A new gym is opening in Harrison, Arkansas.  This gym will be all about the art of movement:  Bouldering (indoor rock climbing), American Ninja Warrior training, parkour training.  It is Elevate Sports Gym.  Amanda Smith is the brains and the brawn behind all of it.  Ladies and Gentlemen, please meet Amanda Smith: owner of Elevate Sports Gym.

Get to know Amanda in 15 seconds:

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My favorite ice cream is chocolate for life.

If I could tame a wild animal and have it as a pet, I would have a Galapagos tortoise. They are pretty tame and low maintenance. I would want something that lives long enough to be a burden to others once I pass on.

There is no way I will ever eat veal.

The last good book I read was Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

If a rock climbing brand/company offered me 1 million dollar to tattoo their logo on both shoulders, I would be proud to display Organic Climbing.

I love their products and love the fact that they are made in the USA. Josh Helke’s story of small town innovation and helping ex-factory workers create again is inspiring. I grew up in a town that had a huge sewing industry background and when jobs went overseas, it hurt the livelihoods of many local families. The toll of that is still evident in my small hometown where more people are on welfare or disability and can’t make the income they had before.

HCRB:  How long have you been climbing?

Amanda:  I began climbing during graduate school about seven years ago.  At that time, I didn’t understand the true nature of climbing. I considered myself a gumby until about three years ago when I started to train and take climbing seriously. From rope handling to hangboard training, I want to learn it all.

HCRB: How did you get your start?

Amanda: I always wanted to rock climb from a young age but never had an outlet or the money to afford it. We didn’t have Internet in my home until I began college so it wasn’t something I could self-teach or join a ‘Facebook’ group…which didn’t exist at that time.

During my undergrad, I had an internship with a NASA program and we lived an hour from two climbing gyms. My friend and I drove twice a week to climb and from there we were hooked on plastic. When I returned to university, I was left again without a way to climb inside or outside for a few years until I moved to Columbia, Missouri for grad school. At school I would climb with the Mizzou Climbing Club and climbed maybe 4 or 5 times per week on Scrogg’s Peak at University Rec center.

HCRB: Where is your favorite place to climb outside?

Amanda: The Nutall Sandstone of the New River Gorge is my favorite.  It is so bomber and really fun to climb on. However, West Virginia can be harsh to find good weather to climb in. I have several favorites in Arkansas, but due to private landowners and access, I can’t really mention them here.

HCRB: Where is the one place you want to climb / boulder in the world that you haven’t been yet?

Amanda: Ah, so many. Hmm…because I’m multi-faceted; I sport, trad, and boulder; I would say Portrero Chico is attractive for the multipitch sport.

HCRB: What are the 3 essential items you bring with you on every climbing trip?

Amanda: Chalk, tape, and climbing shoes.

HCRB: You are opening a new climbing gym in Harrison Arkansas…tell us about Elevate?

Amanda: Elevate Sports Gym is inspired from the art of movement. We offer bouldering, a hangboard training area, American Ninja Warrior obstacles, and parkour-type obstacles.  And, we have many other things to come.

We wanted a space where you could do more than climbing because the market in Harrison can’t sustain a climbing gym alone.

We made Elevate attractive enough to become a community space. Harrison is getting ready to explode and it’s about time. A lot of new businesses would do well here because the area has been so stifled for so long.

HCRB: How long did it take you to get from idea to grand opening?

Amanda: Of course, opening a climbing gym is probably the dream of many climbers and we wished for it for a while. The idea really took shape this past winter (2014). The weather had been so nasty, wet, and disgusting in Arkansas that we spent three weeks trapped indoors!

We formed our LLC in January and started getting insurance ready from there. I participated in an eight week long business plan competition hosted by the Harrison Regional Chamber of Commerce. I sat down and hammered out most of the details and wrote a business plan that mostly focused on our guide service with plans for retail and indoor bouldering to be included in the future.

I won the competition; and with that came free retail space, two thousand dollars, free advertising and many other things.

