Written by Morgan Seim
On Monday I had the chance to sit down with Austin Martin, Colorado College’s next co-manager of the Ritt Kellog Climbing Gym. Martin, a sophomore at CC, has been a monitor at the gym for about a year. He, along with Erin Burke, will be taking on the position that up until this year has been divided into two: head monitor and gym manager. From now on, the manager position will encompass both duties, with responsibilities ranging from oversight of the monitors to hosting interviews for next year’s staff.
When asked about the interview process for new monitors at the gym, Martin explained that “experience does not matter.” Rather, next year’s management is focusing on hiring individuals who come from a variety of backgrounds. However, Martin quickly retreated from his statement claiming that there are no requirements necessary for the application process. “Enthusiasm,” he corrected, proclaiming that all applicants must have this one characteristic.
“We do not care about how well a climber’s past experience translates into the gym,” Martin explained. “We want people who are excited about climbing, even if they are new to the community. These people can actually serve as a huge resource for individuals who walk into the gym for the first time.”
When asked what he wants to change about the gym’s current management system and role in the CC community, Martin exposed a fault of the present arrangement and stressed the gym’s need for a greater sense of collaboration and community. This need is not just limited to the setter-monitor relationship, but extends to the greater CC community.
“We need all of the sub-communities found within CC to recognize that the climbing gym can be a great gathering place and a means of building stronger relationships,” said Martin, directing his aspirations towards student-led groups such as ASU, BSU, and CACC. Eager to construct a relationship between CC’s Residential Life and the climbing community, Martin expressed his desire for the RA’s to feel comfortable bringing their residents to the gym in the name of group bonding.
Martin’s biggest concern is the stigma that now surrounds the climbing gym. While he acknowledges the efforts made by this year’s staff to eradicate the belief that the gym is meant for those who know how to climb and climb well, he laments, “What we are doing now isn’t good enough.”
As someone who came to the school as a capable climber, Martin readily admits that he was oblivious to the exclusivity the climbing community can exude. “When I walked into the gym for the first time, I felt nothing but overwhelming excitement,” Martin reminisces. “Things would have been completely different if I hadn’t known how to climb.”
Changing the stigma, then, is his main concern, and he knows that further steps must be taken to invite new climbers to join the community. Stay tuned as to how he and his co-manager Burke will manage to defeat such a stigma. Ultimately, Martin conveyed a desire for a transformative 2016-2017 school year. He intends to leave the gym in better shape than he found it, setting it up to be a source of community and a place where climbers of all levels can congregate and relax.