Chris Sharma to Compete in first Open Nationals since 2009!

Just months after its grand opening, Sender One has been named host facility of the 2014 Sport Climbing Series (SCS) Open National Championships, the United States' premier sport climbing competition. Sender One owner Chris Sharma, one of the world's best climbers, will make his first appearance in the competition since 2009.
The competition-climbing world will converge on Santa Ana on April 4th and 5th as the country’s best professional climbers compete in sport and speed climbing, with the top finishers eligible to move on to the World Cup circuit and World Championships.
The event will be internationally webcast by USA Climbing. Sender One is the newest world-class climbing gym in the United States and opened
to widespread acclaim in June 2013. Located in Orange County, California, Sender One’s 25,000 square foot facility features, among other things, dramatically designed climbing walls and surfaces up to 50 feet in height. Sender One will host a Vendor Village outside the gym that will feature displays by the top climbing and outdoor product companies as well as local, southern California-based partners.
Mary-Clare Brennan, USA Climbing CEO, states, “USA Climbing is extremely pleased to partner with Sender One to host the SCS Open National Championships at their facility in 2014. We expect 2014 to be a landmark year for this event and for the sport of climbing.”
“I’m really excited and proud that my gym, Sender One, will be hosting SCS Nationals,” shares Chris Sharma. “It’ll be great to have all of the country’s best climbers here sharing their love for the sport and putting on a great show for Southern California as well as the rest of the country. It will be a great time! I’m also excited to compete and see if I can give the young’uns a run for their money!” USA Climbing and Sender One will release more information as the event
approaches.

If you are a vender an interested in taking part in the vendor village please email info@senderoneclimbing.com

Spectating is highly encouraged and will be a blast!

Will you be giving away a Passat in honor of Chris's favorite car?

Who is this Chris Sharma guy?

gotta dance, man

youtube.com/watch?v=PEm8DfP…

Who cares?

Hope the route setters can actually be impartial and don't set something that some one with initimate local knowledge (oh I don't know - like maybe the boss) of say a subtle feature, might gain an advantage.

I don't know Sharma at all outside of his rep and vids but I highly doubt he would have setters make any advantage for him. He just doesn't seem like that kind of boss/climber

USA Climbing brings in its setters for professional/junior comps.

I was mostly being facetious. I don't think there would be any intentioned attempt to game the routes and I certainly don't think that Chris would condone it. However there are a couple of real issues:

1. There is definitely an advantage to a competitor when the competion is at their home "court". Beyond just a general familairity with the surroundsings there is an advantage having intimate knowledge of the specific features.

2. Yes there are "official" independent setters brought in but they typically work in conjunction with theb local crew.

But again I am not implying that anything intentionally dishonest will happen.