Sophomore Arri Janzen’s 9-year-old student was begging to swing on the belay ropes. Although it was against Impact Gymnastics’ rules to swing before being strapped into the harness, she would ask every class.
So, Arri gave her a challenge. If she pushed herself to complete a challenging path up the rock wall, when she came back down, she could swing back-and-forth parallel to the wall while still strapped in.
Yet, just a year before, Arri, along with his brother Eli, was in the same class as that 9-year-old girl, being taught by the Level 1 instructor, Patrick McNamara.
After their first trial lesson at the beginning of Arri’s freshman year, Patrick knew that the brothers wouldn’t stay at Level 1 for long.
Arri has years of informal climbing experience behind him, scaling the outside of playground equipment, climbing trees and monthly family trips to the climbing gym.
“They never missed a class,” Arri’s mom Emma said. “They always wanted to be there. The classes weren't long enough for them.”
Arri already had the upper body strength and height, and after working on his climbing technique and strategy, he worked his way up to the Level 3 class, the most advanced class, in less than a year. He’s now Patrick’s co-worker as well as a student in the Level 3 class.
“[Arri] has a very strong drive to improve himself, which I quite admire,” Level 3 student and junior Ella Siengsukon said. “Even though he did have some areas to improve on, he very quickly got into an ambitious spirit, and very quickly improved upon those skills, which is a very large feat, I'd say.”
When Julia Griffis, Arri’s friend and Level 3 classmate, moved on from her job coaching Level 1, she recommended him for the position.
Why not? Arri thought.
He had always been good with kids, calm and confident, and family members and family friends with young kids trusted him to babysit.
After watching Julia coach, helping belay students during lessons and buying a book about rock climbing techniques, Arri took over coaching three lower-level classes a week to kids ages 5-17.
“He got to the point where he was so good with the technical aspects and knowledge and safety of everything that I wasn't concerned for even a second that he wouldn't be able to run his own class,” Patrick said.
Through his own training, Arri has figured out techniques to pass along to his students. One of which is “smearing,” where you use the wall to hold your position while reaching for the next hold.
“[I like] the idea that I can try new routes all the time and go into different gyms, and then as long as I keep climbing, I just get better and better,” Arri said. “I like unlocking and doing harder routes, more interesting ones and different types of holds.”
Beyond coaching at Impact, Arri and Patrick also taught a six-week rock climbing camp at Pembroke Hill Elementary School. Lessons were once weekly from November to December for kids ages 9-12.
Patrick introduced Arri as “Arnold” to the students, and for the remainder of the 6-week session, the kids would beg “Arnold” to play Simon Says on the rock wall.
“[He] wouldn't be a drill sergeant teaching them to where they’d get bored, [he has] them play a game they have fun with,” Patrick said. “But [he’s] also doing it in a way that forces them to hold a position that's going to make them better climbers.”
While rock climbing will most likely no longer be available at Impact in the upcoming months due to insurance costs, Arri and Patrick plan to coach another rock climbing course at the Pembroke Summer School. He’s also considering a job coaching at ROKC, where he’s already belay-certified and will continue his own training at other gyms.
Arri and Eli got memberships to another climbing gym, Sequence, on Jan. 14, and within five days of receiving the membership, the brothers have already been three times.
“It's fun for me as a coach to see, and just to see potential like that and a love and passion for the sport being utilized,” Patrick said.
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