GB Lead Climbing Team Inaugural Meeting Jan-Feb 2015 (Issy)

On Friday the 30th January my family and I traveled to Sheffield for my first GB team inaugural meeting. On Saturday morning we met at the Royal Victoria Holiday Inn for a meeting presented by Ian Dunn to discuss what it means to be in the team. We learnt who was who on the team management and had a look at the competitions we would be attending this year. Then, Nick Colton lead a presentation on child safeguarding before we drove to Awesome Walls Sheffield for some climbing and fitness testing. It was really fun to catch up and climb with some team mates before our testing!
On Sunday we met at Awesome Walls for our one-to-one meetings with the team managers, and our medicals. I am looking forward to competing in my first ever European competitions this year, and getting to know my team mates better!

Round 1 of the Junior Boulder Cup (Issy)

Round 1 of the Junior Boulder Cup was held at The Climbing Unit, Derby. It was my first boulder comp as a youth B. I read through our 8 qualifiers, and I thought they looked technical but do-able. Overall, I flashed 5 boulders, but was unable to complete 3. My score was 5 boulders in 5 attempts, and 8 bonuses in 12 attempts. I was happy with my score, but it wasn't enough to qualify for the final. I thought I had climbed well as I found the problems quite reachy. The comp was great fun!

Junior British Lead Climbing Team Selection (Issy)

After the youth open, I was so happy to find that I have been selected for the 2015 Junior Lead Climbing Team! I am really excited to have the opportunity to compete internationally, and I am really looking forward to the coming year!

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!

Welsh Climbing Championships 2014 (Issy)

The Welsh Climbing Championships was held at Boulders, Cardiff, and I competed as a B for this event. The format for the competition was 3 qualifiers, a semi final and a final. Me and Catrin topped all 3 qualifiers, which meant we were in joint first place for the semi finals.
Our route looked technical but do-able. I climbed to the last section with no problems, but the last two holds were awful. I was pumped, and dynoed for the last hold. I touched the bottom of it but did not get it. Catrin also fell off the last move, meaning that we were still tied in first.
There were 5 of us in the final. Our route was a black, and I thought that it looked easier than the semis but there was still a tricky section at the top. I topped the route, along with everyone else in the final. This meant that Catrin and I had to do a superfinal. I climbed second, and the route was fine until a rock-over to a big sloper. I got a hand on the sloper and tried to match it, but missed the thumb catch. The sloper was so bad I couldn't hold on and I slipped off. Catrin had climbed a clip further than me, meaning that I was second.
I was also very proud of my brother, who convincingly won the youth D category!

Me on qualifier 3

On the podium

Welsh Climbing Championships 2014 (Finley)

On Saturday 8th November I got up early and my family drove to the Welsh Climbing Championships at Boulders, Cardiff. I was competing in the Boys D category for the first time. I really liked the look of the routes I was given when I was doing my route reading. There were 25 boys competing in my category.

I flashed each of the qualifiers, made a mistake on the semi-final route, but got the top score in the final when it really mattered. 

I was Boys D winner! 

I felt super strong and I was really happy with how I climbed on the day.

Well done also to Issy (@Issyclimbing) for her second place in the Girls B category after an exciting super-final finish. 

Boys D Podium

My trophy and prizes

Final Route

Semi-final Route

BLCCs 2014 (Issy)

The BLCCs 2014 was hosted by Awesome Walls in Sheffield, and I competed in the Girls C category. We had two qualifiers, graded 6c+ and 7a+. I was nervous at first as I was second to climb on the first qualifier, however I topped it easily. The next qualifier was harder, however I also topped it. 6 other people topped both qualifiers, meaning that 7 people went through to the final. For the final route, we had an orange route which looked technical but do-able. I was 6th out to climb. I climbed through the first bit easily, and came to the crux. There was a large, slopey hold followed by crimps and a rock-over to the top. I managed to clip of the sloper, and move round the arete to another hold. I got the penultimate hold, and put my foot up to rock-over, but my left hand suddenly slipped off the lower hold. I was frustrated as I fell off the last move and I felt that I could have topped the route. I was told that one other person fell off in the same place, and three people topped the route. Overall, I finished 5th as we were split by time. It was a disappointing result as I was aiming to top the route, but I am looking forward to the Youth Open in November where I will compete as a B.

Me on qualifier 1

Me on the final route