Climbers hit the wall at annual Community Center climbing competition

COMMUNITY NEWS

By Randy B. Young
Correspondent

The year Chapel Hill Park and Recreation introduced the Webster’s Rock the Hill climbing competition at the Chapel Hill Community Center, the top recording artists were Milli Vanilli and Paula Abdul. Michael Keaton’s Batman ushered in the cinematic superhero era and Michael Jordan had yet to win even a single NBA Championships with the Chicago Bulls. Oh, and Taylor Swift was born.

Since its inception in 1989, the climbing competition—originally called the Dixie Rock Climb but renamed to honor climbing enthusiast and former Chapel Hill Park and Recreation administrator Bill Webster—has become a friendly rite of passage for aspiring and veteran indoor climbers throughout the southeast.

Over the past 36 years, Webster’s Rock the Hill—has become the longest-running indoor rock-climbing competition in the U.S., offering fun prizes and reflecting a perfect entry-level competition, the event website stated.

Now under the auspices of Chapel Hill Park and Recreation Community Center supervisor Keith Dodson and assistant supervisor Howard Stanton, the event attracts everyone from USA Climbing members to those who want to experience their first competition.

Chapel Hill Park and Recreation Community Center supervisor Keith Dodson seeks to inspire climbers at the final round of Webster’s Rock the Hill competition on Sunday. Photo by Randy B. Young.

With the theme of “the Mythical Ascent,” the 36^th annual Rock the Hill event staged this past weekend set a new registration record of 160 climbers, besting the old record of 144 set in 2021.

Dodson was proud to announce two new climbing divisions in 2025, including a Para Division and a non-Binary Division. Creative and challenging routes were designed for any level, featuring vertical climbs and crack walls, a 45-degree inverted wall, and belly-curved wall sections.

“I think the wall is awesome and super fun,” climber Caroline Frazier said. “With all of the features, you learn while you’re climbing, which is great.”

Climber Bri Saunders loved the quirky personality of the venerable climbing surface: “Using the features of the wall, you get to slam your fingers into these things that seem like they’ve been there for 30 years.”

“The wall is slick,” said non-binary climber Elijah Yetter-Bowman. “It’s old-school style—which is fine, but it’s not what I’m used to.”

Yetter-Bowman added that the courses on the Community Center’s 40-foot wall featured many “dyno’s” necessitating full commitment through “dynamic” moves like hops, lunges, or leaps.

NC State climbing team member Ryan Dant plots his way to the top of the climbing wall at Webster’s Rock the Hill event.  Photo by Randy B. Young.

“Dyno’s…call for big movements,” Yetter-Bowman said. “I know the hold is not that far from me, but for my brain it seems impossibly far away, and that’s hard for me, but it’s a really fun competition.”

Climbers competed in youth, recreation, intermediate, open, non-binary, or para divisions by ascending walls of varying difficulty.

Weston Morris was tops among youth boys, with Ian Bouma and Colton Davison rounding out the top three. Among youth girls, Carina Richardson finished first, with Naomi Joiner in second place, and Rebecca Benitz in third.

In the male recreational division, Scott Lola earned first place, with Phineas Fields and Mateo DiFranco in second and third place, respectively. Among females, it was NC State freshman Lilly Kohout earning first place, with Kate Thacker and Vivi Rushing rounding out the medalists.

“This was very similar to past routes here,” Kohout said, “I got a little confused, because I couldn’t see one of those (holds), and I also took a little break.”

Jimmy Kempter won first place in the intermediate male division, with Owen Pearson in second and Theodore Kornylak earning third. Annabella Qian earned intermediate female gold, with Jessica Alley winning silver and Chloe Vollaro taking the bronze.

“I think it was a pretty easy route this year,” Kempter said. “I was an intermediate last year, and I fell off right away. I’ve been back here around three times a week for the past year. I did it so many times, it was easy this year.”

In the highly competitive open division, it was Alex Rayburg with the top climb, besting Andrew Kwong in second place and Bryce Yang in third. Audrey Williams earned top marks in the open female division, with Lauren Williams and Bri Saunders also making the podium.

“When I came (into the gym), I was very perplexed looking at the (assigned) climbing route,” Rayburg said. “It got in my head a little bit. I couldn’t visualize the moves which you have to have before you hop on the wall. Once I was on the wall, the pieces started to come together, holds felt better than I thought they would, the movement clicked, and the energy from the crowd (was great).”

In the co-ed “Stone Mason” division for over-50 climbers, Clark Gibson took top honors, with Brian Decker taking second, and Diane Joseph earning third. Among non-binary climbers, Matt Trower earned the top trophy, Eli Yetter-Bowman captured second, and Samantha Adrian took third place.

In the para division, it was Dana Rubenstein at the top of the medal stand, with Keith Dodson and Michelle Ballasiotes rounding out the medalists.

Webster’s Rock the Hill also awarded prizes and awards for winners of mini competitions: speed climbing, hang time, crate stacking (climbers mounted a tower of milk crates which they stack beneath them), and fastest “campus” climb (using only hands and arms).

Standing atop the winning stack of 20 crates was Kit Horrell. Hayden Smith distinguished himself in the fast campus climb. Bryce Yang recorded the longest hang time at 7 minutes 35 seconds and then won the fastest speed climb. Additionally, 7 ½-year old Peter Bouma was the youngest climber; the oldest climber was Bryan Kempter, 72. Dr. Kelly Olson was recognized as the best route-setter.

Climbers “hit the wall” at the Chapel Hill Park and Recreation Community Center’s Webster’s Rock the Hill competition this past weekend.  The event attracted 160 climbers—a new high for participation at event, which has been a rite of late winter since 1989. Photo by Randy B. Young.

With all of the prizes and awards for winners, nobody truly left empty-handed, as everyone was treated to an enjoyable event with climbers, family, and friends.

“This gym always has the best community,” said Yang, a climber and a coach of the NC State college climbing team. “I think that’s what contributes to my love of the (event). When I look around, I see my friends and other people just having a great time.”

Because indoor climbing always has great weather, look for many of these athletes to continue the climbing year-round at various facilities or at college events.

“We’ve been to Boone (NC), and there are competitions at Clemson University and also at James Madison,” Kohout said. “There’s a UNC competition, and I think NC State is also staging a competition.”

As a friendly and challenging community-run competition, Webster’s Rock the Hill has ascended to be a winter staple for those with lofty ambitions, and with participation on the rise, future numbers will surely be climbing.

A Dartmouth College graduate, Randy B. Young first worked as an award-winning advertising copywriter in New Hampshire, then in communications at UNC for over 30 years. He maintained an award-winning newspaper feature covering Recreation and Exercise in the Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Orange County. Retired and living in Chapel Hill, Randy continues to write for regional publications both locally and in New England, and his book, And the Stars Flew With Us, is available through Amazon and at independent bookstores. He coaches track at Chapel Hill High and has a photography business, Pierless (sic) Photography. This reporter can be reached at: Information@TheLocal Reporter.press