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Vertical Contest

 

 

 

One of the highlights at each NSS Convention is the Climbing Contest. It was first run at the NSS Convention in 1967, so climbers of every age group could test their skills and equipment. Since 1972, the Vertical Section has conducted the contest. Bill and Miriam Cuddington have kept the contest running efficiently, providing one of most continuous functions at the Convention.

Click Here to see the 1969 raw results worksheets.

There are separate age groups for Men and Women, with categories for Mechanical, Knot, and Sit-Stand Ascending systems. Contests are run at distances of both 30 meters and 120 meters for each category. Climbers may take up to three attempts in each category at a given Convention, provided there is sufficient time.

CC-Bill CC-Avis CC-Steve
Bill races on knots
2008		 Avis races ropewalker
2009		 Steve enjoys the climbs
2008

A new Team Relay category was added in 1996, where 4 climbers must use 4 different systems to climb 30 meters each, in a relay-race format. The climbers on a given team must be members of the same grotto or organization for at least 6 months prior to the Convention. The team must also have at least one member of the opposite sex.

To See the 2009 ICS Speleolympics Results, Click Here

 
Current World Records
(updated through July, 2023)
 
Men's Mechanical 30m
Age Group Time Name Year Set
0-12 0:54.6 Jeremy Brown 1992
13-16 0:32.4 Jeremy Brown 1995
17-19 0:30.8 Dan Gruss 1990
20-29 0:25.7 Rossano Boscarino 1987
30-39 0:24.6 Jon Brown 1992
40-49 0:29.5 Chuck Henson 1995
50-59 0:32.5 Peter T. Hertl 2005
60-69 0:33.2 Peter T. Hertl 2019
70-79 0:45.4 Darrell Tomer 1985
80-89 11:02.0 Vance Nelson 2004
90-99   (no entry)  
OVERALL 0:24.6 Jon Brown 1992

Women's Mechanical 30m
Age Group Time Name Year Set
0-12 1:00.2 Emily Brandnar 2001
13-16 0:33.4 Trudy Henson 1991
17-19 0:29.4 Trudy Henson 1995
20-29 0:33.4 Berta Kirchman 1989
30-39 0:32.9 Berta Kirchman 1995
40-49 0:47.3 Martha Clark 1994
50-59 0:53.8 Miriam Cuddington 1995
60-69 1:17.7 Miriam Cuddington 2010
70-79 1:31.5 Miriam Cuddington 2013
80-89 2:27.8 Avis Moni 2008
90-99   (no entry)  
OVERALL 0:29.4 Trudy Henson 1995

Men's Classic 3-knot 30m
Age Group Time Name Year Set
0-12 1:54.8 Nate Brown 1995
13-16 1:07.5 Nate Brown 2001
17-19 1:42.7 Ken Honebrink 1991
20-29 1:17.2 Jeremy Brown 2001
30-39 1:21.6 Bill Bussey 1995
40-49 1:23.9 Dan Brown 1994
50-59 2:04.6 Marion O. Smith 1993
60-69 2:25.2 Bill Cuddington 1998
70-79 2:37.4 Bill Cuddington 2006
80-89   (no entry)  
90-99   (no entry)  
OVERALL 1:07.5 Nate Brown 2001

Women's Classic 3-knot 30m
Age Group Time Name Year Set
0-12 2:08.1 Leah Brown 1995
13-16 4:25.1 Emily Graham 1988
17-19 2:42.2 Dena Hawes 1973
20-29 1:46.9 Susan Setzler 1992
30-39 1:54.7 Martha Clark 1988
40-49 2:04.0 Martha Clark 1994
50-59 3:23.7 Miriam Cuddington 2002
60-69 3:17.4 Miriam Cuddington 2004
70-79   (no entry)  
80-89   (no entry)  
90-99   (no entry)  
OVERALL 1:46.9 Susan Setzler 1992

Men's Sit-Stand 30m 1
Age Group Time Name Year Set
0-12 1:50.5 Aleksander Rogozhnikov 2016
13-16 1:14.0 Andy Dillon 2005
17-19 1:32.9 Wesley Schmacher 2003
20-29 1:04.9 Doug Bruce 1992
30-39 1:16.7 Chris Chenier 2004
40-49 1:09.8 John Kerr 2009
50-59 1:28.9 John Kerr 2019
60-69 1:30.1 John Kerr 2023
70-79 1:52.6 Roy Barton 1998
80-89 2:45.2 Roy Barton 2004
90-99   (no entry)  
OVERALL 1:04.9 Doug Bruce 1992

