Setting the Stage: Dallas Mix

"I was in University already, in my second year, and I was taking a class with Bob Strong, an active climber. He asked me if I wanted to try. I replied, 'I did that as a field trip in grade 8, I don't need to do it again.' His response was, 'No, no, no. You need to try rock climbing.'" Dallas Mix, University of Alberta Climbing Centre Lecturer, grins.

09 February 2016

"I was in University already, in my second year, and I was taking a class with Bob Strong, an active climber. He asked me if I wanted to try. I replied, 'I did that as a field trip in grade 8, I don't need to do it again.' His response was, 'No, no, no. You need to try rock climbing.'" Dallas Mix, University of Alberta Climbing Centre Lecturer, grins.

"I fell in love with it," he explains. "The most amount of time I have taken off since that day has been two weeks."

For Dallas, these two-week spans have only included nursing a dislocated shoulder, and honeymooning in Hawaii. Dallas' wife, Lindsey Mix, is an international pole vaulter, training 11 months a year. That kind of undertaking doesn't allow the couple much opportunity to climb together, but they share a dedicated passion and commitment to their respective sports - save for a couple weeks here and there.

"She said, 'we can climb the rest of our lives, this is my honeymoon! We're going to go somewhere you can't climb,'" laughs Dallas.

Dallas took an interesting albeit unusual trajectory into climbing. He has a degree in Education, majoring in Physical Education and minoring in Drama, and a rich background playing and coaching football for years. Coming to the sport of climbing later in life, to say he caught on quickly would be a huge understatement.

"While I was taking my Education degree, I was learning how to not only dissect movement, but also teach it," Dallas explains. "I was learning about my own physiology and the bio-mechanics of the body, while I was learning how to do this brand new sport."

His courses in anatomy, physiology, psychology, and curriculum development were easily applied to his own growth. He could be his own student; his own guinea pig, per say.

"Everything was very applicable. Everything was brand new," Dallas says. "It wasn't like I was trying to apply [my education] to something I had learnt when I was 12. I grabbed on to it and I literally didn't let go. The process, and everything about it, drew me in: the social aspect, the physical aspect, the cognitive aspect. I never looked back."

Soon, his human experiment began to extend beyond his solitary practice.

"When I started working here, I had 'little human experiments' everywhere," his eyes light up. "I started working for the University of Alberta Climbing Centre 3 months after I started climbing. I didn't even know how to belay yet."

Dallas describes walking into the former Manager's office and being hired on the spot. He was candid, straightforward and honest in saying, I've climbed very little but I love it and I know how to work with children.

Since his share of birthday party belaying, Dallas Mix has worn many hats at the U of A Climbing Centre. He previously managed the wall himself and worked as Head Route Setter. Currently, Dallas is teaching university students in his role as Lecturer, while doing a myriad of other projects for the Centre, and also being a Member at large with the Alberta Climbing Association board.

"It happened relatively quickly," admits Dallas. "I came out of my degree with the attitude that 'I want to rock climb.' You don't often see a similar course. It was almost vocational."

Dallas teaches PAC 182 to three University classes each semester. Most of his students are taking Physical Education, though some take the course as an open elective. As such, they are often physically capable, and have a developed understanding of movement already. Still, they are tasked with quickly absorbing, retaining and demonstrating a holistic understanding of the sport - and Dallas is tasked with teaching that.

While teaching climbing is Dallas' dream job, he admits it was a bit surreal to transition from the role of student to teacher within the faculty as quickly as he has.

"I haven't had a semester yet where I haven't taught someone I was in a class with," he laughs.

Dallas enjoys that climbing fosters an inherently supportive community; one that he is able to pass on to his students.

"Climbing culture can vary from place to place, from climbing gym to climbing gym," he says. "But climbing is a recreational sport akin to snowboarding or slack-lining.

