Skip to main content

Youth Open Bouldering-March 2016

After a long day in Liverpool competing in the leading event, I travelled to Manchester to compete at The Depot Climbing Centre, a brand new centre with loads of space and a variety of gradients. I arrived 2 hours before qualifiers began and took time to look at the blocks and get warmed up. There were lots of slabby problems with twists-a slippy foothold perhaps or even a dyno- as well as some powerful blocks.
Going around with some mates I managed to flash a slab and then one which came through a small roof. However the hard blocks far outweighed the easy ones, and I had trouble getting past the bonus on a fiendishly hard slab, a shouldery, bridging problem and a slab with a dyno to a tiny pocket. There was one problem which I suspect I could have done had I not messed up all of my attempts. The first go I grabbed a hold which looked the same colour as the block but apparently wasn't. The next two attempts my hand slipped just as I was setting up for the side ways dyno to the bonus hold.
This made me frustrated, but I didn't let it get to me and I found a steep problem which I managed to get second go (see picture). The eighth problem was a huge deadpoint which I couldn't make.
I was thrilled to qualify in 4th behind 3 members of the GB Bouldering team and sat back for a bit to watch the youth C and B finals. Isolation was busy (as always!) but I managed to warm up well and kept warm with my new fleece from Berghaus.
In observation I read our 3 blocks carefully with some mates. Our first block was my worst nightmare-a huge dyno to some volumes was the crux! Unfortunately I didn't get anywhere on this but I wasn't alone-only one girl in my category got it. I could do the first few moves of the second block, pulling up to a sloper and deadpointing  to a crimp on a volume, then going again to a positive sloper. However, the move to the bonus was a huge rock over on a high heel and, getting to this point 3 times, I just couldn't reach it. By this time I was beginning to think the results would come down to qualifier results as no one had got the bonus on the 2nd block either. The third and final problem was much more do-able, with a tricky start position (which I slipped of twice!) but then some good holds and a precise throw to the bonus, followed by undercutting a pinch, going to a sloper then throwing to a block hold and holding the swing, before launching for the last hold. However, I got to this point  twice but couldn't reach the last move-perhaps if I'd had it as my first block I would have topped. Again, only one girl in my category topped which left the rest of us separated only by the number of attempts it took us to get to the bonus, with two girls not getting the bonus and coming 5th and 6th. Unfortunately for me this meant coming 4th even though I'd been the only one of the  3 of us who tied to get to the last move of the last block. I had fun anyway, and was really pleased to come 4th in such a competitive field in my less favoured discipline. Well done to everyone who competed!
Keep climbing!
Climbing in the qualifiers in my new vest


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

My Top Training Tips

Having not written in a blog post in a long time I felt it was time to resurrect what I started with a few tips which I think could be helpful for a lot of people! I get asked all the time about my training and though there’s no secret key to inevitable success, I do have some advice which can be used whether you’re a complete newbie looking to start a hobby for the new year, or an experienced climber who has hit a plateau. Train in the right environment Probably the most important element of training is that you want to do it. There is no point in setting out goals which you aren’t motivated to achieve because you won’t be enjoying the process of achieving them. If possible, try and find a training partner-I always climb better when working with someone of a similar ability to me or better. This way you can learn from each other and take it in turns to train and rest, making the process more sociable. Everyone’s bodies are programmed to work best at different times, so try vary...
1 comment
Read more