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SPORTS

THE PIONEER LOG

SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

Climbers scale their physical and personal problems

BY CALEB DIEHL
MANAGING EDITOR

Raymond Torkelson (16) pressed his thighs and arms together at the base of a V4 dyno route inside the Circuit Bouldering Gym, coiling for a move he compares to a slam-dunk. He weighed his finesse and strength, hoping to explode and catch his fingers on the rim of two holds. Then he made the leap. Since a mentor led him into climbing four years ago, Torkelson has been returning to the Circuit almost every week to explore the gyms constantly changing routes, toting his chalk bag, loose-fitting tank top and hard-toed climbing shoes. The learning curve wasnt quite so steep, he said. Right away I could hop up on the wall. Like golf or skiing, two of Torkelsons other pursuits, bouldering addicts beginners with entry-level thrills, then presents them with an eternal path to improvement. As Torkelson progressed, the problems, routes marked with colorful tape and charted on a scale from V0 (the easiest) to V12 (death-defying), sometimes proved as stubborn as rocks.

ILLUSTRATION BY CAMILLE SHUMANN

Torkelson never walks away boasting of a flawless climb, and he hasnt ventured past a V4, but he always has more than the Circuits padded floor to catch him. Experienced climbers will sometimes see him dangling from a tough problem and lend their sharp strategists eyes and bracing voices to his thrust up the wall,

Torkelson said. He explained that the spirit of climbing is supposed to be collaborative. Some climbers, though, confront personal problems in solitude. Sealed off from the world by headphones or an iron focus they channel work and relationship issues into willpower for the ascent. Theres a certain freedom to

it, Torkelson said. People create their own routes. Soon after Torkelson landed his jump on the V4 and shifted to the next hold, his fingers slipped and he tumbled onto the padding. It didnt matter. He had finished the dunk on his home court. The Circuit runs from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. on weekdays, and from

9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on weekends. College Outdoors runs a free shuttle that students can pick up from Templeton on Mondays and Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. A day pass for students costs $10, and shoe rentals are $4. For more information, check out the Circuits webpage at http://thecircuitgym.com/.

Beyond expectations: LC staff and students promote health and fitness to children with special needs
BY LARUEN LOVATO
STAFF WRITER

While working on an independent study at Lewis & Clark during his red shirt year in 2007, Assistant Football Coach Ryan Lockard discovered a passion for working with children with special needs. He worked with children with autism and realized how they were treated unequally. Instead of running four laps around the gym like the other kids, the ones with autism would only have to do two, Lockard said. Children with autism have a difficult time comprehending some things that other children see as normalities. This is why the children with autism were only told to run two laps instead of four; if they began to sweat, they might get frustrated and not understand why. After realizing this, Lockard saw a need for change in the way fitness was taught to children with special needs. The lower fitness expectations for children with autism are what ultimately motivated him to start Specialty Athletic Training. I want to be able to provide a fun, positive environment for individuals with special needs to develop a healthy lifestyle, Lockard said. With this as his mission, he creates personalized workouts for each of his clients in accordance to their age. Every workout is meant to be fun and positive to

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SPECIALTY ATHLETIC TRAINING FACEBOOK PAGE

Led by Ryan Lockard (not pictured), LC student-athlete interns provide fun workouts for children with special needs. build each clients self esteem and encourage them to stay healthy and fit on their own. When asked what his favorite part of working with his clients was, he said, Every kid I work with is so unique and different. Each kid being so different is what makes each hour tons of fun. Being able to run the program on the LC campus is another one of his favorite aspects of the program. Being able to work at LC gives back to the students here and really builds the community, he added. Specialty Athletic Training also gives back by providing internships for student-athletes on campus. Cassie Beucherie (14) and Lincoln Boyd (15) are just two of the many student-athletes who work with Lockard to change the ways these kids look at fitness. makes it all the better, she said. With fitness and athletics also a big part of his life, Boyd said that this was something Im not used to doing or ever considered before. I might as well go out and help someone else. The program being on campus also makes it convenient for the student interns, as they do not have to go very far to get real-world work experience. Learning what autism is, and about different learning abilities is one of the things that Beucherie enjoys most. Its amazing to think that people with autism can go beyond high school. Boyd sees this internship as a major character builder. Boyds favorite part about working with the program is that Ryan exhibits the kids talents during the workouts. Because the program takes place on the LC campus, more student-athletes have become involved. There is a natural interest from LC students, said Lockard, and the LC community acts kindly toward the kids in the program. With a simple hello and a smile, students on campus make all the clients feel welcomed and comfortable with being themselves. According to Lockard, The campus has a great atmosphere.

Every kid I work with is so unique and different, [which] is what makes each hour tons of fun.
Beucherie believes that working with people that have different needs is vitally important. Being a student-athlete also helps her relate to the clients much more. I like to have fun with kids, and doing something Im familiar with

Interning for Specialty Athletic Training is available for all LC students. For more information visit www.specialtyathletictraining. com or contact head trainer, Ryan Lockard at Ryan@specialtyathletictraining.com.