On Saturday Ben competed in his first Bouldering competition at Inner Peaks Climbing Gym in Charlotte NC. He did really well, attempting over 30 routes across the 3 hour competition. He came 4th against Youth D Males, which is all boys age 10 and below. We are really proud of the way he managed his energy and his strategy over the 3 hours. We've seen such improvement in his climbing in the 6 weeks he's been with TRC - his endurance is amazing! Here are some pictures from the competition.
Shane is the head coach of the TRC climbing team of which Ben is a member. Shane was also the route-setter for this competition. I thought the routes were amazing ... there were so many variations and difficulties. They were numbered from 1 - 51, and got progressively harder. Although, depending on the climber's size and strenths, some were very difficult even though they were lower in number. For example, the highest number Ben completed was number 26, but he couldn't complete 25-20, he completed four others in the 10-20 range, and a couple in the 1-10 range. Each route had a number of point associated with it, and if you flashed it on your first attempt (made it to the top without falling), you received full value. If you made it to the top on your second attempt, your score was full value - 10 points, and for third attempt and below the score was full value - 20 points. So, you could try the routes as many times as you wanted. At this competition, they took your 5 highest scores and then ranked the competitors. If there was a tie, then your falls were used to break the ties. We'll see the final scores when they are posted later this week.
Before each competition they have a Climber's Meeting, where they go over the rules and important information. Shane gave the Climber's Meeting.
Ben flashed this red route (made it to the top on his first try). You can follow his progress through the next pictures...
Up up up...
Smearing up to the top ...
Hanging on of the last push (notice that his feet are not on any holds) ...
And he's up and over the top! Bouldering is different from top rope climbing, which Ben did last spring. In top rope climbing, the climber is in a harness, attached to a rope, and he climbs up a wall which goes 20-30 feet in the air. If he falls, the rope and harness catch him. A person is at the other end of the rope, watching the climber and belaying (or guiding) the rope. In bouldering, a climber climbs without harness or rope, up boulders 15 feet high. The boulders have many angles and facets. Both types of climbing use the same type of holds. Bouldering is scarier, because you have to have enough energy at the end to either go over the top or come back down by climbing or jumping down.
Yellow route 12 - Ben flashed this one.
This morning he said his back and abs were sore ... you can see why!
Under his right foot you can see how small some of these holds really are!
The woman to the right of Ben is Megan, one of the TRC Team coaches. She was a great help in guiding Ben and helping him evaluate the routes.
If you look in the background of this picture, you can see how crowded the comp was, and how beautiful the climbing walls were. Inner Peaks was a huge climbing center, and was a real joy to spend the day in.
Maybe not my best camera angle.
Heading up for the final grab on #14 ... a very tricky route! Ben did it on his second try.
Sorry about the focus here ... we messed with the camera and everything is blurry from here on. Anyway, here Ben is hanging by his arms as he turns overhead to the wall to the right. The trick was to use that triangle feature ont he rock (to the right of his back)
And he makes it! This was the final hold on #14!
This route was #24 - it was a severe angle. You can see why Ben's abs would hurt today because the climber has to have super core strength to hold his feet against the wall opposing gravity. Ben didn't finish this route, but he tried it several time. It was a wonderful challenge for him. Each route is called a 'problem' because they all must be evaluated before you start your climb ... the climber has to plan where to have their feet and hands in preparation for the next hold, and the next hold, etc. You also have to know how to approach each hold so your feet and hands are turned correctly and so that you can hold your body weight at the various angles.
Pink route #16 - he didn't finish this one.
In the last hour, after he had 5 good scores completed, he jumped up to higher routes to give them a try ... here he's on #33. It's a good strategy, because sometimes your skills may be a perfect match for a higher route that more difficult for a larger-bodied person.
Alek was a good sport - hanging out in the gym from 4 pm until it ended at 10 pm. It was a long day for all of us, and we spent the night in a hotel in Charlotte and came home this morning.
