Meet the Team: Roz Whiteley

Let’s talk about a super strong lady you will have seen around the centre. Introducing Roz, originally from Horsham and a complete crusher on the wall. At just nineteen, she is one of the hardest climbers on the Volume 1 team, and can handle even the most demanding of coffee lovers in the café when on shift! Roz is currently taking part in co director Ben’s route setting mentoring programme, and she kindly gave me some time to talk about that and how she got into climbing.

How did you start climbing and when?
I started climbing when I was about seven or eight. I had tried climbing on various school trips and days out and loved it every time, so my parents got me started on the kids club at a local wall. After a little while I started climbing more frequently and eventually got into training and competing.

Did you instantly know climbing was your 'thing' or did you do a lot of other sports as well?
Before I started climbing I had tried quite a few different sports – things like tennis, trampolining and gymnastics. I liked these but they didn’t really hook me so I would stop and try something different after a while. Once I started climbing it was obvious that it was the sport I enjoyed the most.

What are your hopes and dreams for your climbing?
At the moment I’m quite unsure about this. I know I want to continue to push and improve my climbing but I’m not sure in what form I want that to take. In the past I have done a fair bit of competing in youth categories, but I am undecided as to whether I want to continue competing in senior competitions, or whether I’d rather just train and climb for myself.

Tell us a bit about getting into route setting at Volume 1.
Since starting work here I have been lucky enough to get involved with some route setting, which is an experience I am really enjoying. It is something I have always wanted to do but I never really thought I’d be able to. So it’s great to start to try my hand at it, with some help and guidance from Ben R and Ben P who are both very accomplished setters. I am loving the new challenge that it presents and it’s great to start to be creative with holds and moves. Up until now I’ve only set a handful of problems at the centre, but I have been fairly happy with how they have turned out, and it’s lovely to see people climbing and enjoying these blocs. Fingers crossed I’ll get more opportunities to set so I can continue to learn and improve.

Where do you see yourself in five years time – still working in the industry?
This is a question that I have never really had an answer to! Since finishing college last year, I have been a bit unsure as to what to do next. I love climbing and I am sure it will always be a part of my life. I have also really been enjoying working in the industry since Volume 1 opened, so I may well continue to work in climbing, I am just trying to figure out what other options I have and what I’d like to do in the future.