A Bloomington rock gym is showing anyone who wants to climb mountains, can.
Upper Limits Rock Gym and Pro Shop has introductory courses for climbers of all ages and abilities. And recently, a class was added specifically for people with Parkinson’s disease.
“We really try to be a place that’s open to everyone,” said Andy Peterson, marketing manager at Upper Limits, located in the city’s far west side. “We try to make climbing something that’s accessible and fun.”
Peterson is a Twin City native and avocational opera singer who found climbing as a way to stay active and meet people. He joined the team two years ago.
“I’m terrified of heights,” he said. “I hate working out. And yet I fell in love with the sport because it’s solving puzzles.”
Peterson leads a monthly Parkinson’s Climb Night, consulting with the non-profit Up Ending Parkinsons to develop strategies and techniques for meeting participants’ needs.
New climbers typically start on a slab wall, a vertical surface used to challenge balance more than sheer strength and power.
“It’s not necessarily because that is their limitation,” Peterson said. “I’ve seen several of our Parkinson’s climbers climb much harder routes than this. I want to make sure people who have never been on the wall before who are also figuring their way through the disease — let’s start here, then we’ll move on to bigger and better stuff.”
Another option is overhang, set on an angle and forcing climbers to lean backward and hang away from the wall.
Chris and Pam Schmick purchased their climbing gym in Peru, Illinois in 1994 and quickly outgrew it. They came across an abandoned grain elevator in west Bloomington, once used by the Funk family for storage, and put in an offer. Decade-old rotten soybeans and corn came along with the property. After six months of clean-up, Upper Limits opened on West Washington Street in 1995, with climbing routes installed in the 65-foot silos. They held a competition on opening day.
Upper Limits’ first test route, called Baby Poop, has never been cleaned or changed — and is the oldest artificial climb in the United States. From there, you can navigate to four other silos, including half-clover and clover-shaped towers providing climbers with corners to use both holds and body weight to climb [or take a break].
Emily Bollinger
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WGLT
The suggestion box
Peterson launched a monthly session for people with Parkinson’s disease in June on a recommendation from Upper Limits member Lenore Sobota, who has climbed at the gym for three decades.
Sobota is a retired Pantagraph reporter who arguably gave more inches of newsprint to her favorite climbing gym than anyone else. When she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, she took a break.
“She saw a news show — I think it was the Today Show — talking about the benefits of climbing for Parkinson’s patients,” Peterson said. “She contacted us, I did some research, and we were like, oh yeah, we gotta do this.”
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive, incurable movement disorder that commonly causes tremors and other involuntary movement. It affects coordination and balance, speech and in rare cases, leads to paralysis-like muscle rigidity. But Peterson said when these climbers get on the wall, magic happens.
“One of our attendees came in on a walker and struggled to get down the step into our space,” he said. “Her fingers were bent backwards almost permanently. Sure enough, once we had her roped in and ready to go, she got off the walker. When her hand met that first hold, her fingers went right around it.”
Peterson said she erupted into the biggest smile he’s ever seen at the gym.
“That’s a moment I don’t think I’ll ever forget,” he said.
Parkinson’s disease involves nerve cell death limiting dopamine supply to the basal ganglia. Dopamine is typically thought of as the happy hormone, but it controls a lot more than mood. The basal ganglia participate in voluntary motor control.
Various pharmacological treatments help, but become less effective over time and have side effects. Diet and deep brain stimulation help, too. Exercise programs like climbing have been found to lessen symptoms and improve quality of life by challenging strength, agility, flexibility, balance and cognitive skills like problem solving.
“It’s a very complex process helps their brains reconnect,” Peterson said.
A Parkinson’s Climb Night is remarkably similar classes for the general public. The main difference is patience.
“As they start getting tired, you’ll see they’re really trying to will one of their limbs to move,” said Peterson. “Maybe their leg is just stuck; it’s just sitting there, tremoring, not doing what they want it to do. Sometimes, a caretaker will gently help and suggest where their leg should go. Or we just wait.”
Participation varies from month to month, with anywhere between three and 10 climbers joining each session. Importantly, Parkinson’s Climb Night can be therapeutic — but it’s not therapy.
Peterson adapted a recreational model to better serve people with the disease who are interested in climbing, but there are no doctors or occupational therapists involved; folks are encouraged to bring a caretaker or helper if they want or need additional support. And as a model for future programs, the sky is the limit.
Sister locations in the St. Louis area have additional adaptive programs and equipment for wheelchair users, amputees and other physical disabilities. That hasn’t happened in Bloomington yet, but Peterson said if you want it — just ask.
“We would love to continue expanding our programs to help as many folks as we can,” he said.
The Parkinson’s Climb Night is from 4-6 p.m on the last Monday of the month, including Nov. 25, at Upper Limits Rock Gym and Pro Shop, 1304 W. Washington St., Bloomington. The $16 class includes instruction and all needed gear.
This news item came from: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2024-11-19/people-with-parkinsons-test-their-limits-with-rock-climbing-classes-in-bloomington
