Wednesday 27 April 2016

Season Update: My Transition from Stone to Plastic

Hey Guys! Now that I recently participated in the last local lead competition of the season and Provincials and Nationals are coming up over the next month, I've decided to write a little bit about (firstly) my transition from climbing long, endurance routes in Spain to the more power based routes characteristic of competition climbing. Secondly, a little update about my season so far!

THE TRANSITION - Frustrating but so worth it

Coming back from Spain around Christmas time, after sending my hardest routes outside, I expected my transition back to plastic to be a lot easier than it was! After taking over a week break to give my body time to lose the jet lag and recover from four months of consecutive climbing, I headed back into the gym setting for a light session on some ropes. It was crazy to see how much power I had lost after climbing those 40m endurance fests for so many months! I had lost a lot of my bouldering muscle as my body had adapted to the need for being lighter and more tolerant of the pump! After clearing the cobwebs for a few days it was apparent that power needed to be regained! Lucky for me I have the ultimate power builder in the shed in my backyard, a 45 degree systems wall equipped with everything from 2x4 pinches to 1/4 pad crimps. So for a full month I devoted my time to rebuilding that power I had lost. It was very frustrating at first. The first session back on the "woody" I couldn't even climb up the warm-up pinch rungs running up the middle of the wall! But with some perseverance and a whole lot of Eminem I was delighted to see my power come back quickly, and compounded by the knowledge and climbing literacy I gained while climbing so many different routes abroad, I got stronger than I felt for Youth Bouldering Nationals back in August! So my advice to anyone transitioning from rock back to plastic is persevere! You may expect a lot from yourself at first but take joy in the small things, and record your progress to show yourself how far you can come with some dedicated training! You'll be thankful of the knowledge you have gained on rock once you start to compete again or get back on that project that has always eluded you!

COMP SEASON UPDATE - Local comps 

After the last local comp that just happened last weekend out in Saskatoon, the local part of the lead competition has officially drawn to a close and everyone is gearing up for Provincials at the U of A in Edmonton the weekend of May 8th and Nationals here in Canmore the weekend of the 28th! As usual, the local comps have been a blast, with the Alberta and Saskatchewan climbing communities coming together to produce some wonderful routes at all the events! What I love about local competitions is that they are the perfect settings to reflect on your strengths and weaknesses as well as try new competition strategies in a lower risk competition environment! All the comps this year have been better than ever, with sanctioned locals hosted at the CCC Stronghold and Hanger locations in Calgary, Rock Jungle Fitness in Edmonton and Grip It in Saskatoon! At each competition I continue to learn about my climbing and reflect on how to improve as an athlete both physically and mentally! I am beyond excited to test my skills at Provincials and finally, with the nation's best at Nationals in my home gym, Elevation Place, here in Canmore! 

Thanks again to all the volunteers and organizers who have put so much effort into making the comps this season such a success! Also, shoutout to my sponsors Five Ten and my parents ;) for the continuous support through this season! So psyched for what is to come!

Peace,

Sara :D
Second Qualifier, CCC Hanger
Photo: Philip Quade
Thanks Five Ten!!
Photo: Monika Helbig

Siurana, Spain
Photo: Andrew Funk





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