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'Ain't No Mounta for this Rock
Junior Tommy Lutz experiences as a com BY CONOR While many Cub athletes are focusing on sports like basketball, football or track, junior Tommy Lutz is using his athletic talents to excel in a different sport—rock climbing. Lutz, who is also a member of Loyola’s volleyball team, began rock climbing six years ago at the age of 11. He was i n spired to start the sport during a summer at Smith Rock near Sunriver, Oregon. “There was a really famous area really close to my house in Oregon, and I saw it one day as I drove by it and thought it would be cool, so I went with a guide one day, and the guide told me I was pretty good at it.” Since his first climb, Lutz has embraced the sport by climbing regularly for enjoyment, and he has competed in tournaments. Lutz has climbed peaks in various states throughout the country, such as Colorado, where he climbed in inclement weather, Texas and Arizona. Moreover, he has climbed in Spain at the famous Montserrat Peak, a mountain notorious for its harsh terrain and high level of difficulty. According to Lutz, “It is a conglomerate rock where there are pebbles sticking out
of it; it was tough.” Lutz climbs using a variety of styles. He using the technique of lead climbing, which rope into a safety apparatus as he progresses tain. Even though Lutz is secured to a rope a numerous falls while lead climbing because o the sport. “I’ve taken, like, 30-foot falls on a r to it. It’s just intimidating at first.” Lead climbing is broken into two catego al. Sport climbing is less tiring because the climbing gear are already secured to the mou In contrast, traditional lead climbing is a tirin task because of the small grips, or “holds,” th he finds cracks on the mountain to place harder it gets, the smaller the holds are and are just sharper, and you cannot use gloves -are really small, and you won’t be able to h said. The highest peak Lutz has climbed while He achieved this feat two years ago with the he is capable of doing it again without a guid can manage his own rigging, so he often clim In addition to lead climbing, Lutz has cl use of safety equipment, a technique referre said he has bouldered numerous times, an has climbed without any safety equipment is inherent risk of climbing without a rope, Lut knows he can climb without falling; however climbed in the past have had very poor grips One of Lutz’s most memorable boulder year in the town of Bishop, California, a c exceptional natural landscapes that facilitate a really steep boulder, and it is all really smal you have to jump to the lip of the boulder, a are really high off the ground, and you are jum said. “I landed it, and I was really stoked.” Lutz said he enjoys bouldering because of he must maintain throughout the climb. “ good mental exercise because you climb som you are capable of doing, but you have to be posed. It’s pretty mentally freeing; you have In addition to climbing for pleasure, Lutz i ber of a rock climbing team known as the M riors. The West Los Angeles-based team pra week and competes in tournaments throug geles County. Currently, Lutz is not competi past he has experienced success at competiti secured second place at regional finals in Ar ary 2012. All of Lutz’s success, moreover, comes wi ing and practice. For rock climbing the be is climbing itself, according to Lutz. Lutz sa much as he can, frequenting the Malibu Stat
Climbers coat their hands in chalk to improve their gr rock and eliminate any moisture and sweat.