Junior Lead Cup Round 1 (Issy)

Qualifier 1

Round 1 of the Junior Lead Cup was held at Awesome Walls, Sheffield in November, and the event was also the GB team selection event for 2015. When I arrived I read through my qualifiers. Route 1 was technical and crimpy, whereas the holds on route 2 looked better but it was more overhanging. I was third to climb on route 1. I found the first couple of clips ok, but the climb was very technical from around the 3rd or 4th clip, where you had to stand in some tiny features in the wall. However I moved  through this section without any problems. It was higher up, around the 7th clip, that there was a hard rock over, and I fell off. I was annoyed with myself, as I immediately knew I should have moved my foot up. After qualifier 1, I was in joint 6th, so I just had to wait for qualifier 2.
I was near the end of the start list for my second route, so I was less nervous. The route looked much more powerful than our previous route, but there was a technical section just under half way up which caused a problem for a few people. When I began the route, the first section was relatively easy. I moved through the technical section, and up onto some nice crimps. Two clips from the top, there was a very pumpy clip which many people did not clip, but in order to move on you had to clip it from the set position. So, when I approached the clip I pulled up the rope immediately. At this point I was very pumped. I managed to rock over onto a huge sloper, and press off the sloper to slap the next hold. It was one of the highest scores, so I was into the final.

On the podium with Catrin and Kitty

We shared our final route with the youth As and Juniors, so it was a hard route. The first half was huge undercuts and some dynamic moves. When it was my turn to climb, I moved through the first few clips easily. Then the route got very steep around half way up. I made a dynamic and reachy move round a corner for a horrible hold with a small edge. I managed to hold the hold, but I couldn't move on from it. When I came down, I found that I had the highest score yet. I was in 1st place, with  three left still to climb. Abbie was next to climb, and she fell off on the move going towards the hold which I was able to hold. I had a podium place! Kitty climbed next, and she fell off in the same place as me, so she was ahead on countback from the qualifiers. Catrin climbed last, and she got a few holds further than us, meaning that she had won. I was so excited to come third in one of my first competitions as a B, as my aim for the competition was to get a podium place.

Me and Finley in our knitted deer hats! Thanks mum!