Vance Stanfield of the Bend Endurance Academy placed seventh at the USA Climbing Youth National Championships in Salt Lake City.

Vance Stanfield became the second Bend Endurance Academy climber this year to place in the top 10 at the USA Climbing Youth National Championships in Salt Lake City.

Stanfield, a 16-year-old who began training in rock climbing in Anchorage, Alaska, when he was 10 years old, made a big jump in his second trip to nationals with a seventh-place finish, improving on last year’s 11th-place finish.

“I knew I had the potential for the top 10,” Stanfield said “I think climbing is a unique sport in where you never know how you are going to use your different skills.”

The youth nationals started on July 7 and concluded on July 14. Stanfield was there for the duration of the event where he also placed 17th in the lead/top rope event.

But bouldering — a form of free climbing where climbers scale the wall mostly horizontally and do not use ropes or harnesses — proved to be Stanfield’s specialty in Salt Lake City.

Only 20 climbers advance from the qualifying round to the semifinal round. Stanfield just made the cut with a 19th-place finish in the 51-person qualifying round.

But in the semifinal round, Vance vaulted up to third place heading into the final round, where he finished seventh.

Part of the reason why Stanfield shot up the leaderboard was due to the change in the competition’s format from the qualifying round to the semifinal round. The climbers don’t get to see the wall and its routes (problems) prior to scaling the wall, they have to figure it out on the fly.

The years of training and the mock climbs at Bend Endurance Academy paid dividends on rock climbing’s biggest stage.

“I didn’t think I climbed particularly better (than the qualifying round),” Stanfield said. “It just suited my skill set more. The whole idea was going out and having fun and putting on the best show that I could. Part of what I contribute I think the mock rounds and insight in competition climbing from my coaches has helped me a lot.”

Stanfield secured a spot on the U.S. Development Team, which gives him the opportunity to go to camps and train at the USA Climbing National Training Center in Salt Lake City with the best athletes and coaches — joining fellow Bend Endurance Academy climber Nathaniel Perullo who earned a spot on the team after placing eighth in the lead/top rope event earlier in the in the week.

Additionally, three additional Bend Endurance Academy athletes competed in the bouldering and speed competitions at nationals.

In the junior bouldering division, Will Hunzicker placed 30th out of 54 climbers. Drew Childers placed 41st in bouldering to go along with a 37th place in the lead/top rope event earlier in the week. Soren Hasselblad placed 32nd in the bouldering and 36th in the speed competition.

“We are so proud of all our athletes who competed in boulder and speed,” said Cate Beebe, the climbing director of the Bend Endurance Academy. “It’s taken so much dedication, patience and passion to get these athletes to where they are today. We applaud the sheer effort they’ve put in this year.”

Bend climbers fare well at USA Climbing Youth Nationals in Salt Lake City