HCRB: What has been the biggest obstacle to overcome in opening Elevate?

Amanda: Funding. My husband and I started reaching out to investors this past spring but no one was interested. I don’t think they thought we were serious. One business owner told me the whole idea was dumb and I should buy a portable climbing wall if I really wanted to climb so much.

Throughout the process we had many amazingly good luck things happen that saved us thousands of dollars. Some nice guy in Rogers, Arkansas gave us about a two thousand pounds of oak plywood with t-nuts installed. At least 90% of that is refurbished into the gym. Not in the bouldering wall, but it’s the front desk, part of our hanging minefield, part of the parkour, and part of the salmon ladder. We had someone donate a scissor lift to reach the ceiling. We had someone give us about 800 climbing holds. We had volunteer labor for the big projects.

What helped most was that Chad (my husband) is an amazing carpenter and understands how climbing walls should be built. He did a lot of the work by himself. The framing for the wall went up in about two weeks. Then we braced and installed the plywood panels.

HCRB: How do you think Elevate will help Harrison?

Amanda: We really want Elevate to become a meeting center for the youth here–from outdoor educational programs to movement classes.  I think a lot of youth could benefit from the activities at Elevate. Youth in Harrison have few options for after-school activities. The town seems to shut down around 7pm. There’s a skate park for them but a lot of the kids get harassed and aren’t allowed to be there after sundown.

There seems to be a huge generational gap in Harrison. The older generation can be very disconnected with activities, concepts, and growth. That causes the younger generation to want to move away from Harrison as soon as they can. They don’t realize you can float the Buffalo National River or go camping in amazing destinations or go rock climbing at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch.

I really want to help youth pursue big dreams and ideas. True climbing is being connected to the world around you and it’s a very valuable skill to have.

HCRB:  Tell me about the kids programs you’ll have at Elevate.

Amanda: We plan on offering a lot of membership incentives in the future as well as scholarship programs for youth to help them get involved in either climbing or movement classes.

HCRB: You also run Arkansas Climbing Services, tell us what that is?

Amanda: Arkansas Climbing Services is a guide service that offers outdoor climbing trips, rappelling, and guided hiking trips.

HCRB: Do you embrace a certain diet? How do you get yourself in peak climbing shape?

Amanda: Not really anything specific. With building this gym, our diet has been horrible. I don’t even want to tell because it’s so embarrassing. My husband and I usually try to eat veggies, fish, and chicken. If I could have salmon and Caesar salad everyday I would. We have a simple diet and try to cut down on most carbs and sugar. I was raised in the south, so my soda habit was awful for a long time. I used to go through three to five cans of soda a day, but when I met Chad, I cut 99% of that out of my diet.

HCRB: What do you think a new climber should do to get to that next level of ability?

Amanda: New climbers should focus on building technique. Watch your feet, focus on what you’re doing, and watch other climbers for beta. Realize that you have to concentrate on what your body is doing to stay locked in. It takes awhile to learn how to rotate your hips, drop knee, flag, heel hook, toe hook, etc, and new climbers should respect that agro strength won’t improve your climbing abilities.

HCRB: Do you think that women should train differently than men? How?

Amanda: It depends on where they are starting from physically. Everyone, men or women, has to have a solid foundation to climb well. I’ve met a lot of women who have never really used their bodies in that way. It takes work, technique, and perseverance.

The training I do is independent of gender. I always suggest body-weight workouts such as pullups, pushups, and plank exercises.   Then you can add light weight lifting.

HCRB: Do you have a suggestion for a beginner about the first gear they should purchase?

Amanda: I think the basics are climbing shoes, harness, locking carabiner, ATC and a chalkbag. Start out small and build your collection up. Get shoes that are comfortable. You’re not ready for the expensive, aggressive shoes.

HCRB: What words of wisdom can you share about relaxing and enjoying the outdoors?

Amanda: Be present in what you are doing. Try to let the past go and stop worrying about the future. Enjoy what is going on at the moment.

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