News
2024-2025 season schedule is published
We are excited to let you know that we have finalized the competition schedule for next season. The competition committee worked together with input from coaches and the Board to design the schedule that we feel will give our athletes the best season possible. You can view the 2024-2025 ACA Competition Schedule here.
After a very successful pilot project of adding a "Tier 2" competition for Youth B and A athletes to the Youth C and D competitions last season, we have decided to include that into the 2024-2025 schedule. We are working on the details of who will qualify for the Tier 2 events and how you can progress to the Tier 1 events. Once the specifics are finalized we will let our membership know.
You will note on the schedule that the format for each competition has been decided already as well. We are adding some new formats to a few competitions, in efforts to allow our younger athletes more time on the wall during ropes competitions to help give them more experience.
I would like to remind everyone that the ACA Board has approved an age category shift starting in the 2024-2025 season. This is in keeping with the CEC and the IFSC new guidelines. This shift essentially means all athletes will be repeating the same category they were in last season, giving everyone a 3rd year in that category.
We are continuing to work on finer details of the schedule, which will be shared with the membership once decided upon. Event pages for each competition will be added to the website later. In the meantime, we wanted to get the schedule out to you now so you can see what's to come for next season.
If you have any questions relating to the schedule, formats, age categories, etc, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.
We are looking forward to another successful, fun, and exciting competition season!
Jacquelyn Mitchell
ACA Team Manager
Open Bouldering Local - Aug 17 @ Grip it Saskatoon
The ACA senior season kicks off in Saskatchewan with a bouldering local. The open category includes Senior, Junior, and Youth A categories.
Senior Athletes can purchase a single event ACA membership for $15.75 (including GST). Youth athletes (Jr, A) can purchase a 2024/2025 seasonal membership for $90 (including GST).
Check out the event page for details. Register at member.albertaclimbing.org
2024 AGM Documentation
The ACA hosted the 2024 Annual General Meeting on Thursday June 27th 2024. The 2023 minutes, 2024 minutes, and 2024 amended bylaws have been posted on Google Drive.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the outgoing board members for their years of selfless dedication to the Alberta Climbing Association: Adam Villard, Rob Skrypnek, Shayne Trottier, and Sylvain Vanier.
Three new members were elected to join the ACA board: Jacquelyn Mitchell, Jeremy Fidelack, and Paul Tourigny. Jacquelyn and Jeremy are familiar faces, serving as the ACA team manager and communication manager. Paul joins with extensive experience as a board member from several community organizations. Joseph Lee Son was elected to the board as the Treasurer late into the previous season, and returns this season.
Also returning to serve on the board this season: Mark Kozak (President), Grace Bowles (athlete rep), Mark Derksen (athlete rep), Werner Lau, Nicole Poirier, and Paige Boklaschuk (performance chair).
The ACA approved new bylaw amendments for the 2024 season, which can be found in the Google Drive.
We have a lot of ambitious plans for the 2024/2025 season, and look forward to sharing details with you over the summer.
Thank you Sylvain
As we recap the 2023/2024 ACA season, we want to take a moment to acknowledge that so much of what makes the ACA great is due to the work of Sylvain Vanier. He has spent thousands of hours to advance the sport and help the athletes in every way possible. As the outgoing technical chair, Sylvain spent the past season mentoring the newest generation of ACA organizers. We are all going to miss Sylvain at the planning tables and competitions. Thank you from the entire climbing community.
Sylvain wanted to share this with the everyone:
First off, congratulations to ALL our Alberta athletes for going to Nationals and representing us with great sportsmanship, poise and excellence. You’ve done us proud!
To ALL my friends and fellow ACA members, a massive thank you for volunteering during both events. Alberta, once again, saved the day in a huge way! I’m very proud of the community and culture we have created over the years. The “I’m here to help and put me to work “ attitude and commitment leaves me with a great sense of satisfaction and emotion as I bow to my last year within the ACA.
I am extremely proud of the legacy we have created and fostered! Please keep it up and carry on the fantastic example we have demonstrated over the years to other parents and PTSO. Spread the word and the invaluable culture we have!
You have shown exemplary attitude and our athletes are better from it as they are growing within the sport. Lead by example! Your children will thank you for it laterThey will, in turn, be an outstanding role model for the younger ones!
