Pre-Nationals Performance Camp

Join us for a Pre-Nationals Performance Camp at the Youth National Championship host facility, Portland Rock Gym Beaverton! Preview the lanes, test out the walls, and learn from some of the nation’s top coaches, setters, and athletes.

This camp, running June 13-18, will focus on scenarios, tactics, and skills that will help tune in athletes and prepare them for what they may encounter at Nationals. We are focusing on quality over quantity in the sets, and conversations over commands in coaching.

Athletes will not feel like they were run through a random climbing fitness camp; instead of being wrecked, nervous, or underprepared the week before the championship event they will leave feeling excited, empowered, and confident in the skills they’ve worked on over the past year and throughout the training camp.

Athletes may train in any disciplines that they are qualified for. The training sessions will be set up so that athletes will learn and progress whether they’re only there for one discipline or are moving between multiple. Camp will run from approximately 9:30am-4:00pm with an hour lunch break each day. A finalized schedule will be available before the first day. This camp will run 2 days on, 1 day off, 3 days on; athletes will be at the gym Friday, Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday with a break day on Sunday.

Coach and Setter Bios

Alex “AJ” Johnson has over twenty years of personal competition experience. She grew up competing in the youth circuit; from youth locals, winning Youth Nationals, to earning Youth Worlds medals in multiple disciplines. On the adult circuit, she has had one of the longest most successful competitive careers in America, winning her first Open Bouldering National Championship in 2003 at age thirteen, and making finals in 2022 at age 33.

AJ has made fifteen Bouldering Nationals finals in her sixteen years competing in Open from 2002 to 2022. Internationally, she spent many years on the US National team competing on the IFSC World Cup circuit and has multiple World Cup Gold and Silver Medals. AJ has been passionate about providing professional-level coaching and instruction since 2011 through youth and adult clinics, national training camps, private lessons, assistant coaching, and as a full-time head coach.

With unparalleled experience, and a highly intentional approach to competing, you can expect advanced round strategies, in-depth movement analysis, mindset preparation, and instruction on a vast variety of techniques and performance tactics.

Mike Rougeux is a highly experienced climbing coach with 20 years dedicated to high- performance athlete development. As the Head Competition Team Coach at Bend Endurance Academy, he has coached numerous athletes to success on the USA Climbing Youth and Elite National Teams, including over 10 Youth National Team members, three National Champions, and countless podium finishes at Regional and Divisional levels.

Mike has coached athletes at the highest levels of competition, including USA Climbing Elite Nationals, Elite Team Trials, and the 2021 IFSC Youth World Championships, where U.S. athletes earned 10 medals, including four golds. His expertise extends beyond coaching, having overseen the build-out of a premier 6,000 sq. ft. climbing training facility and contributing to climbing coach education through workshops and presentations. Passionate about athlete and coach development, Mike continues to shape the future of competitive climbing.

Gabe Olson has been coaching climbing for 16 years and is the Head Coach at PRG. Gabe has worked with athletes of all levels, including World Cup and Olympic competitors. Staying current with exercise science, Gabe meets athletes where they are and guides them to where they want to be through testing, coaching, programming, and mental preparation. Gabe is a passionate and talkative guy who is always excited to share his knowledge and experiences with athletes and coaches.

Gary Mattos started rock climbing in 2007 at his hometown crag and immediately knew that he found his passion. He has been routesetting for more than a decade now and feels that he has truly found a craft that inspires him and allows him to give back to the climbing community. The routesetting he finds most enjoyable, interesting, and rewarding has been with youth championship events.

Gary believes that climbing is a skill sport that needs to be honed and that good routesetting can make all the difference. You will see a wide range of climbing styles and nuances in his routesetting along with a lot of challenge and fun.

Molly started climbing in 1993 and was instantly hooked. Her passion for learning movement and problem solving swiftly lead to routesetting and coaching work in 1995. She earned her L5 National Chief Routesetter certification in 2008 and has set for 35 national level events over her career. Molly loves Mexican cuisine, chainsaws, and Hello Kitty almost as much as her impact driver.

Camp Policies

Spectating:
- To enhance the effectiveness of our training sessions, family members are not allowed to observe during camp hours. This policy helps athletes stay focused and ensures that sessions operate smoothly. We appreciate your support in creating a concentrated environment for the athletes' development and success. Family members are welcome to join during lunch breaks, but we kindly ask that you avoid entering the gym at other times.
No Phone Zone Policy
- Athletes must adhere to the No Phone Zone Policy, in which phones, earbuds, headphones, and other electronic devices are prohibited during training sessions, unless being used as a training tool by coach permission.
- Phones may only be used during snack and lunch breaks.
Code of Conduct
- All athletes are expected to follow gym rules and staff instruction at all times. All athletes, coaches, setters, and staff should aim to uphold the utmost respect, responsibility, safety, and kindness.
Safety and Compliance
- Portland Rock Gym follows all USA Climbing SafeSport Guidelines and MAAPP protocols. Learn more: USA Climbing SafeSport Guidelines

Refund Policies

Standard Refund Policy
- 50% Refund: Cancellations made by May 16th qualify for a 50% refund.
- No Refund: Cancellations made May 17th or later are not eligible for a refund.
- All refund requests must be made via email to team@portlandrockgym.com
Ineligibility Policy
- Athletes registered for the training camp who are ineligible to attend because they do not meet Nationals eligibility requirements will forfeit a $250 deposit. This request must be made no later than June 5th.
Nationals Eligibility Refund Policy
- If an athlete is qualified for one or more disciplines at registration, and chooses not to attend the camp because they did not qualify in an additional discipline, they will not be eligible for refunds outside of the Standard Refund Policy.
- For example: an athlete has qualified for Bouldering, but does not qualify for Sport. This athlete decides not to attend the training camp because they will not be competing at Nationals in both disciplines. This athlete is only eligible for the Standard Refund policy, not the Ineligibility Policy.
Refunds Due to Special Circumstances
- In certain cases of medical emergencies or family emergencies (such as the athlete or an immediate family member needing medical treatment), athletes may request a partial or full refund after providing appropriate documentation when needed.
- Requests must be submitted in writing and we request they are made no later than 7 days before the start of camp.
No-Show and Non-Attendance Policy
- If an athlete does not attend the camp for any reason without prior notice, no refund will be given.

Contact Information

Waitlist and Additional Information
- A waitlist will be created once the camp is full. Waitlisted athletes should be prepared for last-minute openings.
To join the waitlist, email team@portlandrockgym.com with the following:
- Parent and athlete’s names (first and last)
- Athlete’s age, gender category, region, and competition discipline/s
- Contact Email
For questions or to join the waitlist, please email: team@portlandrockgym.com

Pre-Nationals Performance Camp

Coach and Setter Bios

Camp Policies

Refund Policies

Contact Information

Hours

NE Portland

Beaverton

PORTLAND ROCK GYM