learned that climbing isn’t about brute force—it’s about strategy, technique and believing in yourself even when the climb looks impossible.
The Y-Team athletes compete in a discipline called “bouldering,” which might be unfamiliar to many people. Unlike climbing with ropes, bouldering involves climbing shorter walls—up to about 15-feet high, roughly the height of a standard ceiling and a half with thick foam mats below provide safety, and climbers practice falling correctly as part of their training.
Climbers navigate different “problems” (the climbing term for routes/climbs) that vary in difficulty. Each climb is like a physical puzzle: athletes must figure out the sequence of hand and foot movements needed to reach the top. In competition climbing the goal is to send routes within a certain time frame. Add to the fact, depending on the competition, athletes will not see the route until it is their time to climb. Adding to the complexity of climbing a route.
Think of it as a combination of gymnastics, problem-solving, and chess—all rolled into one sport that builds both body and mind.
In March, two of Climb Youngstown’s Y-Team athletes (Emerald Cronin and Huxley Boyle) tried their hand at Tope Rope discipline during regionals at Shaker Rocks in Shaker Heights. This discipline uses ropes and involves climbing higher walls, testing endurance over longer routes.
While many of the other athletes in their region needed to compete in two competitions to qualify for regionals, Emerald and Huxley qualified for regionals with their score from one competition. These young athletes love to push themselves climbing and fortunately for them climbing is such a new sport, their potential to succeed is much higher than traditional sports that have much higher participation rates than climbing.
Veterans return to regionals
Among this year’s competitors from Climb Youngstown are Emerald who goes to Canfield Middle School, entering her fourth year of competitive climbing and Rihanna Guzzett who goes to United Local High School, entering her third year of competitive climbing. For Rihanna this will be her third consecutive Regional Championships. Emerald has qualified for Regional Championships for the fourth year in a row and has advanced to Divisional Championships in the last two seasons, and along the way has managed two first place finishes in Regional Qualifying Events.
“Watching Emerald and Rihanna grow over the last couple of years has been remarkable,” Boyle noted. “Both girls have not just gotten stronger physically—they’ve become leaders and mentors to the other climbers on Y-Team. That’s what keeps kids coming back. It’s not just about competing or climbing; it’s about being part of something bigger.”
Murnie Murnen is Climb Youngstown’s head coach and has been coaching youth rock climbers for over seven years with 10 athletes qualifying and competing at USA Climbing Nationals. Before rock climbing Murnie was a personal trainer and soccer coach.
Youth rock climbing is growing and there’s a lot of untapped potential because the sport is so new.
Families who climb together
Perhaps the most unexpected outcome of the Y-Team program has been how it’s transformed entire families. Many parents initially signed up their children for climbing as just another after-school activity. But something interesting happened: the parents get curious, then interested, and get hooked.
“We have families where mom, dad, and the kids all climb together now,” said Boyle. “Parents started coming to understand what their kids were learning, and before long, they were trying it themselves. Now they’re climbing the same climbs, supporting their kids at competitions, and sharing this experience in a way that’s pretty rare for youth sports.”
Unlike many youth sports where parents watch from the sidelines, climbing invites participation across generations. An 8-year-old and a 45-year-old can work on the same climb together.
Several Y-Team families have made climbing a central part of their family time. They travel to competitions together, climb at the gym together, and celebrate each other’s progress—whether that’s a child completing their first difficult route or a parent getting to the top of their first climb.
“What’s special is seeing parents and kids encourage each other,” Boyle explained. “The parent isn’t just the coach or the cheerleader—they’re a fellow climber who understands the challenge. That creates a different kind of bond and experience.”
“Every single athlete who competed this season should be proud,” said Boyle. “Whether they’re heading to Regionals or pushing themselves harder than last year, they all showed up, worked hard, improved their climbing and supported their teammates. In our program, that’s what success looks like.”
An accessible sport for all ages
For parents wondering if climbing might be right for their family, Boyle emphasized that climbing is remarkably accessible. “You don’t need to be naturally athletic or have any experience. Kids and adults of all body types, personalities, and fitness levels find something they love about climbing. Some kids love the physical challenge, others love the puzzle-solving aspect, and many just love being part of a community.”
Climb Youngstown offers programs for children as young as elementary age through teenagers, with options ranging from recreational climbing to competitive team training. The gym provides all necessary equipment, and training to climb safely.
“The best part about climbing as a family sport is that everyone starts as a beginner,” Boyle said. “Parents don’t need to know anything about climbing to support their kids. Many of our best family climbers started with zero experience—parents and children learning together.”
About – Climb Youngstown is a community-focused climbing gym offering programs for all ages and experience levels. Climb Youngstown offerings range from recreational climbing for families to competitive Y-Team training for aspiring athletes. No prior climbing experience is necessary to get started. For more information, contact Josh Boyle at 330-330-8878, email in**@*************wn.com or visit www.climbyoungstown.com/. Climb Youngstown is located at 1221 W. Western Reserve Road in Poland.
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