TCA comp! :)

Hi everyone,
      i'm just back from the comp held at TCA, it was really good fun!
      I managed to come in at 3rd place, not bad for having a sore knee.
      The first round was the flash format (the flash format is when you have one shot to try and flash the problem. Flashing a problem is when you get the problem first time). I qualified through in 3rd place and then moved on into the semi-finals.
       In the semi-finals it was the bubble format (the bubble format is when your age catagory joins another catagory and goes round the problems together. My age catagory teamed up with the veterans. It was quite confusing at first but in the end i got it) and i qualified in 3rd place again. After that it was time for lunch before the finals...
       After lunch everyone started to warm up again before the finals started.
       when everyone was warmed up we all headed to the pit (the pit is a space in the left side of the center  where you can sit and watch climbers while you have a drink of water, it is really handy. Oh, and if you ever go there it has to be water you drink or else you get into trouble because they say that if you you have juice and you spill it it will make all the mats sticky, it is true though) for isolation.
        Isolation is what people call it when you sit and wait for your turn to climb. You normally can't see the others when you are in isolation, that's what makes is more exciting (and scary) though.
        So back to the comp, we then had 6 minutes to read our routes. Once we had read the route the person who qualified in 3rd place went out first (that was me). On the first problem i got to the hold just above the bonus hold. Then when it was my turn again i got to the bonus. On the 3rd problem i got to the bonus again.
       A little time later they counted up the scores and i came 3rd. I won a 10 pound gift voucher for Ellis Brigam. I now have two vouchers,  will have to go online and treat myself.

Trip to Benny Beg

Hi everyone, hope your all having fun over the October break.

I've been doing a lot of climbing as I'm hoping to go down to Sheffield for the Lead climbing championships at the end of November.

On Wednesday we headed over to Bennybeg. We arrived at around eleven o'clock and it was quiet sunny, we were the only climbers there for the majority of the day. We started off doing our warm-up, my wee brother Scott took the warm-up, after that we done some stretches and I tied in to do the first route.

Stretching!!!

Reading the route.

This was the first time I have sport climbed outside and my dad has spent ages going over everything I needed to know and making sure I practised at home. I was quiet nervous but really excited at the same time.

Scott, making sure I'm OK.

I went up Bill and Ben the Flower Pot Men first this was a low grade (3) but I clipped my own runners on the way up and finished off at the anchor point before my lower off. I'm so glad that I practised how to tie in to the anchor point.

Bill and Ben the Flower Pot Men

Next came Route 2 a (4+) followed by Bennydorm a (5) and finally Benny and the Banshees a (4), we then spent some time doing some low level traversing and Scott done a lead on Route one (3+), well done to Scott.

Ready for the Lower off - Bennydorm.

Climbing and placing my own runners gave me so much confidence as I was having difficulty climbing above the clips at the GCC and kept going for clips as soon as I could reach them.

Scott at the top of Bill and Benny the Flower Pot Men.

First sport climb done....

Just about to reach the lower off on my first sport climb.

Happy after a days at the crag :)

Many thanks to mum and dad and all my coaches (especially Scott :) ).

Trying to make a video.

This is my first try at making a video with Scott, we hope you enjoy it :)

WCS 2014 (Womens Climbing Symposium)

Hi everyone,
            I had a ball yesterday at the Women's Climbing Symposium! It was a great experience and well worth the money.

www.womensclimbingsymposium.com

Welcome and introduction-Photo by WCS

            In the morning I went to The Demon Slayers talk and it was all about the demon inside you. The demon was what you feared most. There was lots of people who feared lead falls. We listened to some people (including Mina) who shared their fear with us.

  The Demon Slayers-Photo by WCS

After that we all had a break and then went to Psyche Therapy and that was all about the positives and the negatives of the sport.

Some positives and negatives:

POSITIVES:                                                                       NEGATIVES:

it's an adventure                                                                   could get hurt
heart racing                                                                          it's scary
adrenaline rush                                                                     not worth the risk

I Like The Way You Move was our final talk. It was a really nice lady who was telling us about how your posture can change your climbing ability so much more! I found that really interesting. We also watched a video of her 2 year old daughter climbing. I don't know why but she said to try climbing barefooted?  We all had to try some belly dancing (that was a real laugh). Once the talk was over, me, Carla and Rhiannon done a traverse with no shoes on! Some of the small ones hurt my foot but i tried to stick to the big slopy ones.

            For lunch me, Carla, Rhiannon and Lucy all went to Tesco but then there was a Greggs next door so we went in there instead. We went to the park and finished of our Greggs.

In the afternoon I had picked to do the two coached sessions, the first was Brain Training and the second was Confidence on the Wall.

Sophie, Lucy, Me (the little one), Rhianon, Shauna, Eilidh, Amy, Chiara

In Brain Training we were talking about how you think can change the way you climb mentally. We done some of the boulders that had just been set and before we tried them we had to visualise ourself or someone else climbing and getting to the top in one go! I found that it really helped me and it was a really good technique!

             After that we had a small break and then I moved on to Confidence On The Wall. That was probably my favourite avtivity! We were doing lots of boulders on the comp wall and we also done some dynos. There was this one route that nobody got in there first attempt (I was really lucky and managed to get it done on my second attempt).

This is a photo mum took of me and Shauna at TCA on Thursday night. Mum got it printed onto a block and Shauna signed it for me at the end of the day.

          

SYCC 2014

Hi everyone, Ive been training hard hard over the Summer, I got a place in the TCA bouldering squad even though I'm only 11, thanks Alan Cassidy for having faith in me :), I also went to Northumberland with Mum, Dad and Scott where we did a bit of camping and a bit of outdoor climbing at Corby's Crag, I was learning how to place my own protection, that's scary...

Corby's Crag

Scott

Trad rack

Practicing placing my own protection.

 We also managed to squeeze in a training session at Ratho and a bouldering comp at TCA.

 

SYCC training day with Robbie and Buzz.

The rules for the bouldering comp.

 I will still be at the GCC every week as well and the the try outs are on again tomorrow. hopefully I will make the team again.


I competed in the SYCC (Scottish Youth Climbing Competition) yesterday, Scott competed as well, and I came in third in the climbing comp and first in the speed comp, well done me, I was so excited :)

 

Having fun before the comp starts.

Climbing with Carla and Rhiannon to warm up.

 

Scott on his first route.

Dad caught me with a candid shot.

Heading up the senior comp wall.

Never beat my personal best, still sitting at 42 seconds but I will beat it.

Moving up my second qualifier.

On the final route, this was hard.

Never got much father.

First place in the Speed Climbing.

Third place in the climbing comp.

Thanks to everyone who for their good wishes, I move up a category in January and I need to put in even more hours, mum and dad will be well sick of me by Christmas.

Now on Facebook.

Hi everyone, just to let you know that I now have a Facebook group page that you can follow as well. Please feel free to add yourself and share/add your friends.

Thanks

CC

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1463727190543143/

TCA Summer comp 31st July

Hi everyone,
                      I've just got back from TCA (The Bouldering Academy, Glasgow). I was competing in the summer bouldering competition. I came 2nd in my age group and won a pair of climbing trousers and a climbing top. I really enjoyed it. out of a possible 176 points I got 96. I was really pleased!

 

Before we found out the results we went and got a burger. TCA sold the burgers. my brother came 4th. he was also pleased.

The comp was on a 10-7-5 format, this means that if you top the problem on the 1st attempt then you get 10 points, if you get it on your 2nd attempt then you get 7 points, if you get it on your 3rd attempt then you get 5 points but if you get it on your 4th or 5th attempt then you only get 1 point.

Every boulder had a bonus hold and if you got a controlled grip then you got a point added on to you total score. There was 15 problems to go and these were for all competitors regardless of age, I really enjoyed it!!!

I'm looking forward to the next few weeks where I will be trying out for a place on the TCA's youth bouldering team.

Good afternoon,

                           I was at youth team yesterday and I was trying to lead a 6c+ on the lead wall. the lead wall is getting changed soon, so I will try it again when I go back on Wednesday. I done a 6b, 5+, and a 6a+ as part of a warm up after break. I also traversed.

When I got in last Saturday all the greens had been taken down and one half had been done so when I got in yesterday the other half of the greens had also been changed. I done the pinks and then I tried the greens, they were a lot harder than the greens that were up the last time, I done 2 yellows, a lot of the new oranges that are up and I was trying 2 or 3 blues and I got half way up on them. 

Last week when I went to The Climbing Academy I tried slack lining for the first time and I really enjoyed it.



I am hoping to get my own slack line that we can take to the local park.so I can include this as part of my training.  I also done a yellow 2nd time. I was doing a lot of reds, blacks, greens, and blues. I am planning on going  to the TCA tonight to get in a few hours practise.

I am looking forward to the bouldering competition that is coming up soon and I am hoping I do well in it.

Thanks for following my blog.

CC

Caitlin-Connor-Climbing: Camping at Linwater.

Caitlin-Connor-Climbing: Camping at Linwater.: Good morning, I hope everyone is well and enjoying our good weather. On Thursday the 3rd of July my family and I all went away to Li...

Camping at Linwater.

Good morning,

I hope everyone is well and enjoying our good weather.

On Thursday the 3rd of July my family and I all went away to Linwater. Linwater is a caravan site in Edinburgh a mile or so from EICA, it is also right next to Edinburgh airport so that meant that we could see all of the aeroplanes leaving. When we first got there we got our new eight man tent out and put it up, this was a bit of a job as we hadn’t done it before and it took us quite a while.

 

Tent up

 

 

 After our dinner of haggis, potatoes, carrots and peas, I took my dog (Carson) a walk,

 when we got back my mum and I went out for an hour on the local tracks mountain biking, I really enjoyed it.





A bit of painting before it got dark.

 

We settled down for the night listening to ABBA as Scott was playing it on his tablet.

I had a great sleep and woke early the next day again to the sound of ABBA as Scott had got up before me and took Carson for his walk. After a breakfast of beans and sausage we all packed the tent away just in time for the rain coming. Once everything was done we headed down to Ratho for the day.

I tried out a lot of hard routes and the YCS final comp routes.

 

Warming up with a bit of core.

Studying the YCS routes

 

After working on the YCS routes I climbed 6a on-sight on the tower, this is the highest wall in EICA.

 

Starting off

Clipping in

A black and white one.



not far to go.

That's me right at the top.

 

 

I done a climb on the big comp wall and a red on the tower. I also attempted a 6c+ but it was just too hard..

Just finished, can you see me?

I helped my dad teach my mum how to lead belay. I really enjoy lead belaying so I liked getting to help teach my mum.

 

We also spent a bit of time doing some bouldering, this can be good fun :)

 

Hanging around :)

 

 

Chalked up!

 

 

One of dad's friends from the Riders Branch turned up and gave us a rucksack full of climbing gear. Thanks Alan :)

I previously wrote a blog and said that a flash is when you do it for the first time and haven’t seen anyone do it before but that is an on sight. A flash is when you do a climb/boulder but have seen someone do it before or have been given information on it.

Saturday 28th June 2014

Hi everyone,

I am just back from GCC (Glasgow Climbing Centre) where I was in with the youth team, it was pretty quiet today as the sun was shining and I think most people were outdoors.

I tried out a couple of new routes today, a 7a+ on the left hand wall (the first yellow on the left) I didn't quite manage it and came off at the second to last hold. Ill keep trying though :).

I was also trying a new 6c+/7a on the big brown wall; I took two falls on that, one when I was going over the overhang and then the other nearer the top of the route. The blue route on the left hand side.

In the bouldering room there was an orange route that I hadn’t done before and I gave that a go. I was really pleased as I flashed it J (completed first time without seeing how someone else had done it).

At the end of the session we all had a wee game of tag in the bouldering room.


This week Mum and Dad had to buy me some new shoes again.... these ones were getting a bit done :)

 

    

Training day at Ratho.

On the 31st May we all went through to EICA at Ratho where my brother Scott and I were booked onto a training day with Robbie Phillips.

This was my first time climbing at Ratho and I had a ball.

After meeting everyone else we had a warm up and discussion about the day ahead.

As part of our warm up we played few games of follow the leader and done some stretches.

During follow the leader Robbie took us outside where we went up a lot of stairs before running all the way back down.

When we done all of our stretches we all took it in turn to show everybody else a stretch
that we done at home.

While down in Ratho I flashed a new 6c, 6b+ and another 6b+. Scott was climbing well too and was leading 6a, 6b.

We were there for the whole day and halfway through the day we all had a lunch break.

Ratho is a really big climbing centre and I loved the big comp wall, it's amazing.

After lunch we done a lot of bouldering and focused on trying really hard routes and really hard boulder problems.

Thank you for reading my blog!