In a press release, USA Climbing recently announced the recipients of its 2020 Community Awards, a broad recognition program that celebrates contributors to the greater climbing community. CBJ first reported on the Community Awards in July, when the categories were first announced.
The 2020 recipients are as follows:
Athletes of the Year: Lauren Bair, Ben Hanna, Ben Mayforth
Teammate of the Year: Emma Grace Lehmann
Coach of the Year: Ray Ferlazzo (of Gravity Vault Chatham)
Team of the Year: Team Texas
Event of the Year: Pan-American Championships (at Sender One LAX)
Gym of the Year: Bend Rock Gym
Routesetter of the Year: Joey Jannsen
Volunteers of the Year: Matt Ornes & Tab Stephens
Distinguished Service Award: Chris Danielson, Patti Rube, Claudiu Vidulescu
In recognizing the recipients, the President of USA Climbing’s Board of Directors, Bruce Mitchell, stated: “The Community Award winners are members of our local communities and range from youth competitors to seasoned volunteers. In a year where we faced immense challenges and our community had to come up with creative ways to keep climbing, we are grateful for the continued commitment of our members to push the sport forward.”
A more comprehensive listing of the award recipients can be found here. Stay tuned to CBJ for more USA Climbing news this winter.
John Burgman is the author of High Drama, a book that chronicles the history of American competition climbing. He is a Fulbright journalism grant recipient and a former magazine editor. He holds a master’s degree from New York University and bachelor’s degree from Miami University. In addition to writing, he coaches a youth bouldering team. Follow him on Twitter @John_Burgman and Instagram @jbclimbs. Read our interview Meet John Burgman, U.S. Comp Climbing’s Top Journalist.
