Posts Tagged ‘national’

It looks like my webpage is turning into a video blog. I spotted a video about the national boulder championships on September 29th from The Royal Dutch Mountaineering and Climbing Association Youtube channel. Pff what an announcement but you know what it’s all about. Too bad I wasn’t starring in this video though however I was supporting on the first row!

Anyway, press play and watch the video.

Video: NC Boulder 2012

A month later I signed up for the final lead qualification. There are 3 lead qualifications in total. And I need to get enough points to qualify for the National lead Championships.

This time the lead competition was held at Rotterdam Monte Cervino climbing gym.

I left from Eindhoven and traveled to Nieuwegein where I joined Pim Cattenstart and Frits by car in the morning. Monte Cervino is just unreachable by public transport. It took me quite some time to get to the venue.

Anyway, it was a nice day to climb outdoors and we were indoors all day.

When I entered the climbing gym, I had to sign up first.

I received a sticker with a number on it. Remarkable was a Lotto sponsor was added on the sticker. Lotto will sponsor part of the climbing competition, which is a good sign for the sport!

Well the Lotto logo isn’t really visible on the photo, but you get the idea

Ulf Lennertz wanted to warm up with me by climbing a few routes. Pim joined us but we couldn’t warm up proper. It was quite crowded and most of the ropes were taken. I thought I was starting 7th on the starting list, but after reprinting a new start list I had to start 3rd in my first qualifier! I wasn’t ready yet, not even warmed up proper but I gave my first route a go.

I was cruising through the route until I had to get out of the roof. That’s when my fingers went numb, they’ve gone cold as ice! I couldn’t stick to plastic. My right hand was fully crimped on a hold. And my left hand was on a sloper hold. Then I couldn’t feel anything anymore and fell out of the route. I only needed 2 holds more to finish the route! Such a bummer…

My second qualification route went well. I set my mind to 6a and needed some speed. Easy said and well performed I must say.

The total score of these 2 routes led me to a spot in the finals.

I spotted the final route in the wall. It didn’t look easy. I put on my new climbing shoes from Boreal: Falcon.

The shoes are new and so small. But I like how comfortable they’ll get. The rubber is super flexible. Anyway, back to climbing. When DJ Bliek pronounced my name, I walked up the stairs. I was staring at the route and wanted to climb just like the qualification. Mindset to an easy route and go!

However, the route didn’t go that easy as I thought. For every move I had to lean my body to find balance or put my feet at my waist. It was a tricky start. A few holds later, I was pinching in a hold with my right and suppose to crossover with my left. It didn’t feel natural. It felt awkward so I matched my right hand and tried to continue with my right hand to a crimper.

Unfortunately that didn’t work out well. It was game over. That lame crux was the end of my finals. I ended up 7th and I’m not happy at all! This means I’m not even qualified for the Nationals. I’m missing the points of the first competition. Pim managed to collect enough points with 2 competitions to qualify. This has triggered me to train more and not to give up so easy. Click the photo below to see more photos of this event taken by NKBV.

Source: NKBV

Fortunately there is one more competition to qualify for the Nationals, which is the Climboff. I’ll see you there in a few months.

2 days after Puurs, I had my first competition of the year: Lead 2.

I had to skip the first lead and boulder competition due to work.

But now I have more time and I can test my climbing level with this lead competition.

The climbing gym looks quite Amsterdamned.

Anyway, inside that box was a nice ambiance. I was quite on time and it seems like everyone had to wake up first.

I took my time to start my climbing day. I ate some breakfast first, although this pie seems so sweet.

To be honest, I was still pumped from Puurs…it sucks. During my warm up I didn’t feel pumpy yet however during the qualifiers I had to climb controlled and shouldn’t give up too fast. I should just focus on the routes and my goal was to end up in the finals.

Fortunately the qualifications went well. Even though I felt pumpy before I started, I managed to send one of the 2 routes. The other route was simply impossible for me at that moment to send away.

Eventually the judges presented us a provionary score as usual. However, they didn’t seem to pay attention. 4 climbers didn’t get the score that they suppose to have, including me! I didn’t agree with this score and we teamed up like The Avengers and wrote a letter.

The judges took our note very seriously and had to confirm it by video. Later they admit that we’re right about our scores. Hell yeah! It was time to take a peek at the final route. Everyone has it’s own way to prepare.

Soon it was my turn to climb the finals. During the finals I figured I should climb somewhat faster.

It worked out pretty well! Even though I was already pumped before I got started, I managed to end up 5th.

It felt like as if was dying in a route but I kept on fighting.

I must say that this route was perfect for a finals. Perhaps I could have climbed better during this route, but with that little training I shouldn’t complain too much. I’m content with my score!

Check out more photos taken by NKBV by clicking on the photo below.

Source: NKBV

Today I woke up early to finish my Berdorf story. It takes quite some effort to create a movie and write a nice story about it. I just like to write about my adventures though!

