Meet Theresa Morris | Executive Director of the ASCL

We had the good fortune of connecting with Theresa Morris and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Theresa, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
As an outdoor educator in public schools for my career, starting a competitive climbing league felt like a natural progression of bringing indoor sport climbing to student-athletes. I saw indoor climbing gyms as a way to introduce the sport and teach youth athletes the skills needed to safely injoy the sport as well as find their community. The American Scholastic Climbing League was created in May of 2018 following a ten-year successful run of the Colorado High School Climbing League which three teachers, including myself, and one gym owner started. (Rob Gilbert – Fountain Valley School, Dave Meyer – Colorado Rocky Mountain School and Lara Grosjean – owner of CityRock)

The League’s intention is to foster the best aspects of climbing in middle and high school students. It is an opportunity to connect all the middle and high school climbers in the state in an atmosphere of positive competition. The point is to be inclusive and emphasize community, perseverance, trust, and support. The League is not about winning or preparing individual students for the Olympics. It is about individuals and teams specifically connected to their middle and high schools working together to support student growth, camaraderie, and healthy connection with other students also embracing the sport. The point is to help students be their best selves while climbing. It is the climbers against the routes on the wall, not climbers trying to beat each other. Please help us keep the sport and the League fun, healthy, and positive.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I was a teacher in the Cherry Creek School District since 1992 and retired in 2022. I taught middle (10yrs) and high school (20yrs) where I introduced outdoor education in the two schools I worked. This allowed me to bring non-traditional physical education classes to students.
By bringing experiential education to the two schools, I was able to connect with traditional athletes and non-traditional athletes and connect them to Colorado via rock and ice climbing, kayaking and rafting, scuba diving, hiking and overall backcountry living and environmental education.
In order to do this, I wrote many grants and held many fundraisers to buy equipment and train staff. I had to create curriculum that met educational standards while educating administrators, insurance companies and educational boards of the value of a non-traditional program.

The ASCL is the only nationwide youth climbing league for beginning to intermediate youth athletes. (The other national program is USA Climbing for the elite level athletes).

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take them to Casa Bonita for sure! How can you miss cliff divers and Black Barts Cave – classic!

As far as intertainment, we would climb at the various crags around Colorado: Flatirons; Garden of the Gods; Eldorado Canyon; Rifle, etc. It would be a traveling adventure of climbing mixed in with seasonal events such as ice climbing in Lake City or Ouray; rafting on the Arkansas or Colorado Rivers; exploring Rocky Mountain Nationa Park; and backcountry skiing.

Red Rocks to see live music.

The list could go on because Colorado has spectacular sites, great food and yummy adult beverages.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The ASCL is a team effort!
We have 5 Regional Directors in Colorado: Perri Davis, Liz Donaldson, Corey Lans, Larry Moore (owner of Eagle Climbing + Fitness) and Dave Meyer. And previous RD’s: Rob Gilbert, Lara Grosjean – (owner of CityRock), Jen Vidal and Sean Keirns). All teachers doing this in addition to their full time teaching and coaching positions.

In Arkansas: State Director Sharon Bennett (business woman); Regional Directors: Blane McClellan (teacher) and Charlotte Lunday (business woman).

Tennessee: Regional Director Hailey Cassie (youth coordinator at The Crag)

Ohio: Regional Directors Andrea Glassman (parent) and Noah Hardwick (owner of Elite Performance Climbing)

Our Registrar and IT specialist: Chuck Lutz (teacher, parent and coach)

Website: https://climbtheleague.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scholasticclimbingleague/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/climbtheleague.org

Image Credits
Izzy Orner
Felicia Orner
Lorraine Lutz
Theresa Morris