Climbing the walls

West Linn 10-year-old Max Becker has quickly made a name for himself in the sport of rock climbing

By Matthew Sherman

The West Linn Tidings, Jul 29, 2010

STAFF PHOTOS / MATTHEW SHERMAN / west linn tidings

Max Becker has been rock climbing since the age of seven and has qualified for two national tournaments. Recently, after another strong showing at nationals, he was invited to attend the upcoming Pan Am games in Ecuador.

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Ten-year-old Max Becker stands calmly in front of a wall at ClubSport in Tigard. He cocks his head to the side slightly and his eyes slowly drift upward.

Without looking away, he reaches into a small pouch around his waist and covers his hands in chalk.

Two minutes later he is 50 feet up in the air, calmly clinging to a small rock with both hands. He reaches the top of ClubSport's extensive rock climbing wall and then, with nowhere else to climb, is slowly lowered back down to the ground.

Like many 10-year-olds, Becker simply loves to climb.

"He gets up on everything (at home) countertops, cabinets, door frames," said Max's mom Stephanie Becker.

And being able to fly up a menacing climbing wall is certainly a big part of the sport's appeal to Becker, he might actually enjoy his few minutes on the ground prior to the climb just as much.

At Willamette Primary School in West Linn, math is Becker's favorite subject.

And staring at a climb he hasn't seen before is like a giant logic puzzle waiting to be solved.

Amidst a sea of brightly colored bumps of varying sizes and shapes, there are hidden paths. And it's up to Becker to find them and then discern the best route to take to the top.

"You read (the wall) on the ground and, especially if it's a high wall, you have to keep thinking about how you're going to move as you're going," Becker said.

Becker has been rock climbing since he was seven years old. He attended a friend's birthday party at ClubSport and was given the opportunity to climb the wall.

He was instantly hooked and he also caught the eye of some of the instructors at ClubSport.

"Sometimes we'll get those lightning strikes here where we'll see a kid who's just a natural," said Bob Dolan, a climbing instructor at ClubSport.

Soon, Becker was taking climbing lessons and was practicing as much as possible.

"I just liked that it was something I could do right away," Becker said.

He excelled at whatever new challenge was put in front of him and showed virtually no fear.

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