Jo Neame

On the 23rd November I was thrilled to find out that I had been selected for the GB Junior Lead Climbing Team ! I have wanted to be a part of the team for 2 years now (feels much longer than that) and have had the disappointment of not being selected 3 times. However, this made my selection all the more rewarding and I will train hard this year to make the most of my position on the team. I was relatively surprised to find this out as I thought I had not climbed well enough on the weekend, achieving 4th in the leading. However, reflecting upon it now, I realise that regardless of my position I climbed well, proving my consistency. Congratulations to everyone else who was (re)selected, looking forward to climbing with you guys! Thanks for reading. Keep climbing! GB Climbing Team Logo

Apologies for the gap between this post and the last one- I've been very busy with school work etc. It was on the 22nd November that I went to the Youth Open Bouldering event at The Climbing Works, Sheffield to compete in my less favoured discipline-bouldering (to non-climbers this involves climbing short problems without a rope). Upon arrival I warmed up and went to look at my problems-I was pleased but surprised to find lots of slabby problems and only a few vertical/overhang/roof ones. I was still annoyed about my 4th place the previous day. However, I tried to come into this comp with a new mindset as I knew I didn't have as much pressure on me today. The qualifiers were surprisingly difficult considering the gradients of them and the most topped by anyone was 4 out of 8 by Hannah Slaney. I managed to flash (get first go) the easiest (but by no means easy) problem in a corner which involved pressing on slopers and careful feet. What put me in 2nd qualifying position was ...

I have been meaning to write a blog for a while but haven't got around to it. When I got on to the GB climbing team recently, I decided that it would be a nice idea to start now. On the 21st November I went to the Leeds Wall with my mum to climb in the British Youth Open Lead event. Having come 3rd and 2nd in the previous two Lead Cup rounds, I was eager to place highly, even by pipping my record and winning. I got to the wall roughly 2 hours before the climbing started to give me time to look at the routes and demos and get warmed up. I was pleasantly surprised to see that my first qualifier was a nice vertical route with a combination of crimps and slopers and no  especially huge reaches. I watched the demo and warmed up on lead, probably too soon as I was climbing 12th and the first climber hadn't gone yet. However, what concerned me the most was my inability to stop shaking with nerves! When it was my turn to climb only one girl had topped the route and I was starting to d...