Skip to main content

Finding my feet on the World Cup Circuit


As many of you will know my schedule has been rather busy lately as I’ve been competing in my first ever Boulder World Cup season! As a result, this is m
y first post in a while, but I’ll keep it short to give a quick insight into my experience so far.
Last year I represented GB in a couple of Lead World Cups but as I was still a junior, my season was focussed on the junior comps. Now, having stepped up into the seniors, all my training is orientated towards those comps and I have had the chance to try my hand at the bouldering circuit. This is something I’ve always wanted to do, having watched many a live-stream where the athletes leap around in a more parkour style than what I thought of as ‘climbing’. This comp style has never been my forte; I’ve always been stronger at the basic, board-style problems. However, I have learnt so much already from this season that I’m psyched to work on my biggest weaknesses-dynamic movement and coordination.
My first event was Moscow and I went to this with no particular expectations; I simply wanted to have fun and come away knowing that I had given it my best shot. I enjoyed the boulders as they varied in style so the most successful athletes were also the most well-rounded. I came away happy with how I had climbed (two tops and a last move dropped) but more importantly motivated to put what I had learnt into practice at the next World Cups. After reflecting on my mistakes, I concluded that my main point for improvement was to spend more time reading the problems and less time trying them. I had become over-excited on some of the blocks and spent the 5 minutes throwing myself at the wall, hoping that the right beta would come to me on the wall. This meant that I wasn’t resting enough and was taking too many attempts to achieve tops and zones.
Literally 'finding my feet' at the World Cup in Moscow (photo by Sergei Komlev)
A week at home was barely enough time to make real gains in terms of strength and fitness, but I was able to mentally prepare for the next two comps in China. The first comp in Chongqing was my best result; a 27th place finish in a field of almost 100 was enough to give me World Cup ranking points and almost enough to put me in semis. I climbed with good composure and was careful about using my attempts wisely. The problems generally suited my style (they tended to reward good static strength on tiny crimps) so I was able to top 3, which was a nice confidence boost.
Moving on to the next event in Wujiang, the style of boulders changed completely. The set was far more dynamic and relied much more on leg power (something I lack!). I finished the comp hot and sweaty and feeling rather defeated with only one top. I had thought after Chongqing that I would be able to keep improving with every round. However, after reflecting on my performance it became clear to me that I could not just rely on my strengths to get me through the comps. In order to be the best, you have to be the best at everything, because the setters constantly change the style of blocks and at such a high level of competition, you need to be able to adapt with the style.
Overall I am glad that I had one comp which played to my strengths as this gave me the belief that I can do well at this level and that I had one comp where I got shut down. Wujiang highlighted just how polarised my strengths and weaknesses are and was a valuable lesson in continuing to try hard, even when the going is tough. This has left me excited for my last Boulder World Cup this season in Munich next week. Whatever the result, I want to try hard and have fun!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Finding the Balance: Life outside the gym

Up until now my blog has served to guide people through my climbing experiences; people know me as an athlete and that is all. However, for this post I want to write more about myself and how I strive to find balance in my life. For me, climbing is the most important aspect of my existence, but equally, it is for this reason that there have been times when I have felt on the verge of break down because all my self-value relied on climbing and my performance in the sport. I cared little about anything else-my social life, my studies, my other hobbies, even my family. In saying this I may sound like some cold-hearted climbing machine and in many ways that’s how I saw myself, but it is my belief that this mind-set is not uncommon among individuals who dedicate the majority of their life to achieving and mastering a single activity. I am by no means a changed person from the Jo who isolated herself from the rest of her life in the pursuit of being the best. I still struggle to find a bal...
4 comments
Read more

Climbing in Croatia

After months spent training at home I finally had the opportunity to travel this summer! As someone who is very used to living out of a suitcase going between comps, the prospect of spending summer at home did not fill me with joy, so when some mates asked if I wanted to join them on a climbing and scuba diving trip to Croatia, I didn’t hesitate to book my ticket. Paklenica may not be as well known as some other European sport climbing destinations, but it certainly has a lot to offer. I have always focused primarily on indoor climbing, following a busy training schedule which over the years has given me little time to get outdoors. However, with the competition season as good as cancelled this year, I’ve spent lockdown transferring my skills to rock. Before going to Paklenica, all my trips have been performance focussed-not what you’d exactly call a ‘holiday’, but rather an opportunity to show how my training had paid off. For this trip I decided to adopt the mindset of wanting to c...
2 comments
Read more

Youth Open Leading-March 2016

Last weekend on the 5th March I arrived at  Liverpool Awesome Walls to compete in my first lead comp of the season and the first comp in which I would be representing the GB Team. This was exciting, although I felt nervous as I knew people would have high expectations of me. On arrival I was told I could collect my new team kit from Berghaus . It came as no surprise that the kit was much cooler than previous years as I knew Berghaus were a huge company producing quality goods. My favourite item is the branded down jacket! After the initial excitement of trying everything on, I felt shaky again so went to warm up and watch my demos. Both of my qualifiers were technical with a slight overhang and larger overhang at the top changing to vert for the last few moves. Pulling on to the wall for my first route I felt  a roomful of eyes turn to the Union Flag on my back and I knew I had to do well to prove my worth. After a few sketchy moves at the beginning, I reached the top secti...
Post a Comment
Read more