My first senior worlds

After my Awesome weekend in Sheffield, winning the Youth A BLCCs and coming 3^rd in the Seniors I was stunned to be invited on to the Senior Lead Team.  My first event would be the Senior Lead World Cup in Kranj at the end of November.   I was going for the experience and I had no expectations (but I did not want  to come last).  I journeyed down South with Ed, Dave and Ellie on the Thursday night for an early flight out of on Friday. 

 

Saturday we arrive at the wall only to find that a mix up from the BMC meant our comp vests were not the same, my junior kit did not match the seniors and so the team risked disqualification.   So I find myself in a senior comp and sharing a vest with Ed. With 59 competitors the groups was split in half and both qualifiers run at the same time. My draw meant that I am second up on one of the routes…..at the same time Adam Ondra is on the other route.  

 

 

Screen shot from IFSC feed.

 

The routes were the hardest I have ever climbed but a great challenge; I passed moves I thought I would fall at and then fell where I thought would be OK.  Although I finished well down the field, I was not last and I had climbed well.  It was incredible to climb with the world’s best and it has really given me something to aim for in my training.

An Awesome Weekend, or perhaps a Cake with Icing and a Cherry on Top

Well as you may guess this is my blog from the British Lead Climbing Championship at the new Sheffield Awesome Walls.  The journey over was fine until we hit Glossop and mum decided she knew the way better than the satnav. “If possible do a U turn” became quite insistent, my view of google maps agreed with the satnavs idea – we stopped to let Mum realise we were heading to Buxton- bit different to Sheffield there Mum; and a very interesting way onto the Woodhead Pass, just as well we had gone over on the Friday.

Saturday was the Junior comp, we got to the wall nice and early to check out the new venue, nice one there Dave, and catch up with everyone.  Qualifier one was on the vertical, I watched the 9 climbers before me top it, so I knew I could not make any mistakes. Topped it, job done.

Qualifier two looked much more interesting, up the edge of the comp wall, using some of the overhang. Joint first into the finals.

Second Qualifier: Photo P Wuensche

Second Qualifier: Photo P Wuensche

Final route was up the left hand side of the main comp wall, making full use of the huge overhang. I was last out of isolation, got stuck into the route, right into the overhang; I put in a toe hook but then I left my feet behind and was off.  However, I had won the Youth A and retained my BLCC title.  The Cake.

Male Youth A Podium: Photo J Ellision 

Day 2, back to the wall to take part in the Senior Comp.  There was a wonderful mix of climbers on the Start list, from the defending champ, a number of really serious talented senior climbers, a Canadian comp climber and a load of youths, including the Irish team and other seniors.  I wanted to get in the final (top 10).  As the group was pretty big we were split and some of us did route one first and some route 2.  The crimpy slightly off vertical was my first, I was pleased to dispatch that with a top.  Then after a short rest it was onto route 2, which was horrible and only saw one top.  I had qualified in 5^th into the finals!

Second Senior Qualifier: Photo P Wuensche  

After a bit of lunch it was into isolation, it was pretty daunting to be in isolation with the seniors.  A quick look at the route and finally out to climb it, right up the middle of the main comp wall, a really challenge but fun route. I was pretty pleased with my efforts getting well above half way.

Senior Final: M Barefoot

To my utter amazement I found myself in 3^rd place and on the podium! 

The Icing on The Cake

Senior Podium

It was such a good weekend with so many good things going on I even have a choice of Cherries For The Top, but I think passing my driving test first time a couple of days later is the one for now. More about the other cherries later.

I would just like to thank all my sponsors:
SportsAid
Lancashire Sport and UCLan
Beyond Hope
Whalley Physio
for their continued support.    

Norway; my first European Final

I had a fantastic weekend recently in Norway, my aim had been to get in the Final

Stavanger harbour

Friday was spent  shopping for provisions, recovering from the traveling and sight- seeing in Stavanger;  a pleasant city, complete with docks, city centre park with plenty of fat pigeons (ok Pete I owe you 10 Krone as you did catch one).  Stavanger can do pretty impressive thunderstorms, they were that loud you could feel them in the hotel!  Friday and Saturday nights we dined with the Swiss team, in a Greek/Italian restaurant in Norway….

A Church

 Qualifier day, I was drawn to be first up on the first route, so I had to really rely on my route reading. After watching the demo I realised there was a better way to climb the route for me than the demo had shown, and it worked a treat, getting quite high before I fell. Annoyingly as I had been first up, my beta was out and most of the others used it. Pretty impressive first climb as I was now7^th.  Second round did not go quite so well, however I found myself in 9^th place overall and in the FINALS.

Stavanger wall (qualifiers)

 

It was a pretty amazing day as all the other GB climbers had made the finals as well.   First time ever all the team had made a final.  

 

Finals day we were up early, and I was pleased to see the route was on the more overhanging section. I just had to wait about 2 hours in isolation for my go on it. Everything went as I planned on the route, until my hand popped off. I was really disappointed as I felt I could have climbed much further, and I had messed up.  However I then watched in amazement as a number of the finalists then fell fractionally below my high point, and so I ended up in 6^th place!

 

Final route

I was very pleased with getting in my first final and coming 6^th. This was the second round of the European Youth Cup (first round was just after my AS exams), and my two scores have given me an overall ranking of 10^th in the European Youth Cup!

Leeds Youth Open

I am feeling happy again after winning the BMC Youth Lead Open at Leads this weekend. Although on both qualifiers I managed the comedy move of missing the final hold! I really enjoyed the final route, making sure when I got to the top I got hold of that jug!

