3. Rock Climbing Wall

       Housed inside the newly expanded Student Recreation Center is my favorite place to work out and go to after all the relaxation time, the Climbing Wall. Once swiped into the 20,000 sq. ft. on campus fitness space, walking to the right of the building a student or guest would be able to see the huge climbing area. The wall stands approximately 28 feet high and can be seen from the first and second level of the gym. An individual who is running on the track upstairs may even be able to have a conversation with a climber almost to the top!

         The Climbing Wall has routes that vary in difficulty, it is ideal for those individuals who are trying it for their first time but it is still a great wall for those who are ready to try to make it over the difficult overhang. For a student climbing on the wall, it is a free experience and all equipment needed can be signed out at the desk located inside the climbing area. Any individual that is climbing will need a belayer, which is the person on the ground attached to the climber's ropes. For the UNCW Climbing Wall the belayer will need to be belayed certified with UNCW, having certification elsewhere is acknowledged for experience but this specific wall requires the belayer to know it's specific procedures which means they must take the course through UNCW's Seahawk Adventures. I have taken this course and it is simply a 2 hours class, which I took on a Saturday, where I learned the rules of the wall and how to safely tie the correct knots and belayer the climber. Once the course is completed one must wait 24 hours and then go take a test on what they learned by showing a Climbing Wall employee the correct execution. I did this with my boyfriend last weekend and now I can go in and belay any student or guest who wants to climb. For a guest to climb, they have to pay the $5.00 recreation center fee but they also have access to all the equipment for free.