Monday 26 August 2013

My Worlds Experience 2013

I remember my first Youth National Climbing Championships at Delire Climbing Gym in Quebec City. It was in my last year of top-rope and I was looking at the giant prow where the lead athletes were climbing. I remember staring in awe at the overhung wall as an overwhelming feeling of apprehension washed over me, realizing that I would be leading the next year.

Somehow I made the transition. After a rough start at a few local comps, I finally started to get used to leading. My first year of lead climbing came and went, then the second... both years I was so close to getting on the National Team and each year I pushed harder and trained harder to reach my goal. This year my hard work and training finally paid off; I was going to my first World Youth Climbing Championships (WYCC).

August 15th was the official kick start (opening ceremonies) of the 2013 WYCC. Our team got the chance to meet and mingle with other climbers from all around the world.

The next day was our first qualifier. Both qualifiers were flash format so we got to preview our routes ourselves, watch a video of a forerunner and watch competitors before us. I was climbing 8th in the running order of Youth A Girls and was super stoked about my route. It was long and powerful; I was sure it was going to give me a hell of a pump. It started off on some slightly overhanging terrain, then a few bolts of vertical. It then pulled a lip and kicked back into about a 25 degree overhang. After my warm up I got the chance to watch a few people before me, trying to take in their mistakes and learning from what they did well.

First qualifier climb
photo credit: Shane Murdoch
When it was my time to climb, I felt ready to go. The crowd was loud but I pushed the distraction away and focused on my climb; this was the moment I had been waiting for. As my feet left the ground, everything around me seemed to melt away; the only thing in my focus was the next hold. I climbed about halfway and fell at a cruxy section with a slopey cross move with low feet.

My second qualifier took place the next day; this time I was climbing 30th. We were on the far left side of the wall. Our route was mainly vertical but kicked back as it followed a lip near the top. This climb was much shorter and I was expecting some very balancy and bouldery movements. Although technical climbing is not my strength I took it in stride and decided to focus on my breathing and my foot placement. Every foot placement was calculated because I knew the jibs were small and that precision was going to be a crucial element for success. I fell a bit above halfway in an awkward transition move onto the lip.


Overall I felt like I climbed really well! I looked back and watched both of my videos for qualifiers; I had a good pace and I looked confident with no hesitation. Even though I barely missed semis (I ended up in 30th) I think it was a great start to my Worlds experiences!

Another very exciting bit of news; I got sponsored!!!! Earlier this summer I applied for the Five Ten Core Awards and was lucky enough to be one of the four recipients! I'm so psyched to be part of the Five Ten Youth Team, and stoked to represent such an awesome brand!

I'm currently in Tofino, unwinding from Worlds, hanging out at the beach and surfing! Soon I will be off to Skaha for some outdoor climbing for the last week before school starts!

More posts to come once our next season starts!

Sara :)