The Competition season begins!

Today was the first USA climbing competition of the season and it could not have been at a better gym. It was hosted at Long Beach Rising, which is one of the best gyms in California!

This Competition was interesting because when it started I was informed that all people born 2004-2009, would be competing on the same climbs. This was nerve-whacking because I am in the youngest category of the people competing, so I knew my climbs would be difficult.

It had been over 8 months since I had competed in bouldering, and 5 months of not competing at all. As I approached the first climb, I knew that it was not the hardest and that I should flash (do fist try), but I was nervous for a number of reasons. I knew that if I fall, that is would put me at a major disadvantage early on. I also knew that the climb was insecure, and likely reachy for me, as it was designed for older competitors as well. Thankfully, I was able to put my emotions aside, and flash the first problem. From there on, by nerves cooled down I was able to climb my best. In the end I got 5 flashes and 2 zones (midway points) out of 10 climbs. This put me in 7th place of over 40 competitors, which I was happy with.

Here is a video of me flashing a very hard technical boulder: