Young climbers ‘rock it’ in trip out west

If you asked Kolbi and Jack Lackey of Kenosha about their summer, the siblings might tell you that they rocked.

The pair, ages 16 and 12, respectively, put their rock-climbing skills to the test out west.

They pair spent a week at a few well-known and challenging rock-climbing routes in Red Rock Canyon in Nevada and St. George and Zion National Park in Utah Aug. 12-18. Accompanying them was their instructor at the Kenosha YMCA, Kaz Milas, and their mother Barb Lackey.

“We were there for the real deal. Everyone knew when we were down there we would be pushing our bodies,” said Milas, who has been training both siblings since they were in elementary school. “This trip was pretty much training and recreation.”

The climbs were as high as 65 to 140 feet off the ground and varied in difficulty.

Kolbi, a student at LakeView Technology Academy, has been climbing since she was 8, while Jack, who attends Mahone Middle School, took up the sport about five years ago.

Both are competitive climbers. Kolbi recently placed second in the Five Ten Core Award competition that supports youth climbers. She is also attempting to compete in the nationals and make the national team this year.

The two young climbers said they were awed by the natural beauty surrounding them, but the difficulty of the climbs helped them stay focused.
Mental, physical challenge

Kolbi, who performed “lead climbing,” going up the wall first and placing the protective devices into the rock to scale the formation, said the challenge is as much mental as it is physical.

The most challenging was Red Rock because of its surface. On one climb, at Red Rock, the surface was somewhat compact, but the footholds were tricky, she said. While secured, she still took took a 12-foot “fall,” something that has happened just one other time since she began lead climbing in May.

“It’s mostly trusting my belaying and hoping nothing goes wrong,” she said. “Hopefully when you’re up there it’s not the wrong time when you’re trying to put the rope in while your on the rock.”

Last fall, according to Milas, Kolbi also fell during indoor training in Milwaukee. The fall resulted in a compression of her spine that side-lined her until earlier this year. She has since made a recovery and considers the sport empowering.

“It really helps with school work, but I’m pretty much like that already — focused,” she said.

“You have to (be focused),” said Jack. “I just don’t think about anything else. Sometimes I really don’t get over and I just fall down because I can’t figure out what to do. And then, I figure out what to do.”
A natural

Milas said Kolbi, even when she was younger, was a natural when it came to the sport. Eight years ago when she started climbing in third grade, she and her mother went to the YMCA and were intrigued with the climbing wall. Kolbi was hooked. Jack followed in his sister’s footsteps a few years later.

“What Kolbi does, it looks like she’s dancing on the wall. It looks so natural and beautiful,” said Kaz.
Bouldering

Jack said while he enjoys top rope climbing, his style is more conducive to “bouldering,” a type of climbing that is closer to the ground and uses pads to break the fall instead of ropes.

“Bouldering, there’s more power moves — that’s Jack’s style,” said Milas. “I’d say the difference between what Kolbi does and what he does is it’s marathon vs. a sprint.”
Supportive sport

Milas, who has also been a cyclist — a sport where athletes are known to be “cutthroat” — said rock climbing is a sport in which all competitors have a common goal. Those who have competed and fallen short of their goal often want to see others succeed where they haven’t. It’s not uncommon at all to see rock climbers cheering on their competitors or rivals in a contest, Milas said.

“Even if they don’t make it, they want to see you do well (if you’re up there) because you’re up against something they couldn’t do and that’s going up against nature,” he said.