Chalk Dust

I was at the Summer Sweat Fest Finale this weekend.  I had a blast.  I loved this series.  (I was able to go to 2 regular comps, plus the finale.)   I really love the real-time, data-filled scoring system they use.  It is so great for sport stat geeks, like me.

Qualifiers were held on the brand-new Walltopia wall at Climber’s Rock.  It is always fun to be one of the first climbers on a new wall.  It still had that “new wall” smell:)  The friction made smearing a dream for my shoes and footwork, but a bit of a nightmare for my skin.  Ouch!  Finals were held on the bouldering wall in the main part of the gym where there was a bit more room for spectators.  This meant that the new Walltopia areas could be used for iso, both before and during finals, which were run in World Cup format.  It was so nice to have such high-quality wall space to warm-up on while in iso.  I believe it made a big difference for many of the climbers.

The style and variety of the problems were challenging and fun.  I loved the liberal use of volumes, which add so much character to a wall and a climb.  Setters, thank you for not making this yet another women’s on-sight crimp-fest.  I also felt that the comp was very well-run and organized.   The rules and judging expectations were very clear.

As for me personally, I finished 5th in qualifiers and 6th in finals.  Overall, I was happy with my performance.  Injuries did not come into play, but I was suffering from a lack of sleep due to some extremely loud and rowdy guests at my hotel.  I started to really feel this about halfway through finals.  I was disappointed with Q#3 where I should have thrown for the bonus hold.  (I mean, really, what was holding me back?)  I pulled the same nonsense on F#4 just after the bonus hold.  (Seriously, I need to stop doing that.)  It was my first time competing in true World Cup format.  I think I might be a bit spoiled on being able to preview problems and all that rest between problems.  The extra time for a last second attempt is a nice touch, too.

One of the greatest things about this comp was being able to meet and climb with the best climbers in the Toronto area, who also just happen to be some of the best climbers in Canada.  So much strength and grace!  All this has made me really psyched to go to a Tour de Bloc comp.  Due to other commitments on my comp calendar, it won’t be for a while, but I can hardly wait!

Thank you to all my fellow competitors and the Climber’s Rock/SSF staff & volunteers for making me feel so welcome!  Hope to see you all soon!