Today was
the third match of the national qualifications lead climbing. I am a boulderer,
I can’t motivate myself to train for the lead competition. Bouldering is so
much more fun than lead climbing, especially indoors. For me the lead
competition is a way to meet friends, have a nice day and do the best I can on
the routes, knowing my endurance sucks. There is no stress, just fun and apparently
for me that is a golden combination. I had my second victory of the season.
I wish I
could be as relaxed in the bouldering competition as I am in the lead
competition. That is unfortunately not the case. I feel a lot of tension and
stress in the bouldering comp which usually ends up in a result I am not happy
with. I know I can perform a lot better in bouldering but the stress is killing
me. I am part of the regional talent team that comes together once a week, but
there is no guidance with regard to mental training. I think that is a pity, I
certainly would benefit from that in the bouldering comp.
Fortunately,
Jorg Franken will be building a team of youth climbers in which mental coaching
will be part of the training and I am really happy to be invited to be part of
that group. With an emphasis on strength training, something I lack and thus
very much need and the right personal coaching I hope I can become a better
boulderer. Our base will be the new bouldering gym in Leiden “Kunststof” which
is not finished yet but it looks really promising and very close to my school. The pictures below are from their facebook page. Go check it out:
www.facebook.com/boulderhalkunststof
www.facebook.com/boulderhalkunststof
Back to the
lead competition: if we look at the overall results after three qualifications
I am glad to see that our regional talent team “RTC West” is doing very well.
Vincent (juniors), Don (youth A) and myself (youth B) are ranked first. Thumbs
up for all our trainers, not a bad result if you consider that we mainly focus
on bouldering! What is even more noticeable is that all three of us live in the
same town (Leidschendam-Voorburg). Our RTC West girls are also doing well, both
Tiba (youth A) and Cecile (youth B) are ranked third.
Although I have more medals from lead competition than from the bouldering comp I am seriously considering quitting the lead comp next year. In
2016 I will be allowed to join the senior
competition. Doing both the youth and senior boulder qualifications sounds much
more appealing than continuing with the youth lead. I'd rather like to
spend an afternoon in the boulder gym than hanging around the whole day at lead
competition for two or three routes. Competing in all four, both adult and youth lead
and bouldering, is too disturbing for my outdoor climbing trips. The comps
are often in weekends when I want to go climbing outdoors which is off course
much more fun than pulling plastic. The last youth lead for example is during
my autumn break. If I compete I will miss two days of bouldering in
Fontainebleau. I am still deliberating what to do. If I do go I will probably
finish first in the overall ranking, which is nice. However, the beautiful sandstone of Fontainebleau is
pulling hard. It is a tough choice between getting some more training for the
Dutch lead championship and the fun of trying beautiful problems in Bleau.
Of course I also feel obliged to my sponsor NIHIL to show up at the comp. On the
other hand, NIHIL is having a team event in Fontainebleau that very week making the decision even harder.
Two
more weeks to make up my mind.