Anyway, I just published my story and had to leave right away to be on time for the 2nd lead competition which was at Bergschenhoek. At Eindhoven I caught the train towards Utrecht along with a bunch of Ajax soccer supporters who felt like drinking beer in the morning and sang songs during the whole ride. After an hour I was relieved to leave this train and joined Pim Cattenstart in his car.

We had to drive a different way to Bergschenhoek because the ring of Rotterdam was closed. Our ride took a tad longer than an hour but we arrived on time.

I signed up at the bar and received a competition number.

First I needed to digest some sandwiches before I was going to climb. Rens sponsored me some cheese because I forgot to fix my sandwiches. I was in a hurry this morning! Next I warmed up with Pim and just a few routes later we had to leave the climbing gym.

The semis was about to start and we had to wait outdoor in a tent. I don’t know who’s idea this was to put us outdoor but none of us were happy about this decision. The wind was cold though.

Anyway, we’re informed by the jury about the semis. 6 Minutes time to prepare the route.

I was cooling down too much after sitting 20 minutes outside. I figured it would be nicer to sit inside.

It was my turn to climb. I didn’t feel like competing in a competition at all. My mind was somewhere else, I believe I was thinking too much about Berdorf. The route went okay until I arrived at the roof.

Then I didn’t rest anymore and grabbed this wall structure which wasn’t very good. I tried to go to the next hold with my left hand but my boy was too close to the wall. I bumped into a quickdraw and fell out of the route. My score seemed just about enough to advance to the finals. I was number 6th.

During the finals I climbed on safe mode again until I arrived at this undercling and started to think too much. Why am I missing footholds here? It’s always the same story, far movements which I could barely reach!

Fine, it was time to change my mindset. Time to rock! With this thought I continued in the route and tried to hurry up and yet stay calm. More or less I just managed to grab the next hold but I won’t let go. I was fighting through this route. Not many people have seen me climbing in this style before though. When I arrive at this sloper triangle I get drained and pumpy. I won’t give up and continue even when I’m pumped.

I was focussing on the next holds and manage to link 6 movements in a row before I fall out of the route. Daaamnnn, I’m so drained and pumpy. Perhaps I shouldn’t have gone to Berdorf to save my energy but it’s so fun!

I think it was a nice final route however a tad morpho. My compliments to the routesetters! For the first time in a long time I felt like giving everything during a competition. The height I have reached makes me end up 3rd and receive a bronze medal. I also received a bottle of beer which I lost in the climbing gym after 10 minutes. Pim ended up 4th just behind me. The rest of the results are viewable on this link.

We’re both satisfied and finally go home. The weekend went pretty fast…See you next time!

The National kickoff for the boulderseason was 2 weeks ago. I can recall boulder 1 like yesterday.

Boulder 2 was planned yesterday, also known as the I love problems event at Rotterdam. A major difference between boulder 1 and 2 was the amount of participants. It’s a nice challenge to compete against more participants!

Fortunately I could arrange a last minute ride from Utrecht to Rotterdam Steeppart. Together with Mirthe van Liere we could tag along from Utrecht and arrived at the venue around noon.

When I signed up I received a nice white shirt with a logo from I love problems. We had plenty of time because we had to wait til 2 PM for the competition to start. While I was exploring around I saw Bart van Raaij, chief routesetter, panicking at times. Kenji Tsujimaru was busy with his topo guide and also Jeroen Bliek, speaker of the event, returned from being away for nearly 2 years.

I ordered a toast at the bar and then spotted myself on the Wall of Fame. That made me smile!

Due to my golfer’s elbow in other words medial epicondylitis I decided to warm up proper. I can’t really call it an injury yet although it’s getting really sensitive. I also felt a sore muscle in my lower back which caused me a lot of trouble to get my right leg up. To sum it up, this wasn’t my day to go all out and send problems.

I like the qualification problems. I don’t know who rated the problems though, however some of the problems were categorized wrong. A few problems were too easy to belong in the hardest category. Those problems are nice (orange nr 87 and black nr 12), and very appreciated to put on my ticklist haha! Well I also ran into hard problems, but thanks to the diversity of all problems, I should label these boulders as a success. With a score of 505 points I managed a 5th place together with Hans Busker and Teun Keusters.

A 5th place was a spot in the finals. 8 men and 8 women were advanced to the finals. Due to many ties in both categories, only 7 persons were allowed to join the finals.

At half past 6 we had to be in the isolation area. After a short briefing by the judges, we could start preparing the problems. 8 minutes of preptime to figure out 4 problems.

The startlist was published and my name was on top of it which means i could start climbing first. The first problem was a traverse to the right. It took me so much effort to get there. My right leg wasn’t cooperating and felt my sore muscle so I had to find another solution. Unfortunately a no go in this problem.

The second problems was pretty tough. It was a mint boulder, starting 1 hand on the side and the other full crimp on a tiny edgy hold. I thought I had to crossover with my right hand and match it with my left hand. I couldn’t manage to get to the zone hold.

Later on chief Bart explained me the sequence of the problem. To get to the zone hold, you should match your right hand, put your right foot up and then reach the side / zone hold with your right hand. The distance between the hold on the module and the side was too far for me. Too bad.

I liked the 3rd boulder problem. The start was funny. From an undercling on a module, you had to put your feet against the wall first and then you’re allowed to go to a nice sidepull. Once I got there, I had to jump to the next hold. Finally after 3 times I managed to get the hold on the module and control my swing. I grabbed the zone and crossover again with left and the end was within my sight. I wanted to put my left foot high under my elbow but slipped away from the zone hold. Again no top, however I earned my first zone.

The final boulder problem was set with red holds. I think the problem was kinda morfo. Tall people had more advantage in this problem. To get the undercling (from a module) above your head wasn’t nice at all, even harder when you’re standing stretched out. In my opinion, the setter should’ve put the left starting hold higher. It wouldn’t change anything in the problem itself. Another no go!

I was clearly not having my day / moment. I ended up 7th though during this boulder event. Check the rest of the results here. More photos (125 photos) are available on my Facebook.

I don’t know if I can look back positive on this competition despite my 7th place. The competition contained many problems and it was well organised. I think it’s wise to recover from my golfer’s elbow first. This means less bouldering for me and focussing more on rope climbing. See you next time at Lead 2!

The National kickoff for the boulderseason was 2 weeks ago. I can recall boulder 1 like yesterday.

Boulder 2 was planned yesterday, also known as the I love problems event at Rotterdam. A major difference between boulder 1 and 2 was the amount of participants. It’s a nice challenge to compete against more participants!

Fortunately I could arrange a last minute ride from Utrecht to Rotterdam Steeppart. Together with Mirthe van Liere we could tag along from Utrecht and arrived at the venue around noon.

When I signed up I received a nice white shirt with a logo from I love problems. We had plenty of time because we had to wait til 2 PM for the competition to start. While I was exploring around I saw Bart van Raaij, chief routesetter, panicking at times. Kenji Tsujimaru was busy with his topo guide and also Jeroen Bliek, speaker of the event, returned from being away for nearly 2 years.

I ordered a toast at the bar and then spotted myself on the Wall of Fame. That made me smile!

Due to my golfer’s elbow in other words medial epicondylitis I decided to warm up proper. I can’t really call it an injury yet although it’s getting really sensitive. I also felt a sore muscle in my lower back which caused me a lot of trouble to get my right leg up. To sum it up, this wasn’t my day to go all out and send problems.

I like the qualification problems. I don’t know who rated the problems though, however some of the problems were categorized wrong. A few problems were too easy to belong in the hardest category. Those problems are nice (orange nr 87 and black nr 12), and very appreciated to put on my ticklist haha! Well I also ran into hard problems, but thanks to the diversity of all problems, I should label these boulders as a success. With a score of 505 points I managed a 5th place together with Hans Busker and Teun Keusters.

A 5th place was a spot in the finals. 8 men and 8 women were advanced to the finals. Due to many ties in both categories, only 7 persons were allowed to join the finals.

At half past 6 we had to be in the isolation area. After a short briefing by the judges, we could start preparing the problems. 8 minutes of preptime to figure out 4 problems.

The startlist was published and my name was on top of it which means i could start climbing first. The first problem was a traverse to the right. It took me so much effort to get there. My right leg wasn’t cooperating and felt my sore muscle so I had to find another solution. Unfortunately a no go in this problem.

The second problems was pretty tough. It was a mint boulder, starting 1 hand on the side and the other full crimp on a tiny edgy hold. I thought I had to crossover with my right hand and match it with my left hand. I couldn’t manage to get to the zone hold.

Later on chief Bart explained me the sequence of the problem. To get to the zone hold, you should match your right hand, put your right foot up and then reach the side / zone hold with your right hand. The distance between the hold on the module and the side was too far for me. Too bad.

I liked the 3rd boulder problem. The start was funny. From an undercling on a module, you had to put your feet against the wall first and then you’re allowed to go to a nice sidepull. Once I got there, I had to jump to the next hold. Finally after 3 times I managed to get the hold on the module and control my swing. I grabbed the zone and crossover again with left and the end was within my sight. I wanted to put my left foot high under my elbow but slipped away from the zone hold. Again no top, however I earned my first zone.

The final boulder problem was set with red holds. I think the problem was kinda morfo. Tall people had more advantage in this problem. To get the undercling (from a module) above your head wasn’t nice at all, even harder when you’re standing stretched out. In my opinion, the setter should’ve put the left starting hold higher. It wouldn’t change anything in the problem itself. Another no go!

I wasn’t clearly having my day / moment. I ended up 7th though during this boulder event. Check the rest of the results here. More photos (125 photos) are available on my Facebook.

I don’t know if I can look back positive on this competition despite my 7th place. The competition contained many problems and it was well organised. I think it’s wise to recover from my golfer’s elbow first. This means less bouldering for me and focussing more on rope climbing. See you next time at Lead 2!