Going up to make one’s dreams come true

Traveling around Europe with the Polish national team and kids from the club, I dreamed that someday a European-class climbing facility would also be built in my hometown. Driving past the abandoned buildings of the Rozbark coal mine every day, I always thought it was, after all, the perfect place for such an investment. A climbing center would fit perfectly in the post-industrial space. And that’s how it all started.

Thanks to an EU grant, construction works began in 2018. The biggest challenge and surprise for everyone was the poor technical condition of the post-mining buildings of the “Bończyk" shaft, boiler house and switchgear. It was a huge test of perseverance for us. Nevertheless, all obstacles were overcome and after four years the Climbing and Strength Sports Center was finally developed. It is one of the largest facilities of this type in Poland and one the most modern in Europe. Today, sports enthusiasts can use here indoor and outdoor climbing walls with a total area of more than 3,000 square meters. For fans of hard training, system walls have been created – Kilter Board and Beast Board. There is also a bouldering gym, parkour, and street workout zones, an off-road running track as well as gyms (indoor and outdoor) and a sauna. We have also set up a special zone for kids, where they can take their first steps in climbing. It has illuminated, visually appealing walls dedicated to the youngest. The complex also offers conference and hotel building. Modern infrastructure has created the conditions for us to hold competitions, championships and groupings.

The deteriorating monuments have been given their second life. The most spectacular element directly referring to old mining traditions is a sequence of corridors at the entrance resembling a miner’s walkway with graphics by local artists from the “Szczypta Koloru" group. In the strength sports training section, we preserved the original mine brick and clinker. By saving the post-mining buildings, we have saved an important fragment/chapter of our city’s history and today our Center is a great showcase of Bytom.

Rozbark is a district of Bytom where various social problems have built up over the years. Unemployment, poverty and the exclusion that goes with them are just a few examples. The consequences affect a sizable portion of the local community. They are particularly hard for the youngest, who do not have the same opportunities and possibilities as their peers in the region's more developed or wealthier neighborhoods and cities. Learning difficulties, low self-esteem, depression, high anxiety combined with low motivation – these are the most common problems diagnosed among children and adolescents coming from families at risk of social exclusion.

For years, members of our club have consistently undertaken activities that help shape good role models among young people through sports. The creation of the Climbing and Strength Sports Center has given us a new space to do it. We have set up a community center at the complex, where children from ages 8 to 15 can receive help with homework and take math, general development, language, and movement expression classes. We also organize art and theater classes here, as well as speech therapy. They are complemented by workshops conducted in the form of backyard work using a mobile climbing wall. All of these activities help young people spend their time in a way that is attractive, safe and healthy at the same time. Practicing sports satisfies the need for exciting experiences, and thus reduces risky behavior among young people, including reaching for dangerous addictive substances. To prepare young people for being responsible adults, we also implement citizenship workshops. Teachers organize trips to the cinema, theater and amusement parks. A hot meal is provided to the children every day. A total of thirty of Rozbark’s youngest residents are supported here.

Our kids deserve a better, brighter future. We hope that the work and commitment of educators will allow them to overcome many barriers, discover their unique potential, develop interests, strengthen family and peer bonds.

When I was a child, I was training football. Unfortunately, a serious injury ended my adventure with this sport. I loved being active and I missed it, so I had to find a new discipline. I saw some documentary on TV about climbing, which seemed very interesting and since I lived near the climbing wall, I decided to check what it was like. Today, climbing is my passion. With unflagging enthusiasm I have been doing this for eleven years and with “Skarpa Bytom” Sports Club for five.

The Climbing and Strength Sports Center is one of the best complexes of its kind in Poland. It stands out for the size and versatility of its offer. The new infrastructure makes it possible to train all climbing disciplines (leading, bouldering, time climbing). In this sport, it is not only physical fitness and finger strength that matters, but also overall endurance, dynamics or movement technique. And don’t forget the head, yes, yes, the psyche is equally important here.

I enjoy sharing my knowledge and skills with the kids at the local community center. I enjoy working with people who don’t yet know what climbing is. It’s gratifying to watch them learn about the sport, enjoy their successes, and get involved.

In my classes, I mainly try to make sure that children have a fun and active time. I want them to learn the basics of climbing techniques and, if they think it’s something for them, to learn how to climb the wall. Everybody can find something interesting in climbing. You can take it as a challenge and an opportunity to compete with others, but it can be also an enjoyable way to actively spend time with friends. I try to show kids that playing sports not only toughens the body, but also teaches discipline, time management and cooperation. This is a perfect way to self-improvement and breaking our limits. Climbing for many of them can become the beginning of new wonderful journeys around the world. I also try to develop children’s other interests, and I always adapt the activities to their needs and skills.