CWA Blog

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Effective Workplace Training
Effective Workplace Training

Of all the methods of managing risk that climbing facilities employ, a robust training program is one of the most effective means of reducing accident rates for visitors and workers alike. Studies have consistently shown that the likelihood of an accident is higher in the first month of... Continue Reading

Date posted08/20/2019


How to Maximize Your Staff Training Budget
How to Maximize Your Staff Training Budget

The relationship between effective training and employee performance is well-researched; a well-trained staff is more engaged in their job, delivers better customer service, represents your brand more professionally, and is more resistant to turnover – all good things. But finding the time... Continue Reading

Date posted07/23/2019


The Keys to Cultural Leadership
The Keys to Cultural Leadership

While there are many definitions of leadership, I recently came across one that I thought stood out from the rest. Leadership expert, Warren Bennis, explains, "Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality." Accordingly, a company has a vision that it wants to execute; the leader is... Continue Reading

Date posted04/8/2019


Building Your Team's Performance and Cooperation With Some Simple Activities
Building Your Team's Performance and Cooperation With Some Simple Activities

Posted By Bix Firer and Pat Brehm, Monday, April 8, 2019 Establishing buy-in and cooperation from the young climbers in a climbing program must go beyond simply establishing a set of rules and reactively enforcing them. Rather, it is important that the structure of the program is... Continue Reading

Date posted04/8/2019


Team Dynamics: Managing Different Ages/Abilities on a Small Team
Team Dynamics: Managing Different Ages/Abilities on a Small Team

Youth comp teams have experienced massive growth in the last 10 years, and with the release of Free Solo and The Dawn Wall in theaters nationwide, as well as climbing’s debut in the 2020 Olympics, that growth is not going to slow down. USA Climbing reported a consistent 17% annual growth in... Continue Reading

Date posted01/6/2019


5 Programs Your Members Wish You'd Offer
5 Programs Your Members Wish You'd Offer

Member engagement is critical in retaining customers, so it makes sense that climbing gyms offer a huge variety of programming to keep their members happy. Some of these programs are climbing-related, while others are focused on cross-training or building community. These five program types have... Continue Reading

Date posted12/10/2018


Retention Strategies to Reduce Employee Turnover
Retention Strategies to Reduce Employee Turnover

This month, the US Bureau for Labor and Statistics reported that 3.6 million employees voluntarily quit their jobs in September 2018. Every employee that voluntarily quits costs an employer, on average, 16% of their annual wage. And to make matters worse, high turnover rates come with high... Continue Reading

Date posted11/19/2018


Making Training Fun: Incorporating games to meet youth training goals
Making Training Fun: Incorporating games to meet youth training goals

Meeting the learning objectives of beginner climbers in youth climbing programs can be a challenge. Varying ability levels and learning styles of youth climbers can make it difficult to structure programming in a way that keeps everyone engaged and allows them push their own abilities. To make... Continue Reading

Date posted11/19/2018