Sport climbing, disc golf and skateboarding are self-directed sports you can teach yourself this summer – Isthmus

Elyse Whitmore says she can have someone climbing the walls within minutes of appearing at Boulders Climbing Gym.

“I like to tell people that it’s not as overwhelming as it seems,” says Whitmore, the gym’s manager of non-competitive youth programs. “We’ll get you a day pass, you can rent a harness and shoes, and you can sign a waiver. There is a brief introduction to the rules and to show you what the colors and numbers mean. After that, it’s really a self-directed sport.”

At 18, Whitmore has been rock climbing – or its indoor sibling, sport climbing – for eight years and has worked at Boulders for three years. During that time she has seen the sport become much more diverse and accessible, inclusive and accepting of all ages, skill levels and races.

“It used to be mostly muscular men,” she says. “I was the only black kid in the gym for years.”

However, she points to initiatives such as Climbers of Color, several women’s climbing groups and even an adaptive climbing program that meets in Boulders on the last Sunday of every month. Boulders has two locations: 3964 Commercial Ave. and 129 S. Carroll St.

“Climbing is so great because you can see the milestones,” she says. “You make a new move and you feel the adrenaline. You can come in and try new things without barriers.”

This story was originally intended to be a poll of people who teach non-traditional sports in the Madison area. If you want to learn how to play tennis or golf there are facilities and professionals who can teach you and I was hoping to find people doing the same for rock climbing, disc golf and skateboarding. But the people I’ve spoken to who have made careers out of those pastimes have consistently insisted that the best way to learn is to do something.

Patrick Zwank, who owns MadMando Discs with his wife Taija Lehtinen, says he can match disc golf beginners with pros who teach for about $25 an hour, but he also recommends just buying a few discs and getting into the game Make your way to one of the city’s disc golf disc golf courses to get a feel for one of the fastest growing sports.

“It’s so accessible,” he says. “A lot of companies sell starter packs with three discs—a putter, a mid-ranger, and a fairway driver—for $20 to $30. That’s all you need to get started. A Madison Pass is $7 per day or $45 for the season.”

According to Zwank, Madison’s disc golf courses are great for both beginners and experts. Each “hole” has two tee boxes and two baskets, allowing regular players to play the courses differently each time.

Disc golf boomed during the pandemic as people sought outdoor activities that enabled social distancing. With that growth came the proliferation of YouTube videos demonstrating throwing techniques, strategy, and even etiquette. There are several videos on the MadMando website, and Zwank says he tries to point out good resources to people who come to his shop at 6710 Raymond Road. But he also suggests they “click around” and find what works for them.

Less enthusiastic about online video classes is Derek Apel, who has owned the Alumni Boardshop at 1150 Williamson St. since 2005. He learned to skateboard the old-fashioned way: by trial and error.

“YouTube is weird. Everyone is like a personality with branded content. It’s often fake,” he says. “I would just say: go to the park, watch and learn from others.”

Apel, who says many adults in their 30s — or older — stop by the store to start riding, advises beginners to focus less on learning the tricks that more experienced riders are trying and instead just stick to that Getting used to the driving experience The board.

“Just snuggle around and get comfortable. It’s more important to be comfortable rolling around,” he says. “If at some point you get to the point where you want to do tricks, you’ll know what to do instead of just throwing your body off of things you’re not ready for.”

He also recommends that beginners invest in a board with softer wheels that better absorb the impact of cracks and rocks on the road and sidewalk, making it easier to stay upright.

Is there a risk of extinction? Naturally. But as Whitmore says of rock climbing, “What I’ve noticed is that people are super capable of participating in the sport. With adults, there’s more of a mental block that keeps them from trying it.”