Senior Amato latches on to passion for rockclimbing

Ryan Ulrich

Managing Editor

No ropes, no harness, just hang on for dear life.  Senior Graham Amato is slowly but surely making his way to the top of the indoor climbing and bouldering world.

Photos of the event can be seen by clicking here. 

Amato recently traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah to compete against 48 other competitors in the Open Bouldering national championship from Feb. 9-12. However, he was eliminated on the first day of competition and did not place.

Event information and results can be seen by clicking here.

“Before nationals, I was just sticking to my normal climbing training regimen, which just consists of practicing different courses,” Amato said.

A video showing some of the climbing that took place at the event can be seen by clicking here.

Amato first began the sport as a casual activity, but, as he  got more interested, Amato began to take the sport more seriously and decided to compete in local and regional competitions when he was 15 years old.  Amato is a member of a climbing team, Team Hangar 18, and also has two coaches, Deanna Lappen and Mary Acharon.

A link to the gym at which Amato practices at with his team can be seen by clicking here. 

“I have been climbing for five years and doing regional competitions for three,” Amato said. “I prepared for nationals by climbing at Hangar 18 or Sender One LAX climbing gyms.”

Bouldering is the indoor version of freeclimbing. It takes all the elements from the outdoor activity and places them in an indoor, artificial environment. In bouldering, there is no harness, so the climber is still at risk of a serious injury. Amato’s background in bouldering eventually led him to competitions that are divided into tournaments based on area.  Amato believes that it was helpful to compete in local tournaments, moving to progressively bigger ones to reach nationals.

“I think I was well prepared at nationals, and so were all of my competitors,” Amato said. “I plan to start competing in rope climbing in the future and to continue climbing for the rest of my life.”