Riley Doherty hopes she can take her passion to new heights. The 16-year-old Grade 11 student E.L. Crossley Secondary School is a sport climber, and in three short years has scrambled to the top of the heap in her age group for lead climbing in Ontario. Now she has her sights set on the podium at the Youth National Championships in Montreal, May 16-21.
Doherty had found herself looking for an activity – she had been a dancer and had trained in martial arts, but neither tickled her fancy. Then her family visited Gravity Niagara in St. Catharines.
“It was just before COVID. The gym opened as we moved to St. Catharines and we went one day, Doherty said. “I just started climbing and I was okay at it. We just started coming — a lot. We would come once or twice a week.”
No longer just “okay at it,” Doherty has found herself looking forward to taking the next step. She now is in training three times a week at Gravity’s St. Catharines and Hamilton locations.
In sport climbing, athletes compete at two different disciplines—lead climbing (scaling a rock wall with a rope and the help of a stationary second, or “belayer,” who ensures a climber’s safety) and bouldering, a form of free climbing. For the latter, Doherty is ranked No. 4.
Sport climbing was introduced as an Olympic sport for the 2020 Games in Tokyo. While making it to that stage is a dream, Doherty is squarely focused on the present.
“Right now, it’s the nationals,” she said. “We leave in a week, but the Olympics would be a big goal, but we’ve got to get to World Cups first. Then maybe we'll make it to the big stage.”
Riley’s abilities were first spotted by Liz Maffett, a coach at Gravity. The rest, as is often said, is history.
“She emailed my dad, Doherty said. “My parents were like, maybe there's a little bit of potential.”
Honestly, the goal is just to go and have fun and try
Maffett, meanwhile, said Doherty has the ingredients to succeed in the sport.
“I think the Riley is a super-hard worker. She sets really good goals for herself and works hard to achieve them.”
Doherty, meanwhile, has her goals set for the championships but is being cautious.
“Honestly, the goal is just to go and have fun and try,” she said. “Performance-wise, I want to podium for the lead nationals. And maybe make the semifinals for bouldering, but it isn't really my super-duper strong suit.”
Maffett, meanwhile, said a spot on the podium at the nationals is not out of the question.
“I’m really excited to see how she can do,” she said.
And while Doherty said bouldering isn’t her strong suit, Maffett disagrees and said a semifinal berth is achievable.
“As much as she’s good at lead — and she’s really good at lead — she’s a strong boulderer as well.”
Doherty’s mom, Krissy, said while the sport is competitive, the community surrounding it is like one big family.
“The best part about it is everybody in this climbing community is so supportive of one another,” she said. “The parents and other gyms and other climbers, they're all rooting for everybody.”
And dad Stephen, meanwhile keeps Riley on her toes. Father and daughter have a friendly competition going.
“We have a trophy at our house — it’s just like a $1 store trophy,” Doherty said, flashing a big smile. “But it's like the house championship. He always challenges me for it, but he loses.”
