Please donate to support UT’s competitive rock climbing team! As a three-time National Champion team, we have enormous potential to do well, but only with sufficient funding so we can afford travel to nationals and provide our members with unique opportunities to not only discover their passion for climbing but for the love of the outdoors overall.
WHO WE ARE
Texas Rock Climbing (TRC) is a competitive climbing team that competes locally, regionally and nationally. TRC has won three national championships and placed 2nd twice in the past 7 years at USA Climbing Collegiate Nationals. We work hard, and are very proud of what we accomplish. TRC provides a great deal to its athletes: flexible practice hours, great coaching, skillful technique building, sweet deals with local gyms, social benefits, and the thrill of climbing!
We are the sole organization on campus that deals extensively with rock climbing. Among other things we hold various climbing-related classes and workshops, lead people on outdoor climbing and camping trips, and provide gear to anyone interested in climbing. Ultimately, we aim to spread interest in our growing sport; we provide a sense of community and purpose to a rapidly-growing group of like-minded individuals (membership for the team alone has steadily increased by about 10 people each year). The team also runs the rapidly-expanding rock climbing club year at UT, which meets weekly, has dozens of active members, and is open for anyone to join at no cost!
WHAT WE DO
TRC funds and hosts two local climbing competitions each year, the Longhorn Lock-Off and Texas Flexes bouldering competitions. Many members of the Austin climbing community and UT students participate, and these events serve as a great introduction to the competitive climbing scene and with a low barrier to entry- we work very hard to keep registration fees low, and anyone in the public is free to compete or watch! Furthermore, we organize and participate in a host of volunteering events every year, such as organizing cleanups of state parks in the local area. This improves the experience for all involved, not just climbers!
WHY DO WE NEED MONEY?
As we are a sport club and separate from the department of athletics, we receive limited university funding. We have thus been hard-pressed for sufficient funds just to host our competitions and events alone, even before taking into account the competitions we compete in. USA Climbing has dramatically increased its membership and competition registration fees; we are thus in dire need of additional funds. Our club membership dues and fundraising are insufficient to meet the costs of Nationals this year in Tennessee, and the costs of flights and hotel accommodations has been skyrocketing. Thus, additional funding is essential to us if we are to get everyone to nationals who is able to compete; we have many talented climbers with enormous potential to excel at nationals, and it is crucial that we overcome financial obstacles as the collegiate climbing scene has become significantly more competitive in recent years. Indeed, this year we have won every collegiate competition so far (and every overall competition winner so far has been a UT male!), and we see tremendous potential to perform well at the national level and represent UT in a positive light. Thus, any additional funds are appreciated, and Forty for Forty presents an excellent opportunity for us to acquire additional resources. Hook ‘em!
