A project that started nearly a year-and-a-half ago has turned into a big hit for the Columbus community.
Cummins engineers Ilio Gonzalez, Bruno Pinnillos, Dimitar Totkov, Micah Uemura and Juan Valencia have given Columbus residents something they’ve never had before — a rock climbing facility. Columbus Rock Gym is located at 1551 Cottage Ave.
The five engineers wanted to build a rock gym that would suffice for the everyday rock climber, but also welcome beginners and children. That has been the goal since the grand opening on Oct. 3 that included Mayor Jim Lienhoop.
“Business was pretty good right off the bat,” Uemura said “We found that it got even better. Business sort of ramped up as people started to hear about us. Even months in, some people were finding out, ‘Oh we didn’t know that you guys opened. How long have you guys been open for?’ … It’s continued to gradually build even on top of that as people hear about us.”
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A padded floor sits at the bottom of the climbing walls for safety purposes. The rock gym has a kids section for children to climb, also.
The kids wall was something that had to be added to the original plan during the planning process after the community expressed so much interest in a kids section. Uemura said he is surprised at how many kids actually come to climb.
Part of the reason could be because of the discounted family pricing the gym offers. Parents get 10 percent off their membership price, while the children’s price is 50 percent off for up to four kids.
Columbus resident Deborah Staebler has had a membership with her 4- and 6 year-old daughters for about two months now. She bought the membership to get through the winter and said they absolutely love spending time there.
“It’s perfect for rainy and muggy days,” Staebler said. “… I love the setup. The girls often come in the (bigger section) too because they want to try the harder routes, but everybody is really respectful and loves to have them around, and they’re really respectful to the climbers. It really is a community atmosphere.”
Staebler is more of a yoga person than a rock climber, but has traveled to the rope gym in Bloomington a few times. She no longer has to do that, and neither does 29-year-old Adam Good, who’s been rock climbing since he was 19.
Good has been a member since the gym opened and saves a lot of gas money staying in town versus driving to Indianapolis or Bloomington like he was forced to do before. He also gets more bang for his buck with his Columbus Rock Gym membership because the short distance allows him to come climb a lot more frequently.
“The quality is great. They have some really good setters,” Good said. “Having people with a lot of higher level experience is good to set the routes, so the quality is up there. My older sister has four young kids, and we’ve brought them here a few times. It’s great for us older guys who want to try hard stuff, but you can bring some kids in and they’ll have a great time too. It’s for everybody, really.”
Good’s 60-year-old father even visited the gym and had a good time. Rock climbing isn’t the only type of workout members can enjoy at the gym. It has an upstairs portion that holds a fitness section and lounge area.
The fitness section includes treadmills, a bench press/squat rack, free weight dumbbells and a cable machine. A number of customers come to the gym and get all the workout they need from the rock climbing, but there are others who still prefer to get in their traditional workout session, and the fitness center allows for them to do both in one location.
The upstairs portion also has a view where parents or whomever doesn’t feel like climbing can sit and watch their children climb from a higher view. The lounge area is another place for people to sit and hangout. It has a ping pong table and a Nintendo 64, along with a coffeemaker and microwave.
The five owners have received positive feedback from customers who appreciate their efforts of bringing a rock gym to their town.
“That’s the best feeling,” Pinnillos said. “When somebody comes and tells you, ‘Thank you for opening the gym. Dude, you have no idea how much this means to me.’ That’s what people tell us twice, maybe three times a week. Just hearing that once in a day makes your day. It feels like you did them a really big favor. You’re kind of happy for that. It kind of makes you proud.”
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Address: 1551 Cottage Ave
Phone: 812-799-3193.
Owners: Ilio Gonzalez, Bruno Pinnillos, Dimitar Totkov, Micah Uemura, Juan Valencia
Unlimited Memberships: $39/month (12 months); $44/month (three months); $49/month (one month). Parents are 10 percent off each, and children (up to four kids) are 50 percent off for family membership pricing.
Day Passes: $12 (one day); $10 (one-day pass for students, children 12 years-and-younger, military/EMT and groups of six or more); $70 (Rock Block, seven-visit punch card)
Shoe rental: $3.50
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