Students from Ohio University and beyond participated in the annual Outdoor Pursuits Halloween Climbing Competition.
Dressed as Kim Possible, Eryn Grooms stepped inside Ohio University’s Ping Center for the first time Friday night to compete in the Outdoor Pursuits Halloween Climbing Competition and to climb to the top of the center’s rock wall.
“This is actually my first climbing competition,” Grooms, a senior studying ecotourism and adventure travel at Hocking College, said. “I just love to climb honestly, so I decided to get some experience in a competition.”
Students wore various costumes as part of the rock climbing event at Ping, Costumes included a squirrel, two Hot Rods and a Minion pajama costume.
The competition drew 37 competitors, according to Brendan Rossi, a senior studying environmental geography and a climbing facilities manager at Ping. He said one of his favorite costumes was one of a squirrel.
“Climbing’s a lot of mental, so I think if you are into your costume it would definitely help you out with the mental game,” Rossi said.
Pre-registration cost $12, and same day registration was $15. The money the event raised went toward paying for the competition, Rossi said.
The event included three levels of competition: beginning, intermediate and advanced.
“We score by how high you get, and you get a certain number of points per hold that you get to,” John Timmons, a fifth-year senior studying civil engineering and an Outdoor Pursuits worker, said. “So you just see how high they go and afterward you count up how many points they’ve got.”
Timmons said he dressed up as guacamole because he is a fan of avocados, and Oct. 23 is Mole Day.
OU Outdoor Pursuits obtained a wide range of food sponsors including Jimmy John’s, Court Street Coffee, Kona Ice, Bagel Street Deli and more, according to Olivia Whapham, the event’s coordinator.
The event offered gift cards donated by the restaurants as prizes, according to Whapham, a sophomore studying political science and global studies war and peace. Whapham said prizes are based on participants’ placement in the competition.
She said a Hot Rod costume was one of her favorites at Friday’s event.
“We had a great turnout, and we are hoping for an even better competition come spring time,” Whapham said.
The event has been going on for more than 10 years, and the university hosts another competition in the spring, Rossi said.
Friday’s event gave people an opportunity to train and get more people interested in rock climbing, Whapham said.
@megankhenry
@lang_savannah33
