Finally

Things WERE starting to look up. Got my driver's license and podium in Boulderactive, and then this bloody thing happened.

Hooooo... *deep breath*

I still wanna talk about Boulderactive though. Leading up to the comp I wasn't really as confident and that sorta helped because it meant I didn't put much pressure on myself for it. Like I was literally thinking that the competition would be so strong for BA so oh well my best chance would be during Transend next week LOL. This was also coupled by the fact that the routes were pretty hard. On first glance the holds looked really bad as well. I remember thinking that the setting was super hard this round, especially seeing the first few details not really have many tops. For the first detail I think there were less than 10 individual tops. But I studied as much of the micro betas as I could and the mistakes other people made and just went into comp focus mode.

The detail didn't start off well because my very first attempt I false started on the coordination jump route LOL. Surprisingly it didn't really mess up my focus which I guess comes from the comp experience. Moved on to the slab route (Route 2) and managed to keep my cool during the heel hook into mantle move, for the easy end. Decided hey since I'm warmed up and still fresh I should go for the last route (Route 6) on the flat wall which was mostly made up of bad crimps and big static moves, which I usually like. Didn't wanna tire myself out trying to do the hacked beta so I pulled through the intended and got the flash. Think I then went over to the route which looked the easiest during the earlier details which was the pink route (Route 5) and yeah it was the easiest haha. I knew the next 2 routes (Routes 3 and 4) were considered the toughest of the whole set so I made sure I rested properly before those. I knew that since Route 3 was a slab I would be able to sort of kill 2 birds with one stone by topping but also resting most of my strength for the hardest route (Route 4). Had a moment on 3 where I nearly slipped my pinch hand but manage to recover and remember the sequence after, getting the top done. Hopped onto 4 once I felt ready and had to really squeeze out the match on the end tile (geddit heh cos it was a pinch). Hearing the whole crowd behind cheering for the end actually really spurred me to get the bloody route done and I was really happy I managed to actually flash it. The coord dyno (Route 1) ended being unreachable for me because I was honestly crapped out at the end of it all, but I was reasonably confident of getting into finals at that point so I was just trying to have fun with the jump itself. Final result for qualis was 5T5 5B5

Finals was on Sunday that weekend and I was actually really nervous leading up to it and in isolation, seeing as this was my first finals. I was obviously hoping for a podium spot but realistically I knew that a lot of times the podium had a high chance to be someone from outside the qualifying top 3. I eventually made sure that I was going in to have fun and most importantly, try my fucking hardest no matter what I thought of the routes. Coming on to Route 1 was a little demoralising because being the second last to go out I knew at least 2-3 other people had completed it, and there was still the strong motherfucker indonesian guy going after me as well. I couldn't even hit the bonus tile, because by the time I figured it was better to do a high step and commit, I was already too pumped and drained by the adrenaline of it being the first route. Going to the next route I knew that lateral movement slabs were something I was/am weak in, and was praying that it would be more straightforward. After looking through the route I remember telling myself to give it a go first. I managed to get decently far but slipped while moving to the last foothold. I told myself to trust it more and focus on the toes, and managed to get stable before the last move. This was already the second attempt, and I screwed up by trying to take the last move as a commit move rather than something more stable. I think I had about 45 seconds or so and that would be my last attempt. Got up to the last move and tried to do a more static beta, which worked and got me the top.

Moving onto the last route I wasn't feeling too confident, as Jia Zhi had mentioned I needed a flash on Route 2 to keep me in contention for podium (I think because he didn't expect me to top Route 3 LOL). Looking at the route my first impression was "Wah fuck coordination jump die liao lor". Then I realised that actually going at max span I might be able to hack the start. Was unsuccessful on the first 2 attempts so I tried to do it with a coordination move to the side wall tile, but failed even worse. At that point I knew that doing a coord jump would tire me out too much and so the only reliable option was to try to hack it. Came up with a backup beta involving my foot placements and managed to stick the span hack. Once I got it I made sure I didn't get overly excited and kept my wits to take the route down, securing me the podium.

4+ years of climbing and a serious heap of effort later I finally made the goal I set when I resumed climbing last year, which was to promote by the time uni started. I'm so glad to have finally accomplished it and I'm already looking forward to the next goal, which is to get to Open by the time uni ends. Really really grateful to the regular climbing guys Luke (who also promoted this comp!!!), Jia Zhi, and Hadi for pushing me to be serious and improve in climbing. All in all, a generally great last few weeks. Hope to keep the positive mindset going and work even harder!

Good Night

Cos you don't even know

I can make your hands clap