2008 Woodie Awards
Climbing wall officially open
Ryan Hayner
Issue date: 9/21/07 Section: Sports
Originally published: 9/20/07 at 10:42 PM EST
Last update: 9/20/07 at 10:56 PM EST
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Racquetball enthusiasts might be a bit surprised when they try and enter the fourth court in Memorial Hall.
The floors, once hardwood, are now soft and spongy. The scratched up walls are now oddly shaped up and down, taking on a jagged, rocky appearance. Fifteen purple ropes hang down from the top of the walls.
A very strange look for a racquetball court.
Only thing is, its not a racquetball court anymore - it's Plattsburgh State's recently opened rock climbing wall, and its now open for business.
As PSUC President John Ettling sliced through the grand opening ribbon with over sized ceremony scissors on Monday, he ushered in the newest and most vertical feature to the school's fitness center.
A project nearly fifteen years in the making, the rock climbing walls were completed over the summer and are now open to PSUC students and staff who have membership to the fitness center.
Fitness Center Director Matt Salvatore and Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Peter Luguri originally presented the proposal to add a rock climbing wall to Memorial Hall last October.
Ettling said the fact that it took only about a year to get to the grand opening was "warp speed" for college projects.
The rock climbing walls cover three sides of the former racquetball court with fifteen ropes set up for use. Tape has been placed near many of the holds to map out different routes climbers can take.
Usages of the walls are open to anyone who has a membership to the fitness center, whether it is students, faculty or alumni.
In order to participate in belaying, fitness center members must complete the belaying test to receive a belaying certification card, good for one year.
Larry Soroka, the expeditionary studies chair, has been a main driving force behind the project and was the one who first brought up the idea of a rock climbing wall around fifteen years ago.
"To see it come like this is just exciting and I think my observation is that students are really excited about it," Soroka said. "I expect it will be really popular."
The floors, once hardwood, are now soft and spongy. The scratched up walls are now oddly shaped up and down, taking on a jagged, rocky appearance. Fifteen purple ropes hang down from the top of the walls.
A very strange look for a racquetball court.
Only thing is, its not a racquetball court anymore - it's Plattsburgh State's recently opened rock climbing wall, and its now open for business.
As PSUC President John Ettling sliced through the grand opening ribbon with over sized ceremony scissors on Monday, he ushered in the newest and most vertical feature to the school's fitness center.
A project nearly fifteen years in the making, the rock climbing walls were completed over the summer and are now open to PSUC students and staff who have membership to the fitness center.
Fitness Center Director Matt Salvatore and Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Peter Luguri originally presented the proposal to add a rock climbing wall to Memorial Hall last October.
Ettling said the fact that it took only about a year to get to the grand opening was "warp speed" for college projects.
The rock climbing walls cover three sides of the former racquetball court with fifteen ropes set up for use. Tape has been placed near many of the holds to map out different routes climbers can take.
Usages of the walls are open to anyone who has a membership to the fitness center, whether it is students, faculty or alumni.
In order to participate in belaying, fitness center members must complete the belaying test to receive a belaying certification card, good for one year.
Larry Soroka, the expeditionary studies chair, has been a main driving force behind the project and was the one who first brought up the idea of a rock climbing wall around fifteen years ago.
"To see it come like this is just exciting and I think my observation is that students are really excited about it," Soroka said. "I expect it will be really popular."
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