I would just like to say thank you to everyone who has supported me.

It was great to be winning again after I had a disappointing result at the European Youth Championship in Imst, the week before.  

European Youth Championship; Imst, Austria

What a fantastic venue the Imst wall is, perhaps a bit daunting the first time you see it.

What can I say about my performance at the European Youth Championship….I just messed up on the two qualifiers. I do not know if competing with 28 other countries, and 65 competitors, or the fantastic venue in got to me. I just made some silly mistakes, and climbing at that level if you make a mistake you fall.  On the second route I had more or less made it through the slab section, so I must be improving; slabs are not my favourite.  As well as feeling annoyed with myself I feel really bad about letting all those lovely people down who have just invested in me.  Sorry guys.

Before the comp in Imst time was spent sightseeing and keeping cool in the pool. After the qualifiers some of the GB and Irish team played ‘beach volleyball’, where I joined the Irish team to balance numbers – my Irish granddad would have been proud of me. Obviously being a competitive bunch the result was important. I am pleased to say the Anglo-Irish team were the victors. 

Funding!

Money has been pretty tight in our household the last year or so, and I have been applying for funding from various sources, quite often with no success. A couple of weeks ago I was delighted to find out I had been successful with a SportsAid nomination made about 6 months ago, it is truly wonderful to be part of the SportsAid team.

In the same week I find I had been selected for the Lancashire Rising Star Fund! What a great week.

I am hugely grateful to both of these groups not just for the money but also for the interest that is being shown in climbing and I look forward to working with them over the next year.  It is the most enormous relief to be able to help contribute towards the costs of trips abroad, fuel for training and some coaching.

European Youth Cup and Exams, not a good mix.

As they say preparation is key, in the last month I have had to trim my training to a minimum or beyond to concentrate on my studies, being a bit greedy I have just sat AS exams in 5 subjects (8 separate exams) and needed to commit significant effort to these.  In the final week of exams I had 4 papers to sit on 4 consecutive days, and on my first free day I travelled to Ratho for the first EYC of the year on the following day.  Trying to be realistic with myself I was hoping a top 20 place in a group of 37 entered in the Youth A.

Youth A and Juniors’ were to climb the same routes, and instead of Youth A climbing then Juniors the groups were shuffled together, and would be climbing on both routes at the same time.  This made for a group of 57 climbers, the way the day was run I was up half way through the running order on the 2^nd route (old comp wall), and 57^th up on the 1^st route (articulated wall).  So my first qualifier was on the old comp wall, and was the more technically tricky of the two, not quite my favourite thing.  Things were going fine until my left hand popped as I made a move to the right, this gave me 22^nd of the 37 in youth A. 

Photo: Sandy Carr

 Then it was on to the articulated wall. I had a much better climb, passing the two volumes half way that had caused many to fall, I was just about to enter the final roof section when my lack of recent training took its toll, however I felt I had done reasonably well, being the last to climb the overall results were up pretty quickly, I was delighted to see I had 15^th place overall and went out to celebrate in the hot Scottish sun!  Later I found I had been moved down to 18^th, I don’t know why, and when looking at my route scores was a bit disappointed to see I had come 12^th on the articulated wall as I felt I had done really well on that.  I felt I could have done better overall, and some better prep would have helped, but I had had to focus on the day job – AS exams, now I can get down to some serious climbing.

Photo: Nick Pope

It was great to catch up with the rest of the GB team, to watch some inspirational climbing in the finals and the exciting speed comp.

I would like to say a huge thank you to Ribble Valley Borough Council, Lancashire Playing Fields Association, Whalley Physiotherapy and Beyond Hope Climbing for their continued support.

Lost many times in Snowy Sheffield

The GB junior team inaugural meeting was held at the end of March, snow was causing travel chaos.  Saturday I awoke in Sheffield to a pretty respectable covering of snow, and headed off for a morning of meetings, then a drive across town (including going down part of the pedestrian town centre -oops), for fitness testing at the Foundry.  Scoffing a whole pack of Jaffa cakes is not the best thing to do before fitness testing! Then it was onto the children’s hospital for medical and psychological screening.  We were asked some pretty weird questions, and finally we were free to travel the roads again in an attempt to find our Premier Inn  for a shower, before heading back into town for dinner, (almost up the bus/taxi only road – quick U turn required).  By now my chauffer parent had agreed to listen to me and the iphone and not the out of date sat nav.

Sunday arrived cold and crisp, after another meeting we finally went back to the Foundry for the climbing. The team management were selecting for the European Youth Championships (top 3 of the 5 routes) in Imst, and the Worlds (top 5 of 5) in Canada.  This time I did not let things like AS physics course work play on my mind (a bit of my down fall in the December Youth Open).  I dispatched the first route without much fuss. I then had to choose between a vertical crimpy route, or a slightly harder overhanging route – more my thing.  I opted for the overhanging route and was happy to get that cleanly done, then it was on to the vertical crimpy, which was not as bad as I thought it was going to be.  Great, 3 tops so I am going to Imst. The final two routes were 8a and 8a+, I fancied a go at the 8a+, and made it ¾ of the way up.  I was getting a bit short of time at the end and rushed the 8a a bit, again making it only about ¾ of the way, before taking an impressive fall, whilst attempting to clip.  Thank you Zoe for the belaying.

Great I am selected for the European Youth Cup in Ratho, and Norway; and the European Youth Champiopnships in Imst.  There is still a chance I could be selected for the Worlds if I do very well at Ratho!

A huge thank you to my sponsors Evolv, Metolious, and Whalley physio.