Climbing Escalade Canada is committed to establishing a strong Para-Climbing Program within our existing structure. We are committed and excited to bring the Para-Climbing Community together through hosting our first Para-Climbing National Championships event!
Climbing Escalade Canada understands the challenges related to growing this side of our sport. We understand the particular needs and challenges of the para-climbers. We have demonstrated a willingness to listen and learn by creating a Para-Climbing Committee that includes 5 members of the para-climbing community.
Our first Para-Climbing National Championships is scheduled to take place on December 11-12, 2022, in Coquitlam, BC. CEC is committed to this event and is willing to invest up to $20,000 to make it work.
That being said, yes, the rumors are true. There is a specific threshold of participation we need to reach in order to stay within our targeted budget. With 60 participants, CEC would lose (or invest) $29,000 on this one event. We are sure that everyone can appreciate how big of an investment this represents for a small organization like ours.
The Para-Climbing Committee is considering alternatives to help decrease the threshold of participants – we would love to hear your opinion on these alternatives!
Comment on the social media post, or email paraclimbing@climbingcanada.ca with your ideas.
- What if we do not run Classification for this event, and rely on athletes self-identifying their Sport Class? We understand this could decrease fairness of the event, but it could also save up to $10,000 in event expenses.
- What is the minimum threshold of participants that would make this event worth it for you, the athletes? Would you attend a para-climbing event with only 20 participants?
- What if we run a donation campaign? If you can’t attend, would you be willing to donate to help this event take place? Do you know of any sponsors that would like to financially help this project?
- Is the date / location a challenge to participation? When/where would this event be more successful?
The Para-Climbing Committee is meeting on October 28. A decision will be made at that time regarding the December event.
Until then, CEC urges the community to register for the event! We understand that there is buzz around this event, but if the interest doesn’t equal registrations, we don’t have the proper data to evaluate the situation. Sign up on the CEC site today! (if the decision is to cancel / postpone the event, every registered participant will receive a full refund of their registration and license fees!)
