Climbing wall to open at Goshen College’s Recreation-Fitness Center, first in area

GOSHEN, Ind. – Mountain climbing is hardly an option in Northern Indiana, but a new indoor climbing wall will soon be available to the community offering the closest simulation to mountain climbing in the area. The wall – located in the Goshen College Roman Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center – is targeted to open for use on Monday, March 6.

Wall climbing provides an alternative form of physical activity and enjoyment that combines fitness, movement skill and perceived risk. At 20 feet tall and 28 feet long, this new wall – built by ABEE, Inc. of Oconomowoc, Wis. – will offer climbers seven possible rope holds, though only five at any one time.

Safety for climbers will be the highest priority. Seven Goshen College faculty and staff members have become certified trainers and there will always be assistants for the climbers at the wall when it is open for use. Harnesses, carabiners, belay devices and helmets are provided for climbers, who all must sign a waiver form in order to use the wall. Anyone under 18 years of age must have a parent’s signature on the waiver, which must be done in person at the Recreation-Fitness Center. Anyone under the age of 16 must have a parent with them to use the climbing wall.

“There is a lot of interest among students for this, and I believe as well in the community. Before, indoor climbing walls in Kalamazoo or Indianapolis were the closest options,” said Director of the Recreation-Fitness Center Doug Yoder. “I have always tried to expand the types of opportunities we offer here, and this is one more step in that direction.”

The wall will be open for public use during the following hours: Monday-Thursday: 6 p.m.-9 p.m.; Friday: 6 p.m.-9:30 p.m.; and Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. It will be open for additional campus use from 9 to10:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 6 to 9:30 p.m. on Sundays.

Use of the wall will be free for Goshen College students, faculty and staff. It will cost an additional $5 per use for yearly or semester members, $7 per use for those with a 10-punch pass and $12 per use for non-members.

Visit the Roman Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center website.

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

###

Goshen College, established in 1894, is a four-year residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.