ࡱ> IKHq` ,bjbjqPqP .:::$bbbbbbbv $v2     >J^ $Ih!xb  bb  b b V@bbv  $@R 0x)")"v)"bv j&ljjj jjjvvvD vvvvvvbbbbbb Bouldering for Britain Selection In the summer of 2007 I decided to have a go at competing in a local Sheffield bouldering competition. It was the British Bouldering Championships (BBC). I knew I was a reasonably strong boulderer having climbed twice a week for years, mostly on the steep Foundry wall. However I didnt have much competition experience (2). I really enjoy the challenge of new blocs and knew that the competition scenario would bring out the best climbing in me. It was an exhausting day: The earliest time Ive ever started climbing! Battling with a throng of climbers queuing for problems in the qualifiers Standing up for hours (not sure why I didnt sit down for a bit) A nerve racking isolation, not really knowing what was going on Not knowing what to eat and when Trying to pull as hard as Ive ever pulled again and again It was great fun and worth it I came third and was invited to join the British Bouldering Team. Its a good job the competition was on a Saturday as I could barely move on the Sunday no chance of being fit for work. So then the challenge really began learning how to train to get comp fit and to climb harder. Training I train 5 days a week, having a weekend day and an evening off each week. I keep a log of what Ive been doing, how it went and how I feel. Training includes the following: Free weight and theraband exercises Body weight and core exercises such as sit-ups, press-ups, planks, single leg squats etc Running 30 to 40 minutes of fairly low intensity to increase aerobic fitness which aides recovery Climbing 2 to 3 times a week Climbing for fun Power endurance Competition simulation Campus board and fingerboard exercises Strength/power training which usually includes practice reading blocs Once a month I have a formal meeting with the team. During these training sessions we do a lot of the above, have fitness tests and also get taught about training, exercises and nutrition. I enter local and national competitions to practice competition scenarios and raise the profile of the team. How Competitions Work Definitions Bloc boulder problem (or route as some of them feel) Flash topping the bloc on the first attempt Starting holds starting foot and handholds are marked Top a tape marked hold to be held in control with both hands to count Bonus a tape marked hold part way up a bloc to be gained in control to count Attempt taking your feet off the floor Isolation areas isolated from the blocs before and between attempts so you cannot see the blocs and other climbers attempts. Isolation before attempts typically has a warm up wall, refreshments and toilets. Depending on your start order you may end up spending hours in isolation. This is not as dull as youd expect, as theres lots of people doing strange warming up to watch. The difficult thing is staying comfortable if you have long enough to sit around, as there is rarely any matting and never comfy chairs. I find a puzzle book is a must, however the puzzles always seem much harder than usual because my head is elsewhere getting comp ready or something. Plenty of sensible snacks and liquid is also a must; especially as I have allergies that make it unlikely that I can make use of many energy snacks etc provided. In one isolation they provided lardy tarts which are very nice occasionally, but not too useful just before a comp (greasy fingers and heavy belly). The more commonly supplied banana is good. The World Cups normally have three rounds; qualification, semi-final and final. There are no points awarded for topping problems. Its all about getting more tops than anyone else. If you have the same number of tops as someone else, then the number of attempts is taken into account. The less attempts the better. If climbers are still equal, or no tops are gained, then the number of bonuses is looked at in the same manner. The qualification consists of 5 blocs. Each climber has a maximum of 5 minutes to attempt each bloc as many times as they want (they tend to stop if theyve topped the bloc so as not to add to the number of attempts!), then five minutes rest between each bloc. The order that competitors climb is random and listed generally the day before the competition. The top 20 competitors qualify for the semi-final that has 4 blocs. Maximum six minutes per bloc, with six minutes rest between blocs. The order of climbing is reverse qualification order. The top 6 competitors go through to the final that has 4 blocs. The finalists have two minutes per bloc viewing as a group prior to returning to isolation for climbing in reverse order to the semi-final results. Each climber only has four minutes per bloc. However, unlike