Carlos Calito

Luis Calito on the right with his prize at the Rocknasium competition.

Sonoma State University has numerous diverse clubs and organizations on campus to meet the interests of all students. One club, in particular, deserves some extra attention due to the awards they won last Saturday, in the “Crankin’ The Bouldering Competition,” at Rocknasium
in Davis. The Sonoma Senders is a rock-climbing club officially founded in spring 2022 by two brothers Carlos and Luis Calito. “I got into climbing because of the rock wall in the Rec Center. I fell in love with the rock climbing community and the sport and haven’t looked back since” says third-year Kinesiology major, Luis Calito.

When the club was first created, it only had five members, so they made an Instagram account to promote the club’s activities. Roughly three months after the club was founded, they posted about their climb at the Nut Tree Boulders in Vacaville, and students started showing a lot more interest in climbing.

The club now has over 50 active members, and “More than half of the members just started climbing this semester, so no experience is needed to join the club, just a good attitude,” Luis Calito continued.

The Sonoma Senders meet once a week at the Rec Center climbing wall, or at a climbing gym such as Session or Vertex. At weekly meetings, they have avid climbers who make sure all of the equipment is set up correctly and oversee all climbers to make sure they are safe. “Our club
is huge on safety; we want everyone to feel comfortable. when climbing. Climbing is a high-risk sport, but the risk can always be reduced when taking the safe approach and using the correct equipment” says Luis Calito. In fact, he also explains that learning how to fall properly is the first thing they teach when joining the club.

This semester, Sonoma Senders took one of their biggest trips to Yosemite National Park with over 30 members and spent three days outdoor rock climbing. They enjoy climbing at Salt Point and have been at least five times in the past year.

They also take trips to places like Lake Tahoe, where they rope climb at Phantom Spires, Lover’s Leap and also do some bouldering at Emerald Bay. “We also go to Stinson Beach since it has very beginner-friendly climbing,” says Luis Calito.

As much as The Sonoma Senders enjoy outside rock climbing, the Calito Brothers express their excitement for the club to participate in more competitions. At the Rocknasium Annual Competition, Luis Calito took first place in the Men’s Advanced category, and Carlos Calito took second place in the Men’s Intermediate category. “My highlight of the competition was placing top scores with my brother. Watching him climb and flash in front of all those people was awesome” says fourth-year Communications major, Carlos Calito.

With such a large group of members, the Calito Brothers plan on preparing more of their climbers to not only compete but also place. Some of the prizes the Calito Brothers won last weekend were provided by sponsors and included a bottle of wine, tickets to Six Flags, a Dutch Bros gift card, and other smaller items.

Overall, the Sonoma Senders climbing club is a place for any student, whether they are a new or seasoned climber. Carlos and Luis Calito have such a strong passion for climbing and hope to raise the level of stoke surrounding the climbing community. Luis Calito says, “Our goal is to introduce more people into the sport, no matter their background, race, gender, sexual orientation, economic status or athletic level. We want to give everyone a space to feel
welcome.”