ABS Bouldering Competition

Yesterday I had the opportunity to compete in my second bouldering competition ever! I had a lot of fun at it and remembered that I do, in fact, have a competitive side. 

Matt and I spent the morning hanging out and eating some good food to get ready for the event. I think I probably should have eaten more food than I did, but in the end it all turned out ok. 

When we got to Petra Cliffs and walked inside you could feel the buzz of energy throughout the building. The place was packed and everyone was psyched to start climbing. I did some warm up traversing and stretched out for a while to loosen my body up. I was filled with so much nervous energy my hands and legs were shaking. I felt like I'd had three or four cups of coffee and had the jitters (or just one cup from Jay and Lisa's house). Finally they went over the rules and set us all free to climb for the next three hours. 

I started out on some easier climbs, to get my body moving and to feel the flow of the routes. I needed to get some of the nervous energy out of my system before I started some of the more difficult routes of the day. It felt good to be moving, and it was a really great atmosphere with everyone cheering each other on. Some parts of it were a bit difficult because there were so many people in such a small area, and everyone wanted to be on the wall at the same time. But that also was part of what pushed people to do better. If I saw someone do something on a route I was considering, I was compelled to do better than they had. 

There were some pretty high quality routes set for the comp. I was impressed with how well they flowed and how beautifully people's bodies were moving on them. The things we're able to do with these routes is incredible, and watching people trying routes at their limit was really inspiring for me. I got to climb with Matt and two of my girlfriends Cristina and Ara and I felt really good about my performance. 

In the end I tied for fourth, which I think is pretty good considering the level of the climbers there. My competitive nature tells me I should have done better though and I have been going over the two routes I missed that could have bumped me into second or third had I been able to complete them. I keep thinking about what would have happened had I just tried one more time, or given a little more in my last attempt. But I know that living in the past will do nothing for me, and I am very appreciative for the experience over all. 

If nothing else the being in the comp has made me more dedicated to getting stronger and doing better next year. Yesterday was also a really good gauge for where I'm at too. At the beginning of this season I wasn't nearly as strong as I was yesterday. Many of the routes that I either onsighted or flashed were routes I would've had no chance on when I first got back into climbing again. I am proud of the progress I've made and feel a new fire lighting inside me to improve even more. 

This blog will be a testament to my climbing and other adventures I experience along the way. I look forward to being able to look back and see just how far I've come. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!