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ITCC: 25 Years of Climbing Championships
By Bailey Hudson, ISA Vice President
This is not a historical view of the tree climbing competition. As one of the
co-founders of what has evolved into the International Tree Climbing Championship (ITCC),
my focus is an assessment of the changes in contestants’ perceptions and attitudes. I also
briefly discuss some of the changes in equipment.
Arboricultural historian Donald Blair found evidence of organized tree
climbing contestants as early as 1951. Perhaps those climbers were the grandfathers of some
of today’s contestants. In 1973, Dick Alvarez, then-owner of Arbor Tree Surgery in
Atascadero, California, and I collaborated to develop the first contest. My role was to
develop rules and a scoring system. Being a former bareback bronc rider in rodeos, I
attempted to use the rodeo scoring system. A disaster! We decided to make up the rules and
scoring as the contest unfolded. Another disaster!
Early contests, which we called tree trimmer jamborees, generally attracted
the eucmen—the tough, hard-headed, muley people who were great climbers but lacked extensive
technical knowledge. There were occasional fistfights and arguments, and if a pre-registered
contestant didn’t show up for the contest, we likely would check the local jail (just
kidding). Regardless of the disagreements, an unspoken closeness prevailed among early
contestants—much the same as it does today.
Yes, there has been an evolution in contestants’ attitudes, skills, and
equipment choices. Gone are the days of one D-ring on the safety saddle and one snap on the
climbing line. Tree-paint cans and jars also have disappeared. An unsecured footlock has
given way to the security of the Prusik loop, ascenders, and taglines. We also see a
variety of snaps, screw links, carabiners, small pieces of rope, and other hardware hanging
from the safety saddles of contestants.
It is not my intention to sound like an old mossback. I don’t yet order Geritol
on the rocks, nor do I yet pray for a good prune juice harvest, but I often wonder what all
that stuff hanging from the safety saddles is for! Today’s contestant in the ITCC must be
better trained and educated just to figure out how all the equipment is used.
Obviously, today’s competitors are more sophisticated than the early ones.
They are technically informed and are interested in researching new and better methods and
equipment.
I observed a change in contestant mentality around the time of the first
international competition, in 1976. The champion that year was Tom Gosnell, a soft-spoken,
well informed tree worker from Santa Barbara, California. Then came the other bright
stars, Sam Noonan, Bo Hunter, and others. Bo Hunter remains the record holder of an
unsecured footlock at 40 feet in 10.68 seconds! In recent years, we have seen other great
champions, such as Ken Palmer and Rip Tompkins, turn their climbing skills into a successful
tree-worker training business.
In terms of personality, that muley mental toughness remains along with the
cockiness, the need for an adrenaline rush, and an abundance of testosterone (although with
the first women’s championship coming up in August, I might have to revise that third phrase).
I can say this with confidence because I was one of them and remain one at heart.
In addition to the fun and camaraderie, the ITCC has nurtured many friendships,
improved safety techniques, and fostered development of new equipment. Best of all, the
people with callused hands and stinking boots are finally being recognized for their skill
and hard work.
The ITCC also might offer an opportunity to scientifically study the tree
worker. We spend a tremendous amount of money researching the worksite of the tree worker.
In other words, we research the tree but not the worker. Who is the tree worker? What is his
or her educational background? Does height or weight make a difference in safety? What
training do tree workers need to be safe workers? There are many unanswered questions about
tree workers, which in my opinion is an unexplored area of research.
See y’all in Milwaukee!
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International Society of Arboriculture