Again, massive thank you for getting it done! You know who you are
Big hugs from your retiring Technical Chair. I’ll be lurking at some competition at some point so YOU can “put me to work”
Proud of you all as I write this with emotions!
Love you all!
Reminder: AGM on Thursday June 27
The Alberta Climbing Association board has scheduled the 2024 Annual General Meeting. All athletes, parents, coaches, gyms, and members of the ACA community are encouraged to attend. The meeting will be held virtually, on Google Meet, on Thursday June 27th at 7:00pm MST.
Join the meeting here.
Meeting Details
ACA Annual General Meeting
Thursday, June 27 · 7:00 – 9:00pm
Time zone: America/Edmonton
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/sks-zhsi-age
Or dial: (CA) +1 437-781-4585 PIN: 805 344 575 3207#
More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/sks-zhsi-age?pin=8053445753207
Thank you - Top Rope Provincials
We were finally able to showcase our C & D athletes at our provincial top rope competition over the weekend! This event was split out and moved from the UofA to Bolder Elevated in Calgary.
The ACA wants to extend our sincere appreciation to Josh, Regan, Sebastian, and everyone from Bolder Elevated that helped host this event. Alberta’s newest climbing gym is proving to be a favorite among athletes and coaches. Bolder stepped up HUGE and gave our athletes an exceptional championship competition.
Thank you to Matty, Pedro, Zach, and Josh for creating an amazing set for our athletes. Nothing but praise for the creative and challenging problems.
Thank you to all of the volunteers that helped us. We can’t run these competitions without you. We have the most engaged volunteer group in all of Canada, and it shows on the floor of every competition we host. Special thanks to Starr Tze, Nolan Archer, and Daniel Komori who stepped up as officials for this competition.
Last but certainly not least, thank you to the athletes and their coaches for putting your season’s worth of hard training on the line! You’ve all worked so hard and it showed. Some of you exceeded your expectations; some of you hoped to do better. No matter what the results show, know that you tried your best and should be as proud as we are of you!
Don’t forget that the event was live-streamed and stored on the ACA Youtube channel.
Enjoy the off-season.
Volunteer spots still available: top rope provincials
We're excited for the top rope provincials for our youngest athletes tomorrow! We're still short of volunteers, and are reaching to ask for your help to fill up the slots. We can't run these events without volunteer help, and appreciate everyone who is able to chip in.
Rest assured that you will be fully supported by the event officials in your role. Plus you get the best seats in the house!
ACA Annual General Meeting scheduled
The Alberta Climbing Association board has scheduled the 2024 Annual General Meeting. All athletes, parents, coaches, gyms, and members of the ACA community are encouraged to attend. The meeting will be held virtually, on Google Meet, on Thursday June 27th at 7:00pm MST.
Join the meeting here.
Meeting details
ACA Annual General Meeting
Thursday, June 27 · 7:00 – 9:00pm
Time zone: America/Edmonton
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/sks-zhsi-age
Or dial: (CA) +1 437-781-4585 PIN: 805 344 575 3207#
More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/sks-zhsi-age?pin=8053445753207
Event updates: 2024 Provincial Top Rope
We’re excited about the last comp of the year, our 2024 Provincial Top Rope championship! Check out the event page for details as we continue to finalize plans. Changes are highlighted at the top of the page.
The schedule has been changed (earlier start). Please keep an eye on the event page.
Thank you to everyone that signed up to volunteer! We have some open slots, including a really cool position to help with the Livestream. There are some great opportunities for youth B, A, and Jr athletes to help. Sign up to help here if you are able to.
The start lists have been published. We’re not using Vertical Life, so take some time to review the excel file. Results will be posted on the event page as well. The qualifier round has 3 problems for each category.
Don’t forget to share the link to our Youtube channel with friends and family to watch the Livestream.
Qualifier route videos will be posted on Friday evening on the event page.
Athletes / Parents / Coaches will be receiving an email containing competition details this week.
Registration closes soon: C&D Top Rope Provincials
Registration for the C&D Top Rope Provincials closes on Saturday May 25th. Don’t be late, register here today. We are also looking for more volunteers, so feel free to sign up and help our youngest athletes have the best competition possible. We are looking for top rope belayers and some other positions. You will be fully supported by experienced officials during the competition.
The event will be live streamed on our YouTube channel, so feel free to share that with friends and family.
Check out the event page for details as they become available.
