We talked with Luke Bloodworth, a senior at Mountain Brook High School, about his role as the founder of the school’s rock climbing club.
What motivated you to start a rock climbing club?
A lot of the clubs at the high school sporadically have functions leading up to homecoming. Once they have created a homecoming float and homecoming has come and gone, most of the clubs become essentially nonexistent. I wanted to offer a club to the student body whose sole purpose was not for just creating a homecoming float but instead giving them a club where they could also learn new skills and discover a unique extracurricular activity that many have never explored.
What else can you tell us about the club?
I have been able to acquire the endorsement of an American Climbing company and have them print the logo I designed for the club shirt on their high-quality climbing shirts.
We are also the first club in Mountain Brook history to have a homecoming float during our probationary year. We were able to convince the student government to lobby an amendment of the rules to the administration. The SGA representative that really helped us get this done was Ben Jackson, our SGA president.
How is your rock climbing club associated with Mountain Brook High School?
It is a school club, so when we climb as a group, we have a teacher sponsor present.
How many members does your group have?
We are still growing, but as of this moment in time we have around 132 members.
Does First Avenue Rocks give you any special deals?
Yes, they give us a discount. Anyone that is a member can purchase a $10 pass, whereas a normal day pass costs $16.
What other activities are you involved in at the high school?
Swimming and the rock climbing club take up the majority of my time. As for outside of the high school, I work at the climbing gym we climb at [First Avenue Rocks], and I do CrossFit.
What is your favorite class this year?
AP Biology taught by Mrs. [Misty] King.
Once you graduate from Mountain Brook High School, what are your plans?
I haven’t completely planned out the next few years, as I am uncertain as to which college or university I will attend. I have thought about trying to attend Washington and Lee, as well as Richmond or Auburn. I also have thought about the possibility of enrolling into ROTC, as I wish to somehow serve my country, but the one thing I know for certain is that I hope to be successful in following the pre-medicine track and hopefully end up in medical school.
