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AMERICAN BOULDERING SERIES NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP Ashlander boulders on High school junior traveling to Wisconsin for climbing contest Comment By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Jan. 23, 2015 at 7:50 PM By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Jan. 23, 2015 at 7:50 PM » Social News When 17-year old Dakota Nidalmia is climbing a rock wall, he says his mind is empty, not thinking about how to do it, just operating on instinct. It’s called “bouldering.” It’s not rock climbing with ropes. When bouldering, you’re exposed to falling if you misstep — and it’s something this Ashland High School junior has grown to love over the past six years, as he’s gotten ready for the nationals in his sport. With amazing confidence, Dakota crawls around a near-vertical overhang at Rogue Rock Gym in Medford, then springs out in mid-air — it’s called a “dyno” (dynamic jump) — and lands 10 feet to the side, hands, knees and feet insinuating themselves into tiny niches that seem barely there. “He is one of the strongest climbers in the gym,” says James Avila, one of his coaches. “He’s doing very powerful gymnastic moves that require intense core strength and incredible pulling muscles.”   Dakota climbs at a level called V-8 on a scale that goes up to 16. He hopes to ascend to V-10, he says.  Over Valentine’s weekend, Dakota will compete against seven others at the nationals in Madison, Wisc., having worked his way through the regionals and divisionals. It will be three days, with each day bringing harder and harder tests, competing against males, aged 17 and 18, from Western states. Dakota used to play soccer and run cross-country but gave them up for climbing, something that gives him “a feeling of power,” especially on a difficult route he’s never done before, he said during a workout at the gym. “The more you do it, the better you get. It does take confidence. It also takes not looking down.”  As for the “head game” of climbing, Dakota says, “I keep my mind blank. It helps a lot. If you think, you lose focus. In my head, there are no words. It’s all feeling, all instinct.”  Dakota heads for college next year and hopes to find a school with a rock-climbing team — and a scholarship to get through the university. It’s an up-and-coming sport and most colleges, including Southern Oregon University, don’t have such teams yet.  What the sport teaches him, says Dakota, is problem-solving, good attitude and lots of personal confidence, he says. In addition, the people in this intense sport are “so nice and down to earth and they help me be that way.” His father, Randy Nidalmia, says the sport has helped round out his academic work with demanding physical work and made him stronger, more confident and able to master routes or projects, as the rock challenges are called. “It’s an amazing sport,” says Randy. “It has done wonders for his physical and mental confidence. There’s no question that it’s incredible to watch him do what he does up there.” Reach Ashland freelance writer John Darling at [email protected].     By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Jan. 23, 2015 at 7:50 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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