Climbers ready to take competition to new heights

· Yahoo Sports

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — The Annual Tree Climbing Championship will be held all weekend, where people can compete in any five events.

One participant said he’s spent many hours training. 

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“I’ll just go to a park like this, and I’ll start setting up in a tree and just be in it for hours at a time. At any given day,” said Cameron Hughes, a Quad City competitor.

Hughes has won several first-place awards in similar competitions like this one and has taken his skills to the next level. 

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“Last October, went to New Zealand to compete internationally,” said Hughes. “I’m hoping to get that international spot again.”

Competitors have traveled hours across the Midwest for a chance at winning.

For some, like Issaac Sandridge, from Kansas City, Missouri, this is his first time competing.

“I was selected just based off of my climbing experience and my climbing capabilities and abilities,” said Sandridge.

But Sandridge said, at the end of the day, it’s all about safety.

“Make sure that we practice safety every day, because safety is a big thing here. That’s something that we apply on a daily basis,” said Sandridge. 

The Iowa Arborist Association is holding the event. The main events will be tomorrow and the finals on Sunday.

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