USA CLIMBING STRATEGIC DISCUSSION

1. USA CLIMBING STRATEGIC DISCUSSION Youth Nationals Town Hall Meeting July 13, 2019

2. Agenda • Welcome • USA Climbing 101 • State of USA Climbing • Strategic Direction of USA Climbing 2020-28 • CTF Update • Open Floor: Questions and Feedback

3. Introductions MARC NORMAN Chief Executive Officer, USA Climbing • 25+ years of experience in Olympic sport • Former VP of Sport and Venues, Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation (UOLF), Chair of the Organizing Committee for numerous World Cup and World Championship level events • Former elite speed skater and a longtime climber JOHN MUSE Director, USA Climbing High Performance Division • Focused on high performance and developing athletes • Leadership role in Competition Task Force • Former Director of Operations for USA Climbing

4. Introductions Patti Rube President, USA Climbing Board of Directors • Involved with USA Climbing since 2008 - BOD since 2013 • Background as General Counsel in financial services industry • Certified Route Judge; parent of 3 competitors Bruce Mitchell Vice President, USA Climbing Board of Directors • Involved with USA Climbing since 2006 – BOD since 2014 • National Chief Judge – IFSC Jury President • Parent of 2 Competitors. Experience with World Level Competitions

5. USA Climbing 101 • National Governing Body for the sport • USOPC, US Center for SafeSport, USADA, IFSC • Board of Directors, Committees, Working Groups, Task Forces • RC’s, Volunteers • Staff

6. USA Climbing 101 Positions to come: Development Director Collegiate & Adaptive Manager Events Coordinator

7. State of the Sport • 12,000 + members • Revenue $4.3M • Events $2.7m • Membership $800k • Fundraising/Sponsorship $700k • Expense $4.3M • Events $3.1M • Admin $1.2M

8. State of the Sport • ESPN • High Performance • Diversity • CTF

9. Strategic Planning • USOPC • 2020 – 2028 Draft • Updated Mission, Creation of Core Values • Overview – 3 pillars • Athlete Development & Well Being • Membership Engagement & Event Optimization • Organizational Excellence

10. CTF Update • Why Change: Task Force Charter • What We’re Reviewing: Three Charter Components • Who Will Be Impacted: Stakeholders • Recommendations We Are Exploring • Season, Schedule, Format • Youth Athlete Development Model • Rules • Open Floor: Questions and Feedback

11. Central Questions for Our Task Force • Are we creating a path for US athletes to compete at the highest level on an an international stage? • With the increasingly international nature of our sport, how can we best align with IFSC approaches for seasons, competition, and rules? • How can we ensure that our Youth Development Model is grounded in sound principles and leverages proven models for athlete development at younger ages?

12. Competition Task Force Charter International Success • Look globally at the sport of competition climbing and make strategic recommendations to the USA Climbing Board of Directors on: • Competition season • Competition format • IFSC rules alignment • Youth development • Better align USAC for inclusiveness, athlete well-being, growth, and international success • Initial recommendations Dec 2019, Final recommendations Feb 2020, Implementation around Sept 2020 Athlete Well-Being Youth Development Inclusiveness

13. Competition Task Force: 14 Members (Kicked off May 14) * TASK FORCE CHAIR

14. Three Task Force Sub-Groups Schedule/ Format • Alignment with IFSC • Timing and length of competition season • Combining vs separating disciplines (for seasons, training, competitions) • Competitive vs. Recreational vs Developmental approaches • Developmental needs of young climbers (C/D categories) Youth Development Model Rules

15. Stakeholders Impacted and Considered Gym Owners & Staff Athletes Competition Coordinators, Officials Parents & Families USAC COMPETITION CHANGES Coaches Volunteers USA Climbing

16. Input Collected to Date • Regional Coordinators (92 members via Facebook) • Ad hoc input from USAC members and staff at regional and divisional events • Informal polling of international athletes • Competition Task Force expertise and input • Secondary/web research on cross-sport and cross-federation approaches, youth development models

17. Open Schedule Youth Development Model Rules

18. OPEN SCHEDULE Guiding Principles for Open Scheduling • Schedule should harmonize with the IFSC schedule • Schedule should allow for sufficient training period without competition • Schedule should allow for sufficient rest (time off from climbing) • Schedule should best prepare athletes who make Team to compete on the international stage (IFSC season) Position US athletes for sustained competitive excellence

19. OPEN SCHEDULE Open Schedule: Current Schedule and Issues • Year-round competition for elite athletes • NO rest periods • NO dedicated training periods • Travel challenges SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG USAC National Cup Series COMB INV BOULDER NATLS SPRT/SPD NATLS PREVIOUS IFSC INTL SEASON NEXT IFSC INTL SEASON ISSUES:

20. OPEN SCHEDULE Proposed OPEN Season Schedule Options OPTION A OPTION B Though technically not in scope, the team has also discussed potential approaches to qualification/team selection to the extent it impacts scheduling decisions.