Women's Sit-Stand 30m 1
Age Group Time Name Year Set
0-12 2:06.2 Melanie Chenier 2010
13-16 1:46.7 Mary Pat Jones 2002
17-19 1:40.6 Mary Pat Jones 2005
20-29 1:14.5 Kateryna Medvedieva 2009
30-39 1:50.1 Katie Graham 2016
40-49 2:01.9 Katarzyna Bitrnacka 2009
50-59 1:36.3 Susan Souby 2006
60-69 2:10.8 Susan Souby 2015
70-79 6:58.2 Yvonne Droms 2023
80-89   (no entry)  
90-99   (no entry)  
OVERALL 1:14.5 Kateryna Medvedieva 2009

Men's Mechanical 120m
Age Group Time Name Year Set
0-12 8:26.0 Bill Stucklen 1984
13-16 4:06.7 Jeremy Brown 1995
17-19 4:33.0 Dan Gruss 1990
20-29 4:10.7 Rossano Boscarino 1987
30-39 4:32.1 Jon Brown 1994
40-49 4:09.4 David Lewis 2005
50-59 4:55.6 Peter T. Hertl 2005
60-69 5:43.6 Peter T. Hertl 2019
70-79 7:24.2 Darrell Tomer 1985
80-89 13:05.0 Bill Cuddington 2014
90-99   (no entry)  
OVERALL 4:06.7 Jeremy Brown 1995

Women's Mechanical 120m
Age Group Time Name Year Set
0-12 9:15.9 Irene Stucklen 1989
13-16 6:34.7 Trudy Henson 1991
17-19 7:05.8 Susan Medville 1991
20-29 4:16.3 Berta Kirchman 1989
30-39 4:07.1 Berta Kirchman 1995
40-49 7:01.5 Martha Clark 1994
50-59 6:37.3 Berta Kirchman 2014
60-69 10:31.0 Miriam Cuddington 2005
70-79 12:13.6 Miriam Cuddington 2013
80-89   (no entry)  
90-99   (no entry)  
OVERALL 4:07.1 Berta Kirchman 1995

Men's Classic 3-knot 120m
Age Group Time Name Year Set
0-12 9:56.4 Nate Brown 1995
13-16 7:06.2 Nate Brown 2001
17-19 10:51.9 John Bassett 1970
20-29 9:39.2 Trick Howard 1985
30-39 8:07.5 Bill Bussey 1994
40-49 8:54.7 Dan Brown 1994
50-59 13:59.5 Bill Cuddington 1992
60-69 15:06.6 Bill Cuddington 2002
70-79 15:02.2 Roy Barton 1997
80-89   (no entry)  
90-99   (no entry)  
OVERALL 7:06.2 Nate Brown 2001

Women's Classic 3-knot 120m
Age Group Time Name Year Set
0-12 9:45.5 Leah Brown 1995
13-16   (no entry)  
17-19   (no entry)  
20-29 11:04.7 Susan Setzler 1992
30-39 12:29.3 Martha Clark 1984
40-49 12:21.6 Martha Clark 1994
50-59 34:56.3 Chris Southam 2000
60-69 37:15.7 Chris Southam 2001
70-79   (no entry)  
80-89   (no entry)  
90-99   (no entry)  
OVERALL 9:45.5 Leah Brown 1995

Men's Sit-Stand 120m 1
Age Group Time Name Year Set
0-12 12:36.9 Aleksander Rogozhnikov 2016
13-16 8:15.7 Andy Dillon 2005
17-19 9:27.3 Justin Shaw 1999
20-29 7:48.3 Matt Covington 2001
30-39 8:39.1 Stan Allison 2003
40-49 7:48.3 John Kerr 2009
50-59 9.49.0 John Kerr 2019
60-69 9:18.9 John Kerr 2023
70-79 14:04.2 Roy Barton 2003
80-89 15:31.6 Roy Barton 2005
90-99   (no entry)  
OVERALL 7:48.3 - Tie -
Matt Covington /
John Kerr		  
2001 /
2009

Women's Sit-Stand 120m 1
Age Group Time Name Year Set
0-12 14:57.1 Aven Bern 2022
13-16 15:10.4 Aven Bern 2023
17-19 14:47.0 Leen (Liz) Zubi 2023
20-29 7:50.4 Kateryna Medvedieva 2009
30-39 9:57.5 Katie Graham 2016
40-49 11:43.8 Katie Graham 2023
50-59 10:03.1 Susan Souby 2006
60-69 13:06.3 Susan Souby 2015
70-79   (no entry)  
80-89   (no entry)  
90-99   (no entry)  
OVERALL 7:50.4 Kateryna Medvedieva 2009

1 Individual Age Group records for Sit-Stand Contests started
  in 2001. Previously, only Overall records were recorded.

Please congratulate these record holders when you meet them!

 
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Page Last Updated on August 5, 2023