UKC

I went to SIBL yesterday, and didn't come last, and I got all the way from Farnborough to Mile End, then Mile End to Leamington without getting lost. Cosidering it's my first climbing competition, and I've never driven through London before, I thought that was a good result! Plus I got there early, very unusual for me, especially since I passed out drunk on the sofa the night before and didn't set an alarm. It turned out I didn't need to panic though, as I had no idea the clocks had gone back.

My score was pretty abismal, but it gives me something else to improve on for next time.

The routes were wicked, and I met some cool people. Who else went? How did you do? Did you enjoy it?

In reply to Sarah_Clough:

nice one.

will be going to the castle one...

In reply to Wilbur:

I may be, will post nearer the time.

In reply to Sarah_Clough:

A fun round with a good turnout and several wild sideways dyno problems and no no-hands ones thankfully. Mono and sloper weaknesses cruelly exposed.

In reply to Sarah_Clough:
First comp too. Feeling very sore today...first climb in a couple of weeks so not at top form, that's for sure. Still, lots of fun...just have to work out how the hell to get to Redhill now...

Particularly liked the bridging no hands route (14?)...

In reply to Beast:

I'm aching too.

I thought that route was cool. I was quite smug that I manage to reach the red hold first time, as there wasn't much other stuff I was good at. But the first time I tried to hang it, I forgot to move my right foot, barn doored it and hit my hip. Second time, I hung it but me feet hit the floor. Last time, all I wanted to do was get it - I did, then got the next one, and the black one. As I was standing up though, both feet were slipping, and eventually I came off. Argh, so close!

In reply to stow:

Slopers and pinches are my weaknesses. What's a mono?

In reply to Sarah_Clough:

The one digit hole in the middle of the black hold you just mentioned! Also the penultimate hold on No 2 (I think -- the vertical wall)

In reply to Sarah_Clough:

one finger hold...

In reply to stow:

Ah, I'm not too bad on them. (Relative to myself, not to other people). I tried number 2 too late in the day, and kept slipping off the holds before I got to the monos. Damn my footwork!

In reply to Sarah_Clough:
Don't be too hard on yourself - the footwork at the start of 2 wasn't that easy. I saw a few decent Mile End regulars slip on that one!

In reply to Beast:

I'm not too worried as there's always some that you kick yourself over. I went for a laugh and definately enjoyed myself. I can't believe I got tired so quickly - number 20 in the monkey room, and the middle one outside were easily within my ability, and the kind of routes I like, and I failed on them both because I didn't have the energy! I wasn't even pumped, just couldn't summon the strength.

In reply to Beast:

I worked out that there were 7 problems that I completed (5 first go), 9 that I could have done if I'd worked them or been a bit fresher, and 9 that were way beyond my current ability and I couldn't have done for love nor money!

In reply to Wilbur:

you should have gone.
it was a good laugh.

In reply to virgil:

mate - would have loved to have gone but a) finger injury and b) the worst hangover of the last 2 years after a halloween party kept me from attending.

How did you get on?

In reply to Wilbur:
not bad.
had fun.
wasn`t sick. result.
got back in time to watch the mighty wanderers win as well.
genius.
I`m starting to get into this whole london thing.

In reply to virgil:

'the Mighty Wanderers' bit of an oxymoron

In reply to Sarah_Clough:

Hi Sarah

think I met you yesterday though not sure I was one of your "cool people"!

Glad you enjoyed the competition. I'm aching like mad too though suspect I may well be propping up the veterans table!

See you at the next round which is at my "local" wall at Red Hill.

All the best

Martin

In reply to Sarah_Clough:

And.. I see from the results that we got the same mighty score of 64 as well!

In reply to mdwoolley:

Just checked the photos in your gallery, yep, we met. I think we were discussing how hard everything on the right side of the main room looked before it started? Everbody i met was cool!

Didn't know the results were up already. Oh dear, I came second to last, I feel a twinge of embarassement Oh well, must try and improve on that for the next one!

In reply to Sarah_Clough:

I came joint second to last too! Well I will have once they've moved my result to the veterans table where it belongs!

But hey, I did worse last year so I can't complain.

Next stop Red Hill. Will you be there?

Cheers

Martin

In reply to mdwoolley:

I should be at RedHill. The only reason I might not be is if we have a freak weekend of sunshine, when I may head off outside. I'm having wrist problems at the moment, so hopefully it will be better by then. I should rest it, which gives me 2 excuses for doing badly - either I'll have been practising, which will knacker my wrist, or I'll have been resting it, so I'll be out of practise!!

In reply to Sarah_Clough:

p.s. I don't really give a monkeys where I end up in the table. I'm pretty crap at bouldering but I want to improve. I can't think of a better way than to put myself through these comps, where the standard does seem to be pretty high. Perhaps I'm a masochist or something!

In reply to mdwoolley:

Not a masichist, I was thinking along the same lines. You can improve by watching the others rather than taking part. Although I didn't really watch the good people, I spend most of the time time analying the people before me to see how they did the problem. Unsurprisingly, the problems I managed were ones where I'd watched other people go first.

In reply to Sarah_Clough:

The SIBL has definitely improved my bouldering. If you analyse why you failed afterwards it basically gives you a tailored training agenda. In my opinion people fail on SIBL problems b/c of, in order of frequency: don't know the beta, not enough upper body strength/power; not enough grip strength, mental(not really giving it a good go)(me), poor foothold choice/usage, poor body tension (me).

Mile End was nice and spread out. Redhill is going to be a zoo.

In reply to stow:

I failed because:

1) exhausted (on the 8th problem onwards)
2) lack of beta (on the 8th problem onwards)
3) slopers!
4) Footwork (especially on the left hand monkey room roof, and number 2)

In reply to stow: stop talking and get training for the Vets BBC!!

In reply to graeme alderson:

yo dude that's why I be doing the SIBL! I hear there some hard northern OAPs out there just itching to kick some soft southern butt.

In reply to stow: i of course would enter but it would not be fair on the rest of you