"Though climbing isn't as much of a 'hippie sport' as slack-lining," he laughs, "it does facilitate an environment that is supportive and fun. It brings people together with the common goal of climbing something and the common failure of falling in the same place. Fundamentally, you're looking up at a wall. No one is trying to stop you, or tackle you."

Beyond the scenes, Dallas also plays a huge role coaching the Junior Development team and route setting; two components of his job description that are surprising, but well suited, compliments. He explains a good route setter can set for someone starting out, or conversely, competing at a national level. They have an understanding of muscle, balance, and the development process.

"Route setting is definitely its own skill," he explains. "But being able to work with kids and climbers who have never climbed before allows me to go to the wall and assess what a first time climber will be able to climb. Whereas, a lot of route setters are so strong they can't actually understand what it is like to move without that strength."

"I come from a drama background," Dallas adds. "So working with a team of route setters is like a theatrical process. You offer criticism and you don't take things personally, because, ultimately, you're part of something bigger. I learned very quickly through my degree, if you're not willing to set the ego aside, you're not going to be as good and people won't want to work with you. Route setting is the same thing."

Academically bent, innovators like Dallas are changing the way climbing and climbers themselves are perceived.

"Kaleb Thomas (route setter at Climb Base5 in Coquitlame, BC) was saying he found it funny working with us," explains Dallas. "While we were route setting, he was talking about how a certain problem would effect the shoulder blade. We corrected him by saying it's actually this specific muscle that's being used, not the bone. We knew what he meant, but we're poking fun at him. He laughed and said, 'you academics! This is what it's like setting at a university. Everyone knows everything!'"

With the staff currently employed at the Centre, we have a rare set of expertise available to us. With multiple staff educated in Education, Physics, the Sciences and the Arts, complex thought and strategy are funnelling into the competitions, the development team, the programming and the route setting.

"When you have someone who went to school to build curriculum, assess people, and teach people, then your programs better be good, right?" Dallas argues. "The curriculum that's being created and the guidance that's offered here is of quality. It sets us aside from other gyms."

Since the University of Alberta Climbing Centre moved from it's original home in the Butterdome, to the Van Vliet Facility, pushing the lid of what's possible is a continuous process and a natural progression.

"Since moving into the new facility, we're raising standards for our staff to meet (and exceed) the expectations of the university and our own standards and expectations," Dallas says. "The status quo isn't bad, because it's the status quo. It's what's expected. But we're constantly asking ourselves what else we can do. Not only, is it possible? But also, can we push the limits?"

A handful of exciting innovations include offering climbing, rope and route-setting clinics, upgrading our event coverage to include the occasional live stream, and hosting a youth final at our TOUR de BLOC, ACA Sanctioned Competition last December. Dallas is completely immersed in the excitement; as a route setter, an educator, a coach and trying his luck as the first U of A Climbing Centre sports commentator.

"I don't think I'm the best commentator - yet," jokes Dallas. "But as for the Youth Final, we added to the sanctioned competition, from a ACA member perspective, anything we can to do that facilitates the younger generation learning is going to reinforce the open competitors, ultimately."

Dallas is genuinely invested in this future generation of climbers through his work with the Junior Development Team.

"What draws me to coaching is the brainwork," he explains. "People call it sports psychology, but I'm not a psychologist - though my masters might take me in that direction. For me, coaching is an art."

"The best coaches have good interpersonal skills and that's the brainwork," he adds. "Being able to sit down with someone and say, 'hey, how can I motivate you?' without saying that, because that's never going to work."

While there are many similarities between his football team and these young climbers, Dallas enjoys that fact that the Youth Development Team are individually motivated young climbers striving to improve. They are cerebral and eager to learn.

"It's being able to get to know who they are, how they think, and how they work," he says. "There are so many elements [to consider when coaching] competitive athletes - especially at the youth level - that I just love! Their motor patterns, how to correct them, how to appropriately correct them so they don't implode…"

Dallas pauses and smiles, "I know it sounds crazy, but I just love that."

All photos supplied by Dallas Mix.