Congratulations to Arc'athlete Craig DeMartino, who recently won the Paraclimbing Competition at this year's American Bouldering Series Nationals. Here is his wrap-up report:

"Now that the chalk has settled and I'm back home, I'm super stoked on the happenings of the past weekend. This was the first time that USA Climbing had a paraclimbing comp here in the US. We had our own division in the Citizens National on Saturday and had seven climbers from all over the US come in to compete.

The vibe was one of support and competition, which is how I like things to be. The men had a group of five strong climbers (after much convincing, my buddy Pablo, who crushes, entered and did just what I thought he would do – crush!) He placed second in a tie with Ronnie Dickson from Florida. Third place went to Perry from Atlanta, a below-the-knee amputee who also gets up the rocks with amazing grace and power.

For my part, I was fortunate to win the event, and it is so amazing to me the amount of support I receive from the other climbers at the comps. I climbed alongside regular climbers and we worked problems together, feeding off one another's beta and psych. This being the first comp here, it made it extra special to win, and it sets me up for the path to return to the Paraclimbing Worlds next year in Spain.

For now, I'm enjoying the win, but as usual, I'm already starting the training program for the Mountain Games in June, and the championships in Spain. I'm just not good at sitting around!"

Photo by Merrick Ales Photography.