Volunteers needed: 2024 Top Rope Provincials
The 2024 Top Rope Provincials are being planned for June 8th at Bolder Elevated in Calgary, and our C & D athletes need your help! We’ll need judges, top rope belayers, scorekeepers, athlete coordinators, and more. Sign up here if you are able to help. You will be fully supported by our team of experienced officials.
ACA athletes in our B, A, and Jr categories are encouraged to sign up to help our youngest athletes if possible. It’s a great opportunity to help the climbing community.
Check out the event page for details as the planning takes shape.
C&D top rope Provincials rescheduled
The ACA has been hard at work to reschedule the C&D category provincial top rope competition. It was unfortunate to remove those categories from the competition at the UofA. It is important that we provide the opportunity for all our athletes to complete their season.
The C&D’s will have a standalone provincial championship at Bolder Elevated in Calgary on Saturday, June 8th 2024. We have re-opened the registration, which closes at 11:59pm on June 1st. We are grateful to Josh, Regan, and Sebastian at Bolder for hosting on short notice.
We also acknowledge that the change in location and chosen date may not work for every athlete or their family. Please accept our apologies and understand the complexities involved with the planning for this competition.
We will be creating a new event page on our website for the competition, and sharing more details as planning takes shape.
Last weekend, we live streamed the entire event from the UofA to YouTube. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. We intend to provide a similar live streaming experience for our C&D competition as well, with multiple camera angles, athlete features, and commentary. Spectators are welcome and encouraged to watch in person as well.
Thank you from the ACA: Jr, A, B, lead provincials
The 2024 ACA lead provincial championship is in the books, and we couldn’t be more proud of the performances by our athletes this season.
Thank you to the staff at the Wilson Climbing Centre at the UofA in Edmonton. We had a lot of challenges to work through in planning this competition, and are thankful for your help to accommodate.
Thank you to the dozens of volunteers that helped before, during, and after the competition. We had a lot of athlete movement coordination this time, which is especially challenging.
Thank you to Hayden and the rest of the route setting crew. The problems were challenging, and showcased the athlete talent at every level.
And last but not least, thank you to the athletes and their coaches. Your hard work throughout the season was on full display this weekend. We saw a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. Some of you did better than you hoped, and some felt you could have done better. Just remember that a single competition doesn’t fully capture a season’s worth of work. We are all incredibly proud at how much you have developed this season, and hope you share in that pride. For those moving onto CEC Nationals in Quebec, we wish you good luck representing the ACA! And we look forward to seeing most of you again next season.
We also want to thank our extended community for their patience and understanding as we worked through scheduling and format challenges at this competition. We had to compromise on a few things, such as moving C&D categories, not allowing spectators and eliminating the semifinal round. We also tried to compensate by Live Streaming the event on Youtube. In the end, rest assured that we will always put the athlete experience first.
Sunday Provincials: Enter through the Wilson Climbing Centre
The checkin process for both rounds on Sunday (B Female Qualifier, Finals) will be to check in directly at the Wilson Climbing Centre. The Saturday groups checked in at a separate entrance of the Van Vliet Centre.
Live streaming Lead Provincials on Youtube
We’re planning to live stream the 2024 ACA Lead Provincials on the ACA YouTube channel. It’s a difficult task to pull together, but we’re committed to sharing our athlete’s hard work. Tune in on Saturday morning to see the action.
Lots of updates for Lead Provincials: Check the website
We’ve been furiously planning for the lead provincial competition at the UofA Wilson Climbing Centre this weekend. Check out the event page for up to date information. With reduced capacity restrictions in place, this event will be quite different for everyone involved.
We have posted the tentative schedule. There are quick turnaround times, so pay attention to your group. The B Female group qualifiers are on Sunday morning.
We have opened up volunteer registration. There are some positions on the field of play, and some that are helping within the Van Vliet Complex.
And finally, we have been working really hard to get a live streaming solution in place on short notice. We intend to stream the entire event, and will have every athlete featured. We will live stream to Youtube, and there will be a viewing area in the Van Vliet Complex as well.
C&D categories removed from 2024-MAY-04/05 Rope Provincials
Athletes, Parents, Coaches,
The ACA board has made the difficult decision to remove the C & D categories from the upcoming Provincial Lead competition in Edmonton on May 4th & 5th 2024. The competition will proceed at the UofA Wilson Climbing Centre as scheduled for the Jr, A, and B categories. We understand that this decision will cause significant disruption for several of our members. The decision was not made lightly. The board will be looking into planning a standalone provincial competition for the C & D categories sometime after nationals.
