LEXINGTON, Va. Dec. 9, 2024 — All it took was the promise of extra credit for Owen Clarke ’25 to start climbing. He had to hit a certain route to gain 10 extra points on his final exam, according to Department of History assistant professor Maj. Christopher Blunda. Blunda also happens to be the assistant coach for Virginia Military Institute’s Rock Climbing Club.  

Clarke is the cadet in charge for the club. He always had some interest in climbing, but didn’t start taking it seriously until last January.  

“I had kind of dabbled in it,” he admitted. 

The club, which has about 15 cadets on the roster, practices three times a week. They also make excursions to cliffs and bouldering opportunities in the surrounding areas on the weekends. Most recently, the club took a trip to McAfee Knob outside of Roanoke to boulder.  

Zeb Barrett ’26 joined the club because he’d always enjoyed climbing things as a kid. With the giant rock wall at VMI’s Corps Physical Training Facility, he saw an opportunity to grow his skills.  

“I never really had the time to dedicate myself to rock climbing,” he explained. "Since I came to VMI, there's a rock wall right there. I was like, I might get into this and see what's up. And I really enjoyed it.” 

For Connor Bott ’26, he had gone to a summer camp in high school where he discovered a passion for rock climbing. 

“I didn't really have a chance to do it since then, until I got to VMI, just because I live on the Eastern Shore. The nearest cliff is here. Once I got here, though, I started in the club, and that was a lot of fun,” he said. 

They have about seven competitive climbers on the roster, the rest are in varying skill levels — but it’s all about the confidence you have in your body and strength. 

"Rock climbing, when you begin, is not really an intuitive movement. You don't move in a way that you're used to moving,” Clarke stated. “You kind of have to learn over time how to move up routes and change your body in ways you’d normally not think about.” 

The club isn’t just specifically rock climbing (or top rope), they also do bouldering is done at lower heights and doesn’t require ropes or harnesses. Both Clarke and Bott prefer bouldering to rock climbing.  

“I think it's more technique based,” Clarke said. “Bouldering is more interesting to me. It's more of a puzzle."

The club competes in what are called red point competitions, which consist of each climber getting a certain number of routes in varying difficulty and two hours to complete the route in one go. Scores are based on how many times you are able to complete the route in one go, which is called a flash.  

“Top rope changes in length, so it's a lot longer and more endurance based,” Barrett said. “Since it's so long, you can't have intense movements along the whole route, so it's a lot easier on strength movements. Bouldering is a lot shorter, so it's more intensive for a short amount of time. I prefer bouldering because I have more strength than endurance.” 

Bott is the opposite; he enjoys top rope to bouldering. He says it acts as a good way to break away from his academic schedule and have a release, which is something Clarke echoed. 

“My favorite thing about the club is it's an escape for me. When I'm climbing, I just have to worry about the problem in front of me,” Clarke continued. “I’ve got to think about the way in which I'm going to try to go up the wall. I don’t have to worry about a million other things happening here [at VMI].” 

It also requires a lot of strength you wouldn’t even consider, according to Clarke. 

“It’s a lot of weird joint stability, putting your joints in a position that they're not used to being in,” he said. "Rock climbing is more like calisthenics, where you're putting the joints in your body in unstable positions and forcing them to adapt.” 

Although they do compete, it’s more of a community-based sport. Everyone wants each other to succeed, Clarke said. 

“Everyone loves watching someone get better in their climbs,” Bott said.  

“It's not a team sport, but there is definitely a community, and people cheer each other on,” Barrett added. “If I see a person struggling, I ask if they need help, then help them as much as possible.” 

For Barrett, the club serves as a place for fun and enjoying something he’s passionate about. 

“Everybody has a passion ... it's my passion. I just love it. That's why I think it's important. Everybody has to love something. This is something I love,” Barrett said.  

Laura Peters Shapiro
Communications & Marketing
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE