When presented with a redpoint format competition, I'll be honest and say I usually have mixed feelings about it. On one side, I feel it's not ideal as it doesn't add to our preparation for Championship level competitions. But on the other, I see its benefits for welcoming new and younger climbers. After this past weekend up at Phoenix Rock Gym, I am definitely leaning towards the latter.
A huge crew from our Training Team made the trek up North for, what was for many, their very first sport climbing competition. Everyone left the gym with smiles on their faces and stoked on the day. This is how we build the next generation; keep them psyched on the sport!
For our veteran competitors, they took this opportunity to practice their onsight skills. I put zero pressure on them for chasing after scores. Rather I asked them to treat the comp as a training day, taking advantage of the excellent routes, different gym and setting styles. Wouldn't you know that we then walked away with 11 podium finishes, three of which were blue ribbons! What a way to start our sport competition series. We'll be riding high with confidence for the next month as we prep for our next competition in April. Can't wait! See the full results HERE.
Enjoy the photos, courtesy of Sarah P.