Even after 3 hours of climbing, Ben was all smiles as we waited for results to be announced. Behind him you can see how cool this climbing gym was!
Shane is the head coach of the TRC climbing team of which Ben is a member. Shane was also the route-setter for this competition. I thought the routes were amazing ... there were so many variations and difficulties. They were numbered from 1 - 51, and got progressively harder. Although, depending on the climber's size and strenths, some were very difficult even though they were lower in number. For example, the highest number Ben completed was number 26, but he couldn't complete 25-20, he completed four others in the 10-20 range, and a couple in the 1-10 range. Each route had a number of point associated with it, and if you flashed it on your first attempt (made it to the top without falling), you received full value. If you made it to the top on your second attempt, your score was full value - 10 points, and for third attempt and below the score was full value - 20 points. So, you could try the routes as many times as you wanted. At this competition, they took your 5 highest scores and then ranked the competitors. If there was a tie, then your falls were used to break the ties. We'll see the final scores when they are posted later this week.
Before each competition they have a Climber's Meeting, where they go over the rules and important information. Shane gave the Climber's Meeting.
Ben flashed this red route (made it to the top on his first try). You can follow his progress through the next pictures...
Up up up...
Smearing up to the top ...
Hanging on of the last push (notice that his feet are not on any holds) ...
And he's up and over the top! Bouldering is different from top rope climbing, which Ben did last spring. In top rope climbing, the climber is in a harness, attached to a rope, and he climbs up a wall which goes 20-30 feet in the air. If he falls, the rope and harness catch him. A person is at the other end of the rope, watching the climber and belaying (or guiding) the rope. In bouldering, a climber climbs without harness or rope, up boulders 15 feet high. The boulders have many angles and facets. Both types of climbing use the same type of holds. Bouldering is scarier, because you have to have enough energy at the end to either go over the top or come back down by climbing or jumping down.
Yellow route 12 - Ben flashed this one.
This morning he said his back and abs were sore ... you can see why!
Under his right foot you can see how small some of these holds really are!
The woman to the right of Ben is Megan, one of the TRC Team coaches. She was a great help in guiding Ben and helping him evaluate the routes.
If you look in the background of this picture, you can see how crowded the comp was, and how beautiful the climbing walls were. Inner Peaks was a huge climbing center, and was a real joy to spend the day in.
Maybe not my best camera angle.
Heading up for the final grab on #14 ... a very tricky route! Ben did it on his second try.
Sorry about the focus here ... we messed with the camera and everything is blurry from here on. Anyway, here Ben is hanging by his arms as he turns overhead to the wall to the right. The trick was to use that triangle feature ont he rock (to the right of his back)
And he makes it! This was the final hold on #14!
This route was #24 - it was a severe angle. You can see why Ben's abs would hurt today because the climber has to have super core strength to hold his feet against the wall opposing gravity. Ben didn't finish this route, but he tried it several time. It was a wonderful challenge for him. Each route is called a 'problem' because they all must be evaluated before you start your climb ... the climber has to plan where to have their feet and hands in preparation for the next hold, and the next hold, etc. You also have to know how to approach each hold so your feet and hands are turned correctly and so that you can hold your body weight at the various angles. 
Pink route #16 - he didn't finish this one.
In the last hour, after he had 5 good scores completed, he jumped up to higher routes to give them a try ... here he's on #33. It's a good strategy, because sometimes your skills may be a perfect match for a higher route that more difficult for a larger-bodied person. 
Alek was a good sport - hanging out in the gym from 4 pm until it ended at 10 pm. It was a long day for all of us, and we spent the night in a hotel in Charlotte and came home this morning.
Even after 3 hours of climbing, Ben was all smiles as we waited for results to be announced. Behind him you can see how cool this climbing gym was!
Wow! Ben that looked really difficult and you did awesome! That bouldering sounds like you would have an excellent reason to be sore the next couple of days. I am highly impressed! Great Job!
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