Junior British Bouldering Championships 2014 - Round 3

After Friday's outcome I woke up on Sunday feeling very good about the bouldering! I had to wake up much earlier than I did on Friday because the bouldering centre (The arch climbing wall) was a further drive and the traffic in London is horrendous! Once the car was packed we set off to find out where the centre was. When we arrived at the centre the car park and centre haven't even opened yet. So we drove to a near by Mc Donald's and I had two hash browns! After breakfast we drove back to the centre where some of the competitors had already come.

I was really exited now because I could go and look at the problems for my category and see what number I would get when I registered. I got number 42 and a scoring card with eight problems on it. We based our stuff near a table before running off to find group C's blocs. Most of them looked OK but two blocs look quite hard. We had about half an hour until the comp started so I went up stairs to this room where there wasn't many people to run up and down it to get my heart rate going. It was boiling so running wasn't very fun. I did some mobility to loosen up. By then it was time to climb around for ten minuets before the comp started. I put my training shoes on so I could save my comp ones for the comp. I tried some slopery blocs because I had seen some weird slopers when I route read the comp problems.

Rob called everyone in and opened the competition. I thought I had a good chance on my first problem it wasn't easy but not very hard either so I started with that one. I failed first move first go but I topped it second. I was a little disappointed but glad to have topped it. I worked my way across the wall trying all the climbs. There were four including the bloc I tried first. I managed to top all three first attempt. 

I next tried the slab/flat wall this looked a bit harder than the first climb I tried but I thought I could do it. I saw one of the other competitors attempt it first and get very close to the top. I tried and went slowly to the hold the other competitor fell off on and got it. The rest of the climb wasn't too bad. I was over half way already and we were only twenty minutes into the qualifiers! I decided to attempt one more bloc before going outside for a break.

I picked the one on the end because it was the one that not many people were trying so I thought I'd get it done while it was free. The competitors who were trying it kept falling off last move so I read the route for a couple of minutes before handing my card in. When my turn came round I managed to get to the last move with no problems but I had to adjust my feet to do go for the last move. I bent my legs and pushed for it. I stuck it! I was really happy with my score so far so I went out side for a bit of fresh air.

After this I did a couple of climbs to get warmed up again. I tried the easiest comp bloc first and topped it. I next put my card in for a bloc that no competitor had completed yet. It looked really hard but I had a plan that I was fairly confident would work. The first moves were OK. When I came to the hard bit I knew what to do but I was shaking too much to do it so I had wait until I stopped shaking before I could do the move. I did the last two moves eventually but only just. 

My last bloc of the day looked hard but I knew I had a good chance of doing it. On my first attempt I was an inch away from grabbing the top hold but I lost my balance and fell. I was so frustrated with my self I really wanted it first attempt. I tried again and managed to stand up on one leg and grab the top hold. I was very happy with my score so I handed my score sheet in and we went out for lunch.

After lunch I looked at the score board and saw that I had won the qualifiers so I waited a while before going into isolation. We were kept there for ages until we were finally allowed to come out for observation. Our first route looked doable second looked hard but maybe doable and the third the same as the second. We had six minutes to read them. I was very happy with them when we went back to isolation. I was last to be called because I finished first in the qualifiers.

When I was called to do my first route I was nervous because everyone else had topped it. I read the climb one last time first and then I got on. I climbed to the second top. I knew the top move would be the hardest because it was the biggest move but I swung back and went for the top grabbing and matching it. I was very pleased.

For my second route I wasn't as nervous because I knew that I had topped one already. No one had done this climb yet so I wanted to be the first. I did the same as I did last climb. I started off with a quick route read making sure I new the sequence properly and I use the right hands for the right holds. The start was good until I got to the top of the volume the hard bit was from here. The next hold was the bonus I chucked for it and only just stuck it.  I was so close to slipping off the bonus. Two crimps were the holds I had to get before the final jump. I managed one and crossed over to the other. I moved my foot up and pushed for the top hold. I only got the tips of my fingers on this and I was hanging on while my arm spun round a bit before I was still enough to pull up and match the top! I was amazed I didn't think I was gonna top it. I went back into isolation way before our time was up.

I was really relaxed now. I only had one climb left and I topped the last two so I would be really pleased whatever the out come on this last climb. I packed all my stuff into my bag because you can't go back into isolation after you have climbed. I grabbed my stuff gave it to my my Mum and carried on walking round to the roof wall.. I read the hardest part so I knew how to pass it. I started the climb. I got to the first volume grabbing the slopper  matching it and grabbing  the volume next to it and chucking to the deep crimp. I stuck it. I had to  get to the next move fast because to volume slopper is bad. I got it with one hand crossed over and got the top with the other allowing me to get the next smaller slopper with the right hand. Three moves away from the top I started to shake but I managed to get the under cut swap hand and get the one next to it as well I put my feet high and stood up to get the top hold and match it!!!!