The challenge
The board was recently informed that the capacity limit for the Wilson Climbing Centre at the UofA would be reduced to a total of 70 people in the building at any given time. This is a 50% reduction from the 140 person limit that was in place last season. We had already been planning measures to accommodate for the restrictions, including: no spectators, remote viewing, and using athlete staging areas.
Our partners at the University of Alberta and the Wilson Climbing Centre have proposed the use of areas throughout the Van Vliet athletic complex to help offload capacity from the Wilson Climbing Centre. After careful review, the ACA board decided that this proposal would significantly impede and reduce athletes’ proper preparation (physically and mentally) for the qualifier round.
The solution
In order to accommodate the number of athletes, officials, judges, belayers, coaches, coordinators, scorekeepers, setters, and UofA staff, we can only have 2 qualifier routes running at a time. We're still finalizing the specific schedule, but we will run 1 category at a time (Jr Female, Junior Male, A Female, A Male, B Female, B Male).
There will be no semifinal round. The top 8 athletes from qualifiers will compete in a finals round (1 route, isolation).
Athletes will be able to warm up and prepare in the Wilson Climbing Centre before their start times. They will be asked to leave when their 2nd route is completed, in order to allow the next category to begin preparations.
There will be no spectators allowed in the Wilson Climbing Centre. We have a remote viewing solution in place; spectators can view our camera feeds from another room in the Van Vliet complex.
Decision considerations
The board considered moving the competition to another venue. The logistics for another gym to host on short notice were found to be untenable on such short notice. The board also considered travel commitments, setter travel plans, and sunk costs from the University of Alberta.
The board considered scenarios that would include C & D athletes. These scenarios would have compromised the competition format for all athletes. The board agreed to uphold the integrity of the competition format as a priority.
Jr, A, and B athletes have a chance to qualify for nationals through the provincial lead competition. The board agreed that preparing Jr, A and B athletes for nationals later in May was a priority.
The board will endeavour to schedule a provincial top-rope competition for the C & D athletes for the 2023/2024 season. The board acknowledges the importance for our C & D athletes to complete their season properly.
FAQs
What about the registrations for C & D athletes?
We plan to keep the registrations in place for the replacement provincial competition. The ACA incurs processing fees for both purchases and refunds; it is very expensive to refund all transactions and then process those same purchases later.
However, all requests for refund will be processed unconditionally. Contact jeremyfidelack@albertaclimbing.org
Where and when would the replacement provincial competition for C & D athletes occur?
There are no details for this. The competition would be sometime after nationals.
Where are the detailed schedule, volunteer sign-up, remote viewing details, etc for the May 4th & 5th competition?
We'll be spending a lot of time finalizing the details and sharing on our website this week.
What is the ACA doing to prevent this scenario from happening again?
The ACA board has a competition committee in place this year. There are a number of proposals for the 2024/2025 season that are being prepared to address this type of scenario.
Thank you for your patience and understanding. The ACA board is entirely volunteer run, and spends countless hours working to provide the best competition experience possible for our athletes. Feel free to reach out to us with questions or comments.
Regards,
Registration closing soon: ACA rope provincials
ACA rope Provincials are right around the corner, and that means the registration is closing on Saturday April 27th. Don’t miss out, register today.
Volunteers needed: ACA nationals training camp
The ACA is hosting a training camp for athletes that have been invited to nationals, and we’re looking for volunteers to help. Contact paigeboklaschuk@albertaclimbing.org if you’re interested in any of the following positions:
1 Jury President
1 Head Judge
2 Scorekeepers
12 Judges
Also, don’t forget to register if you haven’t already done that. Today is the last day!
Volunteers needed! CEC Youth Regionals
We’re excited to be hosting the CEC West Regionals in Alberta. We’re still short of volunteers, especially judges. Athletes from western Canada are travelling to Calgary to compete, and we're hoping to give them their best competition environment.
Whether you have volunteered at an ACA event or not, your help will be very much appreciated. Alberta is represented by the largest group of athletes in the country at regionals. Let’s show the country how strong our climbing community is! You can sign up here; be sure to sign up for the west regionals. Volunteers get free food during their shift, a T Shirt, and a free day pass for every shift they work!
