Below is an article about Nathanial Coleman, a local senior in high school and a 3-time National Champion in rock climbing competitions. Nathaniel Coleman is an amazing climber on Sami's Climbing team at Momentum Indoor Climbing Sandy. Nathaniel, Dalton Bunker, and Ben Isaac Tresco are true leaders in the sport, and on the team. It is heartwarming to watch these older kids face off against the top professional climbers and in the next moment see them on the sidelines cheering for kids as young as 8. Nathaniel, Dalton, and Ben are going to Arco, Italy this summer to represent the United States in the World Championships. Unlike climbers in other countries, USA climbers generally receive no financial support other than what friends and the occasional corporate sponsor will donate. I have set up Climb Utah, LLC as a 501(c)(3) organization aimed at supporting youth climbing in Utah. Our mission, in general, is to support youth climbing in Utah. Donations between now and August will primarily be used to help the top Youth climbers in Utah compete in the world championships. After August, an independent Board will help allocate funds to youth climbers demonstrating proficiency coupled with financial need. To participate individually or as a business, please feel free to contact me at ericcsingleton@gmail.comRecreation: Murray High senior climbs to the top By LYA WODRASKA | The Salt Lake Tribune First Published Mar 18 2015 01:23PM • Last Updated Mar 18 2015 08:30 pm(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Nathaniel Coleman, trains at the momentum climbing gym in Sandy, Wednesday, March 4, 2015. Coleman, just won his third bouldering national championship.Bouldering » National champion Nathaniel Coleman is set to compete against sport's best in Italy. Share This ArticleIt's easy for Rosane Coleman to remember when her son Nathaniel Coleman started climbing.In fact, it's harder for her to remember when he wasn't."From Day One, he was climbing," she said. "He'd climb me, my husband. He'd climb anything."He hasn't stopped.Nathaniel, a senior at Murray High School, recently won his third national bouldering title in Madison, Wis. That he is having a strong career comes as no surprise to anyone who knows Nathaniel, as his knack for climbing quickly evolved from a hobby into a full-time sport.Nathaniel started climbing when he was 9 years old and showed a knack for the sport, excelling in the indoor competitions in which climbers are presented with challenges they must conquer in 4 minutes."I remember climbing out of my crib when I was a few years old," he said. "I've always loved it. I love the challenges you face, plus it has all the aspects of needing a lot of power and technique, so if you are a competitive person like me, it's a great sport."His mother said the family didn't hesitate to support him even as friends became more dedicated to traditional sports."At first, it was a great outlet for him as a young kid because he had a lot of energy," she said. "Then he got in the community and found it was a really close-knit group. They all support each other so well; I appreciated the fact that they look out for each other."Nathaniel dedicates several hours, three to four days a week, practicing at the Momentum Climbing Gym, honing the skills that help him leap, pull and twist his way up the walls."There is a huge learning curve with it, and you definitely have to work on the physical aspect of it," he said. "You can always learn how to be more efficient on the wall, using the strength you've gained."Nathaniel won his first national title in the American Bouldering Series in 2012, then added another in 2014. His latest came in the youth division when he competed against climbers his own age."In the past, I was more focused on just making it to nationals at all," he said. "This year, I went into it definitely with the ambitions of taking the title, but I didn't realize how big those goals were until I did it."As the national champion, Nathaniel received an invitation to the world championships scheduled for July inArco, Italy, along with Dalton Bunker and Ben Tresco, Salt Lake residents who took third and fifth, respectively.Before that big competition, Nathaniel will be competing in several competitions in the rope season. He also plans to do his share of climbing outside as well."Climbing is a sport that is a lot more in nature and outdoors than other sports," he said. "I'm a competitive person, and you still have that, but it's a sport we can do here in the mountains, too."Rosane Coleman hopes the success of her son and others from Utah will help grow the sport in Salt Lake City."Hopefully it will be an Olympic sport one day," she said. "We have several good climbing gyms in the Salt Lake Valley, and we are 45 minutes away from some of the great climbing in the mountains. There are a lot of supportive, veteran climbers here."And some up-and-coming young stars too, starting with Nathaniel.Twitter: @lyawodraska
