This Saturday, December 7th USA Climbing’s ABS Regional Championships are happening simultaneously at fifteen gyms around the country. ABS Regionals is the first obstacle for competitive climbers and their teams to get through if they want to make it to Divisionals in January, and hopefully to the National Championship in Colorado Springs, Colorado in February.
The American Bouldering Series is in its 16th year and is the country’s only youth (up to 18 years old) bouldering competition circuit. To compete at a Regional Championship a youth climber must have competed in at least two ABS sanctioned local events. But championships events are a bit different than your average local comp. Regionals is an on-sight format, which means that the climbers do not see the problems until they have to compete. They also do not know how well the other competitors have done throughout the round. Once it is the climber’s turn they have five minutes to evaluate and send the problem, after which they have a five minute rest until their next problem. This is the most fair way to run a comp but produces a high pressure scenario for the athletes. This year USAC has stipulated the format will be one round with 6 problems.
Hosting regionals can sometimes feel like a carnival has come to town, complete with crowds, vendors and spectacle. Local and national climbing reps will be showing off their gear along while sports companies hand out samples and food trucks feed the climbers and spectators. Each of these comps will bring in approximately 150 climbers along with proud parents and curious gym members. All of this means that hosting a championship event can mean a nice boost in exposure, reputation and possibly revenue for the host gym.
Good luck to all the competitors and host facilities this weekend!
| REGION | HOST GYM |
| Washington / Alaska | Climb Tacoma – Tacoma, Washington |
| Northwest | Rogue Rock Gym – Medford, Oregon |
| Northern California | City Beach – Fremont, California |
| Southern California | Mesa Rim – San Diego, California |
| Southern Mountain | Ogden Front – Ogden, UT |
| Colorado | ABC Kids Climbing – Boulder, Colorado |
| Midwest | Vertical Endeavors – Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Ohio River Valley | Planet Rock – Anne Arbor, Michigan |
| Mid-Atlantic | Triangle Rock Club North – Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Heartland | Summit – Dallas, Texas |
| Bayou | Stone Moves – Houston, Texas |
| Deep South | The Edge – Jacksonville, Florida |
| Capital | Philadelphia Rock Gym – Valley Township, Pennsylvania |
| New England West | The Gravity Vault – Chatham, New Jersey |
| New England East | Central Rock Gym – Worcester, Massachusetts |
