Climbing to the Top with Joseph Rouse
By Katelyn Allen on Monday, October 28, 2024
The first time Fayetteville’s Joseph Rouse rock climbed was at his eighth birthday party, and he hasn’t wanted to stop ever since. Growing up, his parents would take him to Lincoln Lake just outside of Prairie Grove, where he climbed his first outdoor route called “Don’t Be a Cheat.” His parents later signed him up for summer camp at Ozark Climbing Gym in Springdale, and he joined his first competitive team.
“It’s crazy to think I’ve been climbing for more than half my life,” Joseph said. “I love competitions and the problem-solving required to send challenging climbs, but I know only a very select few can make a living as professional climbers.”
Troubleshooting Trouble on the Course
Rock climbers typically wear a chalk bag on their hips or behind their backs. As they ascend, they can reach inside the bag and grab a chalk ball to apply powder and continue the course. While competing in a ninja competition in Springfield, Missouri, Joseph found himself becoming distracted and losing time when trying to reach his chalk bag.
“You lose focus on the obstacle and potentially fall,” Joseph said. “Which is what happened to me twice that day! So, I wanted a better way to be in control of my chalk.”
When Joseph got home, he noticed the mesh lining on his dad’s jacket, which sparked an idea for him. They bought mesh fabric at the store and sewed the fabric to his shorts, placed the chalk ball between the mesh and the shorts—and SLAPCHALKS® was born!
“Once we had a local seamstress make prototype shorts, we realized after testing them that it could be something, and looked for an existing patent online, but didn’t find anything like it,” Joseph said. “I took them to my ninja gym and realized this truly was a great idea!”
Chalk of the Town
Joseph is a senior at the Don Tyson School of Innovation and getting ready to attend University of Arkansas after graduation. Not only is he creating a tool perfect for climbers across the world, he has also competed in American Ninja Warrior Junior season three and American Ninja Warrior season 15.
When it comes to SLAPCHALKS®, his parents started with a pilot production batch from a manufacturer overseas then transferred production to a designer in Kansas City. When demand became too much, they reached out to a manufacturer overseas. Due to low-quality production, they finally settled with a high-quality manufacturer in California.
“To say the least, it has been a roller coaster of ups and downs,” Joseph said. “We have learned so many things about entrepreneurship through mentors and other startups facing similar challenges.”
Luckily, the Greenhouse Outdoor Recreation Program at the University of Arkansas (GORP) offers incredible mentorship programs and financial support to local entrepreneurs. company. GORP provided Joseph and his team with SLAPCHALKS’® core values and principles for customers: Confidence, Efficiency and Freedom. Not only that, but GORP set the team up with personality tests to determine leadership and teamwork skills.
“This was very helpful to determine what kind of leadership role or position you are suited for in a business and when to resist uncooperative impulses,” Joseph said.
Inspiration and Future Goals
Joseph’s biggest inspiration in his life is his mom. He’s watched her face adversity head-on with determination and has taught him to be strong in hard times.
“She pushes me to levels I never think are possible for me to achieve,” Joseph said. “I love her even though I don’t show it enough, but I know that she’s trying to empower me to become the best I can be. For that, I am so grateful and glad that my mom can be there for me whenever I need her.”
GORP director Phil Shellhammer and director of Collaborative and Omnibrands Toby Tetter have been Joseph’s mentors while launching SLAPCHALKS®. He shares the lasting impression that they have left on him after enrolling in the GORP program in northwest Arkansas.
“My goal with SLAPCHALKS® is to be able to build a business that can continue helping many athletes overcome the same problem that I faced back in 2021,” Joseph said. “We are currently working with a manufacturer in California who is helping us produce the third generation of SLAPCHALKS® apparel.”
Joseph plans to earn his college degree and run his business at the same time. While he’s considering applying to the University of Arkansas, he’s also considering enrolling at the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis due to its success in STEM and robotics engineering programs.
“I know it’s important to continue to manage all the things I do, so I can have fun and excel in my business, school, climbing, Ninja, and robotics,” Joseph said. “If you feel it’s too much sometimes, just take a break day and spend some time relaxing and having fun.”
