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| Knut Rokne |
There is a radiant belly laugh that echoes between the walls of the Calgary Climbing Center . Wondering who this conspicuous noise is coming from? If you poke your head around the corner you will see a man decked out in a flamboyant suit, usually pink or purple, sipping Tim Hortons coffee. In the blink of an eye his teasing grin melts into seriousness and it is time to get to work. His name is Knut Rokne and he is the head coach of the Calgary Climbing Center's junior programs.
Last weekend, from the opposite end of the climbing hall in Vienna, I heard that same radiant and outrageous laugh. I chuckled to myself because, for the first time in a long time, it felt like home. Knut’s presence as a coach never fades, even outside of coaching hours... hell, even at a climbing gym on another continent! People perform their best in front of him... always. Even after working as his assistant coach for 3 years on C-Team, I still smarten up my attempts when I know he is within sight.
So... when I stepped on to the steep problem at Boulderbar last weekend in the presence of Knut, I felt something I have never felt here in Vienna. Pressure to climb ‘well’. Knut does not tolerate sloppy climbing. I’ve seen him rip kids off the wall mid-climb for messy footwork, for not engaging their core and for failure to generate momentum from the hips. Knut is ruthless when it comes to form and for the first time ever at Boulder Bar, I was actually nervous to step foot on the wall. I knew someone would be closely watching my climbing.
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| Vikki, Knut & Jelisa at 2007 Youth Lead Champs, Ecuador |
You have to know, the setting here at Boulderbar has a distinct powerful style. The head setter is so strong that he can forerun nearly everything in his runners and can campus up to 7c! His immense strength casts a shadow which many local climbers try to live up to... and many of them do! Different styles, different setters and different gyms present different challenges. As a result of this, here at Boulder bar when your foot pops off and you manage stay on the wall, it is regarded as ‘cool’ and not necessarily ‘sloppy or disengaged’. I think this is a great mentality for training power, but with Knut the technician lurking in the gym I could feel the focus of my attempts shift toward climbing in good form, rather than burling my way through the powerful moves ahead of me.
I stepped on the wall, drove my left knee down into a high-tension drop knee and attempted to stick the steep cross move to the pinch. ‘POP’ went my foot and I was quick to peel off the holds. I whipped my head around and there was the smile. The ‘ I know exactly what you did wrong but I really enjoyed watching your efforts, lets face it... we both know you could do better and here’s how’ grin. God I missed that grin. GOD I miss being coached.
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| Athlete Kelly Drager and Coach Bonar McCallum at the Hive |
We chatted. He coached, I listened. Which got me thinking; There are few people in the climbing scene that can accurately and utterly dismantle movement. Knut Rokne, Bonar McCallum and Sam Tucker are some of Calgary’s best at deciphering movement. In my 15 years of climbing I have had the pleasure to learn from all three of these talented coaches. Every time you step off the wall there is a correction that can be made. Everything you do always has room for improvement. There is no such thing a perfection, only striving for it.
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| Sam Tucker pulling hard at TDB finals, CCC |
It wasn’t until Knut started picking apart the movements of surrounding climbers that I realized how far I had drifted away from this study. “He should be using a toe” Knut murmured under his breath only moments before climber ‘x’ flung off the wall. A coach uncovers the tools you need to succeed. I can’t count how many times Bonar has made me retry moves over and over again with slight alterations until everything aligns for the stick. To me, the ability to understand movement so completely is the difference between a good coach and a great coach. A good climber and a great climber.
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| Coaching C-Team at 2010 Youth Nartionals, Quebec |
There are no junior programs and no adult programs at the gym where I currently climb. There are no coaches amidst boulder sessions or juniors stiffening up in wiser climbers’ presence. There are no ‘I know exactly what you did wrong but I really enjoyed watching your efforts, lets face it... we both know you could do better and here’s how’ grins. In the midst of reminiscing I realized something; The sense of community at the Calgary Climbing Center is astonishing. We have approximately 16-20 practicing coaches and plenty of retired coaches. On top of that there are loads of experienced climbers like Simon Villeneuve and Etienne Poirier that can rip your form and technique to shreds. In fact, last summer, Etienne played a
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| Little Jelisa climbing at the CCC on the beloved A frame! |
tremendous role in my psychological and power training while I was preparing to compete in the 2013 Munich Boulder World Cup Championships.
Sometimes it takes traveling far away to realize really how good you have it at home. I have visited plenty of gyms throughout my travels and I do not say it lightly that, the CCC has some of the best youth and adult programs I have ever seen. Period. In what other gym could I be a sponsored athlete with free coaching and access to physiotherapy, chiropractic and dieticians? In what other world could I walk in for a boulder sesh and have former juniors come up to me and criticize my form? Holy S*** have I ever taken this for granted. The Calgary Climbing Center has an extraordinary community and amazing resources to improve your climbing. If you aren't already, get involved in your gyms community! Help it grow. I know I will be investing efforts over here at Boulderbar to help grow and develop this young gym. There are several strong gym communities across Canada, so make sure you don’t take yours for granted!
Also, a big shout out to everyone that bothers to read my blog :) I really appreciate you taking the time to read my thoughts, experiences and adventures! And of course, thanks to my sponsors for supporting me so much with my climbing dreams:
Evolv
Calgary Climbing Center
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