Month: December 2012

Star Power

LeBron James rides his bike to work.  Why can’t you?  http://streetsblog.net/2012/12/20/lebron-james-bike-commuter/

I know a lot of rock stars who commute year-round, and for fear of forgetting someone I won’t mention them by name.  You probably know at least one of them, but might not realize it–because it’s not just those weird people who ride, it’s some of the people you see every day.

Sometimes, however, you need a little bigger push.  A decade ago, Lance Armstrong got people out on road rides again, but he turned out to be a bigger celebrity than most (and cyclists are still waiting for the full backlash of his doping scandal).  Some of the famous people you watch or listen to enjoy the heck out of cycling [fill in links]—

“But,” you interrupt to say, “they’re famous and can make their own schedules.  I have a real job and kids, and don’t forget that I live in Grand Forks!”

This is true.  Maybe we need someone with a little less star power to rely on for inspiration.  Someone who also has a job, who may have kids, and who makes bicycle commuting look easy.  Famous, yes, but locally so.  Most importantly, we don’t need another advocate (like myself) who is defined by the fact that they commute by bicycle.

The world is looking for everyday people who can be looked up to, without asking for anything in return.  It could be you they are looking for.

Uniting the Climbing Community

Attention climbing gym managers!  Let’s collaborate and schedule next year.  I’d like to see two regional series, one each in the spring and the fall.  This doesn’t have to be formal, but the fewer date conflicts there are, the more climbing everyone gets to do.

This plan is focused on the North Dakota-South Dakota-Minnesota-Manitoba region, but obviously if there are competitions that are outside the edges of this region that will pull climbers away, we need to take that into account as well.

What you need to do:
1.  Look over this list.  If you see a comp I missed, mention it in the comments (and provide a link if you know it).
2.  Grab a weekend in the comments.  Make sure to include your email address so we can all contact each other.  If there is another kind of event near you that might draw away your climbers, keep that in mind.
3.  Comment about what you think will work and won’t.
3.  Send other managers to this page to do the same thing.

Obviously, none of this is binding, but again it seems silly to have comps within weekend travel distance that fall on the same day.  I’m posting this to get the momentum going before next year rolls around, but if someone wants to jump in and be “in charge,” feel free.  I’ll keep this page updated as I find out more, or you can check the official list of future comps here at NPA.

– Matt

Comps that happened in 2012:
February 11 – SDSU (Brookings) (toprope)
February 17-19 – Festiglace (Winnipeg) (ice)
April 14 – NHRG (Grand Forks) (toprope)
April 21 – Vertical Endeavors (Minneapolis) (toprope)
April 28 – UND (Grand Forks) (toprope)

October 20 – NDSU (Fargo) (toprope)
October 20 – Boulders (Madison) (boulder)
October 27 – Vertical Endeavors (St. Paul) (boulder)
November 10 – NHRG (Grand Forks) (toprope)
November 10 – Vertical Adventures (Winnipeg) (toprope)
November 10 – MN Climbing Coop (Minneapolis) (boulder)

Comps scheduled for 2013 (when other things are happening):
Jan 5 Sat
Jan 12 Sat
Jan 19 Sat
Jan 26 Sat
Feb 2 Sat
Feb 9 Sat
Feb 16 Sat – Vertical Endeavors Passion for Flashin’ (St. Paul) #toprope
– Festiglace (Winnipeg) #ice
Feb 23 Sat
Mar 2 Sat
Mar 9 Sat
Mar 16 Sat
Mar 23 Sat – SDSU Spring Cling (Brookings) #toprope #boulder
Mar 30 Sat
Apr 6 Sat –
Apr 13 Sat – NHRG Escape the Horizontal XIII (Grand Forks) #toprope
– Vertical Adventures Brass Monkey (Winnipeg) #boulder
Apr 20 Sat – Vertical Endeavors Spring SCS Comp (Minneapolis) #toprope (comment)
– NDSU Rocky Balboulder (Fargo) #boulder (email 2012-12-12)
– UND Dirty 30 (Grand Forks) #boulder
Apr 21 Sun – UMD’s 22nd annual Concrete Smorgasbord (Duluth) #toprope (comment)
Apr 27 Sat – Boulders (Madison) #boulder
May 4 Sat
May 11 Sat
May 18 Sat
May 25 Sat
Jun 1 Sat
Jun 8 Sat
Jun 15 Sat
Jun 22 Sat
Jun 23 Sun
Jun 29 Sat
Jul 6 Sat
Jul 13 Sat
Jul 20 Sat
Jul 27 Sat
Aug 3 Sat
Aug 10 Sat
Aug 17 Sat
Aug 24 Sat
Aug 31 Sat
Sep 7 Sat
Sep 14 Sat
Sep 21 Sat
Sep 28 Sat
Oct 5 Sat
Oct 12 Sat
Oct 19 Sat
Oct 26 Sat
Nov 2 Sat
Nov 9 Sat
Nov 16 Sat
Nov 23 Sat
Nov 30 Sat
Dec 7 Sat
Dec 14 Sat
Dec 21 Sat
Dec 28 Sat