21. Open Schedule Youth Development Model Rules

22. Youth Athlete Development: Key Inputs To prepare our young athletes mentally as well as physically for the stress of competition, USA Climbing is drawing from models and research including: • United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee American Development Model (ADM) • Canada Long-Term Athlete Development Model (LTAD) • Input from USAC developmental readiness committee, composed of coaches, parents, athletes, and mental health professionals • Our own survey-based research, & other NGB’s • More than 20 relevant, peer-reviewed studies on developmental readiness for sports competition

23. Example Models: US Olympic (ADM) and Climbing Escalade Canada (LTAD) YOUTH CANADA’S LONG TERM ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT (LTAD) MODEL FOR CLIMBING

24. YOUTH Youth Development: Objectives and Recommendations GOALS / OBJECTIVES PRELIMINARY RECOMMENDATIONS • Create our own athlete development model that supports these goals and objectives • For national-level competition, split C/D categories from B/A/Jr categories at Bouldering and Sport & Speed Youth National Championships and carry out a developmentally appropriate event in its place • Capitalize on opportunities to make the C/D national event enriching for all involved • Build physical, technical, tactical, mental, and lifestyle skills amongst youth athletes • Support life long athletes – both the high performance and the developing or recreational athlete • Foster broad exposure across disciplines at younger ages • Avoid participation in competitions that are not appropriate for an age or stage (e.g., don’t hold C and D climbers to same performance standards as older athletes)

25. YOUTH Youth National Competition: Guiding Principles • The event should be fun • Emphasis on learning & education (climbers, parents, coaches) • Practice and preparation over performance

26. Separate C/D Combined Invitational Event in 2020 Youth C/D National Event KEY ELEMENTS: • Isolation (Max Times) • Awards • Format (Differences between D and C) • Age Categories (Minimum age for D) • Name of event • Educational components: To keep athletes, parents, coaches engaged. Examples: • Climbers can climb on the competition routes after with coaches & route-setters • Coaches debrief with route-setters with rounds after competition • Roundtable discussion & educational seminars for parents • Older & professional athletes are involved with education

27. YOUTH Youth Athlete Development: Stress Test Results

28. YOUTH YOUTH Season: Key Considerations and Impacts KEY CONSIDERATIONS ANTICIPATED IMPACTS • Shortening the Youth season • Providing adequate time off for athletes • Potential for adopting similar direction as Open schedule (e.g., multi-discipline season) • Timing the season during a calendar year, leading up to Youth World Championships in August • Finding approaches that are logistically viable for host facilities and coordinators • Volumes of competitors for regional and divisional events • Burden/disruption for gyms and their membership (especially 3+ days) • Logistical requirements for coordinators and volunteers • Travel considerations for parents/ families within a region or division

29. YOUTH Proposed YOUTH Season Schedule Options (All Categories) OPTION A SEP to DEC Off-Season OPTION B SEP to DEC Off-Season OPTION C SEP to DEC Off-Season

30. Open Schedule Youth Development Model Rules

31. RULES Rules: Guiding Principles • Consistency for athletes/coaches/officials attending IFSC events • Consistency when USAC hosts IFSC events • Adapt IFSC rules for younger athletes, to develop their understanding of IFSC rules • Appropriate consistency across ages & event levels • Athletes, Officials, Coaches, Volunteers, Gym owners, Spectators, etc.

32. RULES Rules: General Approach, Questions to be Addressed • Maintain USAC autonomy: Adopt vs Adapt • Standalone Rulebook that contains IFSC and all relevant information (doesn't reference an external IFSC doc) • Proactive USAC-only changes • Reactive IFSC adoption/adaption • Define goal for max latency between IFSC and USAC • Preview IFSC changes, based on when IFSC publishes rulebook • Establish when USAC rules changes occur; Don't change outside that window • Support USAC Rulebook with other documentation/training • Communication and Education of Stakeholders *prior* to Sept 2020 -- Route-setters, Judges, Belayers, Event Organizers, Gym Owners, Athletes, Coaches, Parents/Guardians • Supporting Materials: Handbooks, Manuals, Videos First USAC Rulebook Targeted Sept 2020* * Potential draft for public review roughly July 2020

33. Other Items Competition Task Force Will Address • Collegiate and Adaptive Schedules • Coordination with Realignment Task Force and other Committees, Task Forces, and Working Groups • Email us: Future@usaclimbing.org

34. Open Floor for Q & A ? ? ? ? ? ?