the other rounds they can stay on a bloc during an attempt that exceeds this time limit provided the attempt started during the four minutes. As soon as a finalist tops the bloc or finishes attempting the bloc, the next competitor is sent out so there is an unknown length of rest time between blocs. This is far less confusing to carry out than to explain and makes the final a fast flowing spectacle. The full rules are on the International Federation of Sport Climbing website (see my blog for the link). Full results, world rankings etc can also be found there. The BBC has two rounds; a qualifier and a final. The qualifier is open you can look at all the blocs before climbing and watch others climb. There are 10 blocs for which you get up to 3 attempts each. The more attempts you have to top the bloc the less points you get. Ten points for one attempt, seven then four. If anyone gets the same score, the number of bonuses is also considered. The final is based on the world cup qualifier format (see above). Competing in the World Cup The easiest part of competing in World Cup events is when you actually get on the blocs. It can be nerve racking going out in front of the cameras and the crowd, but that contributes to the adrenalin build up. I know what I need to do read the blocs and do my best to climb them. Getting to this point takes lots of planning. I need to have plenty of energy and be warmed up, hydrated and generally fit to climb. Staying hydrated is hard. You have to be free of liquid when you go through security to catch a flight and then spend lots of money on liquid the other side. Planes are very drying due to the air-conditioning and atmospheric pressure. Then there is normally quite a long transfer, typically in a hot vehicle, but with stunning scenery, to the accommodation. Hotel rooms tend to be warmer than necessary and youre never quite sure if you should be drinking the water from the tap in the bathroom We then have to find shops for provisions and somewhere that serves a meal that is not just lard (garlicky Eiger chips are amazing by the way). All typically when youve arrived at an awkward cheap flight time and everything is closed and you compete before anything opens. Also, its all in various foreign this was especially hard in the Czech Republic where we found there was no chance of guessing what anything was. It was much easier in Switzerland where you had all languages to choose from. In Colorado we understood all the words, but they meant something different and confusion still reigned. Sick dude. Anything French was the easiest as Audrey is fluent. I need to improve my language skills. It would be nice to have more time after the competitions to have a look around, but its back to the 9-5 with Scott Wilson my sponsor. One Year On World Ranking 47th I entered the BBC 2008 at the Cliffhanger event in Sheffield with two aims. Win Retain a place in the British Team In the qualifiers the women had 30 minutes to climb before the men started. I flashed 6 of the 10 qualifier problems during this time, with the tactic of not having to queue with the men on the shared problems and finish in plenty of time. I almost came unstuck on one problem where I was not up to full pulling power, but got away with it. I completed the qualifying quickly and had plenty of time to rest for the final having finished with 90/100 (9 flashes). I was disappointed to not get the 10th problem having touched the final hold but not managing to catch it, but I was through to the final in 3rd place. I snacked on some tuna pasta, continued to keep my fluid levels up and kept myself warm for the final. With five problems to conquer I started my quest well with a flash. The second problem beat me, I flashed the third and fourth, and dropped the fifth. It all came down to the last bloc. The last climber had topped 3 blocs, but in more than 3 attempts. If she dropped the last bloc then I would win. Audrey Seguy, the last climber topped the last bloc with style. It was a true Cliffhanger. I came 2nd - Great Britains number 2! So the next day I was not exhausted just tired as should be when youve worked hard. Id like to say that I didnt ache either, however I managed to give myself whiplash falling awkwardly off the qualifier problem that got the better of me so I was in agony! Having been selected for the British Team 2009 its time to start training for the European Championships in October and beyond - totally psyched for it!! (sorry)  HYPERLINK "http://www.dianemerrick.blogspot.com" www.dianemerrick.blogspot.com %%@(B(((**,,,,,,,,h#s0JCJjh#sCJUjh#sCJU h#sCJH* h#sCJ"#  3 }  Z [ S T x 5T & F & F,Teu&'=>J/~_` & F12e f ["\"(%)%%%%%%%"&&&I&J& & FJ&''))))**++,,,,,1h. 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