Every gym has a climbing team these days, how is Escalade’s E-Unit different?
I train my students like soldiers. Some people think I train them too hard. If they complain about being sick, then I tell them to go throw up and get back in class.

What does it take to become a member of the E-Unit?
I won’t train just anyone. If you slack off too much in my class, then you are out without a second chance. I don’t like my time being wasted because I have so much on my plate.

What are you teaching your youth team?
The number one thing I teach them is to climb. I don’t like quitters. I have been a Martial Arts instructor since I was twelve. I teach some of my students to fight.

Why do you teach your students how to fight?
They ask me to. I won’t deny a student if they ask me to teach them something, no matter what it is. All teachers should share the knowledge that they have obtained throughout their years.

What are your goals with your gym and team?
I would like to see all of my students succeed in some aspect of life, even if not in climbing. My goals with the team are getting more people interested long term in a sport that financially supports me.

What is your system of training?
I’m working on an organized system to rank climbers in my gym. It’s based off of my Martial Arts background. Before I started testing my students I would have parents saying things like “I don’t want my kid hanging out at a gym with a bunch of hippies.” Now that I send them home with certificates of completion the parents are happy to drop them off to train for the next test.

Describe the organized ranking and how one receives a certificate?
The system I put together is based off of the Martial Arts ranking system. The setter needs to be route setting certified and pass the 5.13 part of the test. In the gym, each climber has to complete five climbs of a specific rating in two hours to get their certification. Outside, a climber has all day and only has to complete the a-b-c, and d of their specific rating. Patches and certificates from the instructor are issued out to the successful climber. For the moment, I have my testers placing their patches on a single zip Blue Water rope bag. They line them up on the bag as they get them. Not much to the system, but this gives indoor climbing more organization, which it needs badly.

How are you trying to improve the future of our sport?
The future of our sport is in the youth. While we are all out bitchin’ about what needs to be done there are people out there doing what needs to be done. Kids can do more than we give them credit for.