In Cherkasy, free rock climbing classes are held for military children

SOURCE: Суспільне Черкаси

In Cherkasy, 15 military children are learning mountaineering as part of the MiniBaseCamp sports initiative project.

The project started a month ago and will last until May 2025, Ivan Solodkyi, head of the family, youth and sports department, told Sospilny.

Eight-year-old Vadym Shyatiy came for the third time for climbing training. He shared his impressions: “You cling and they lift you up with a rope, and you grab onto special things and climb. It’s difficult because it puts a lot of pressure on your fingers, but everything is fine.”

Climbing is his old dream: “I immediately wanted to, because I knew that I would like to climb. I like to climb all kinds of mountains, all kinds of trees there.”

Now he has another dream: “I want to go boxing and I want to climb. So to speak, to become a boxing climber. I came up with it myself.”

His mother, Yuliya Shiyat, supports the boy in his studies: “He’s actually delighted, as long as we practiced martial arts, he has only one opinion about martial arts, and here he really likes it. He even expressed a desire to go to the mountains, before that they didn’t talk about going to the mountains.”

The son primarily shares his gains with his father, who is currently serving, Yulia said.

“He went to serve, he has been serving not too long ago – for half a year. He is currently at home, he arrived yesterday, so he is satisfied that his son is delighted to tell him about everything.”

Classes last an hour, climbing coach Vyacheslav Polezhaiko said.

“We run before starting the training, gymnastic warm-up, then a special warm-up that is adapted specifically for rock climbing, then directly the exercises themselves, climbing on the climbing wall.”

The children do the first classes on a smaller simulator, then they will move on to a ten-meter model of the Olympic climbing wall, the instructor explained.

“This is an Olympic sport, which has been included in the program since 2020. It is for classes with a coach, for classes in a group that we allow from the age of eight.”

The Mini Base Camp program to support defenders and their families has been in operation since October 2024 thanks to the cooperation of the regional military administration and the regional mountaineering and rock climbing federation with the !Mountain Seed Foundation,” said Ivan Solodkyi, head of the family, youth and sports department.

“On a free basis, a group of children whose parents are either serving or have served in the Armed Forces and they are engaged in mountain climbing is gathered. At the same time, or on another day, a group of psychologists can work with these parents or children.”

He added that the program will be in effect until May this year, and issues of further functioning will be clarified.