I was the only person to top all three blocs this meant I had won!! We had to wait a while before the prize giving. In the prize giving out of all the rounds of the bouldering this year I came third overall and got a silver plate and a medal for first in the last round! See pictures below!

BMC Open Youth Event Leading - White Spider

After a quick trip to McDonalds we drove to White Spider in Tolworth. When we arrived we registered and I was given number 36. Some of the girls in my category showed me the two qualifying routes. The first one looked doable but the second one was really crimpy and hard. All the walls were really short which gave me an advantage because I get tired on high walls.

We had an hour and a half to warm up after registration so I read the routes for half an hour and started to warm up after I felt happy with the sequence of the routes. I was climbing 6th on the first climb and because it was a short route it didn't take long for my go to come. Two of the British team members climbed before me so I got to watch them and get tips.

It was really hot in the centre so I had to drink plenty of cold water to keep hydrated and because I was on antibiotics for my throat.

The three clips of the first climb were easy. On the fourth clip my foot slipped off and I very nearly came off the wall. I managed to just hold on and clip the fourth clip. I only had one more clip and the lower off to go. I climbed past the fifth clip and was on the last move. The second last hold was bad so I had to make sure I held it properly to move the top hold. I clipped the chain - just. I was relieved to have topped this climb.

We had about half an hour break until the second qualifier. I was second last to climb on this so I got to watch more people. As this climb was crimpy I warmed up on some crimpy bouldering problems so I could get used to the crimps. I had watched some Cat B girls because they had the same route as their first qualifier - none of them topped it.

The first two clips had positive crimps so it was pretty easy to start with. The third clip was the clip where most of the B and C girls fell off because there was a bad hold and you had to swap hands or hold it! I had a plan for this move because I had been reading it most because a lot of people came off there. I managed to do this move - my plan had worked! The next move looked just as hard and I saw some people fall off here as well. I did a power move to this hold and only just got it. I didn't have it enough so I dropped back down a move and did it again making sure I held it higher. The next hold was much better. After this was a sloper to a crimp to a volume - the move to the volume had to be done statically. I completed all three of these moves. On the tip of the volume there was a crimp - I clipped off this and only just moved off to the big shallow pocket. This was difficult to hold because I was a bit tired and this was the move that some of the Cat B girls got through. I tried to move off statically but I couldn't make it to the next hold and fell off. I was really pleased with this because I knew I had qualified for the final.

We had half an hour before isolation started for the final so we quickly nipped out to grab some lunch. We just got back in time for 12:30 but found out isolation didn't start until 1. I went into isolation and did some warm up before going into the arena to read our route. We had the green route at the back of the wall it looked a lot easier than our last qualifier. After 6-mins of observation time all finalists went back to the bouldering area to wait for there turn! As I qualified 1st I was climbing last so I had to wait in isolation for the longest.

After I had tied in it was time for me to climb I was nervous because I knew if I completed this climb I would win. I climbed smoothly up the first three clips up until the volume. The next moves were easier than I thought so I managed those fine. The last moves were the hardest but I managed to complete them and top the climb.

The final climb was the easiest and it would have been better if it had been harder.

Sweat Shadow!

This morning I went to Boulders to do some endurance training.  My first climb in the set I lead not clipping the lower-off and falling instead this was one way to make endurance a little less boring!

After my first few sets I was a bit sweaty and very tired! I lay back on the floor during my rest period but when I stood back up again there was a disgusting black shadow on the rugger crumb mats. It was made from sweat!






As well as being gross it was funny too because the back of my t-shirt had printed letters on it and making a backwards print of my YCS top design - a sweat shadow.

Thankfully they disappear quite quickly however my Dad still managed to get a photo!

Ape Index

Last night I measured my ape index. I used a site called http://www.ape-index.com . I typed in my height and arms length. It then divided my arm span by my height to work out my ape index. My ape index is 1.051. My arm span is 7.5cm more than my height.

This explains why all my long sleeved jackets and long sleeved tops are now short sleeved tops and jackets!

A positive ape index is supposed to be good for climbing. People with negative ape indexes are sometimes called T-Rex's.

Michael Phelps the Olympic swimmer had an ape index of 1.04 so I am obviously a better climber than him!

Photo shoot for Media Wales!

I had a photo/video shoot this morning in Boulders for Media Wales! It took longer than I thought and
I was hanging around on the roof for a while while the photographer got the best shots! I sat on the roof of our people carrier for part of the video. It was fun!

Speed climbing hold

 When we went back to Ratho after the comp we bought a second hand speed climbing hold. We have just got around to putting the hold on the wall in my room! See the pictures below.

When I tried it out it had loads of different parts to hold. Most of the parts were crap but one side was good. The circle sloper was not bad either.