The Secret Life of Iyma Lamarche, Rock Climber

Iyma Lamarche, rock climber
Photo: Lauren Watson

Iyma Lamarche is an exciting, emerging talent in the world of Canadian competitive rock climbing.

This past season, she finished second overall in the 2012 Tour de Bloc, tied for first place in the Summer Sweat Fest bouldering series, made it to the semi-finals of the Lead World Cup in Atlanta, competed for Canada at the Bouldering World Cup in Vail -- and also won her first Canadian Youth Nationals climbing title, in Montreal.

Will she develop successfully into an elite athlete? We’re about to find out...

[LINK: Iyma Lamarche, 2012 MEC Canadian Bouldering Championships. Footage courtesy G6 Climbing]

I recently met with Ms. Lamarche to discuss her training regime, the pressures of competition, women in climbing, the future of the sport in Canada, and numerous other topics. I discovered that she’s an articulate, poised individual -- with a bright personality that I’m proud to have representing us.

Enjoy the interview!
[You can also listen to our conversation, using the link at the bottom!]

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Interview with Iyma - Part One 

Iyma Lamarche! Please tell me about yourself: where are you from; how did you get into climbing?

Hangin’ out.
Photo: Meagan Odonelis

I was born in Ottawa, and I’ve lived in Toronto all my life pretty much. I started climbing... I got interested in it, actually, at Ontario Place -- (laughs)

Really? Like one of those portable wall things?

Yeah, I tried it with my cousin, and my dad was terrified, and he didn’t really want me to start at first; he was a little worried -- he was a gymnast.

It was pretty funny. And then I told him I was really interested in it; we started going to Joe Rockhead’s, and then we just went more and more frequently. That sparked my interest, and it went from there.

What discipline of climbing do you enjoy the most, and why?

I think my entire climbing career, I’ve been trying to figure that out actually.

You’re still early in your career, so --

Yes, I suppose. At the moment, and most recently for the past couple of years, I think it’s definitely been route climbing.

Iyma: 2012 Cdn Youth Nationals
Photo: Pam Eveleigh

Inside or outside?

Both. Outside, if I get the chance to. I compete obviously, so it becomes an issue of, like, I have to climb indoors, and I don’t necessarily always get the opportunity to go outside... but both definitely.

You’re primarily focused on sport?

Yes. I’d like to try trad and all that stuff, but at the moment I don’t think it’s realistic for me to pursue that...

Do you have any mountaineering goals in the further future?

I used to be always be really, like, ‘OMG, I’m going to do Everest and make all these big decisions,’ but I now think… I don’t know, it would be cool to do it with a guide; I wouldn’t necessarily want to become a mountaineer. I wouldn’t necessarily be completely interested in that. I also don’t like the cold very much (laughs) so... that could prove to be a little bit of an issue. Yeah. Maybe -- if the opportunity arose.

Who are your climbing influences? Do you follow climbing culture, watch videos and that sort of thing?

Oh yeah. There’s definitely a lot of videos. I don’t think I could... there are so many people that I admire and look up to, and there are so many different people who follow different disciplines, that it’s really hard to single people out.

But I think in general, I’m most attracted to, and most in admiration of people who are... who look at the sport as more of a self-... you know, challenge, and not necessarily as competitively, and just as more of a meditative thing. And I think that it’s important for people to look at climbing, in ways other than just the competitive aspect. I look up to people who are into the spiritual side of climbing.

So in general, people who are calm and peaceful.

Lamarche climbing ‘The Predator’ in Rumney, New Hampshire
Photo: Mike Makischuk

Talking about climbing outside, where’s your favorite place to climb -- where have you been?

I haven’t been to tons of places; I went to Kentucky a lot when I was little -- with my dad, and obviously that’s a crowd favourite -- I love Kentucky! I really want to get out there soon; I’m going in March for my March Break. It’s hard being a student, travelling, so definitely Kentucky.

You’re a full-time student?

Yes, I’m in grade 12. Definitely Kentucky has been my favorite place to go. I haven’t climbed there a long time, so I don’t know if maybe it’s still my favorite or not, but another place is Lion’s Head. Lion’s Head is phenomenal -- the climbing’s fantastic but the area is beautiful, and --

-- the view! --

There’s really nothing wrong with Lion’s Head; it’s pretty amazing, so yeah I love it there too. Really, anywhere I get the opportunity to climb on rock, it’s pretty nice.

On the trail...
Photo: Andrew McBurney

Do you boulder outside as well?

Yes I do. I go to the Glen, and I’ve been on route climbing trips and we’d go bouldering here and there -- North Carolina, West Virginia... I love bouldering, but I definitely haven’t done as much of it outside.

Are you sponsored? Any shoutouts to any companies we should mention?

At the moment I’m sponsored by G6 which is awesome; I love their stuff.

Why is that?

The thing is I’ve always been... pretty girly and I make a lot of... not statements, but I’m a little more out there with my clothing choices (laughs).

No earth tones allowed!

And G6 makes me feel like there’s a company that appreciates that side of me. Because I wear bright pink, and like to wear lots of bright colours, and really express myself through that.

I found a lot of time when I was younger and growing up, it was hard to find brands in clothing that are more... out there with climbing, it’s all like, ‘earth tones’! They (G6) put that on their website, ‘We don’t make earth tones’. Which is nice. It’s nice to have a company like that. I like to be girly.

There’s a quote on your website that says, ‘Fail not for sorrow, falter not for sin, but onward, upward till the goal ye win.’ It’s by Francis Ann Kemble. Can you explain the meaning behind that, and what the significance is for you?

I think a lot of my climbing... in the past I’ve had struggles with self-... not necessarily self-doubt, but more self-motivation, and how I feel towards my own failures, and how I pick myself up from my failures.

I think a big step for me -- writing the blog and starting the website -- was for me to address those failures, and be able to sort out how I was going to move on from that. That poem really embodies everything that I was trying to capture in my climbing at that moment. Working forward, and pushing, and not letting yourself stay on the ground when you fall.

Can you describe your training regime? Without revealing any secrets?

[Laughs] I have no secrets!

‘How can I climb like Iyma Lamarche?’ is what the fans want to know.

‘I guess the treadwall doesn’t love me
as much as I love it’
Photo: Iyma Lamarche

Oh gosh, I don’t know if you want to know! Over the summer it got really crazy; we were training six times a week, five days a week.

I do a lot of… the one thing that I’ve learned over the years is that the biggest way -- for me at least, and I think for a lot of other people to improve in climbing -- is just to climb more.

So I train a lot of conditioning and strengthening, but I try to climb as much as I can. At least two to three times a week of my climbing sessions are pretty much just climbing. It’s a lot of trying to improve my style, my efficiency, but it’s mostly all just spent on the wall.

I don’t necessarily believe in a full-on conditioning-only routine; I don’t really think anyone does. But -- it’s getting crazy right now! I’m training a lot. I had to take away one training session, for school. So now I’m training about four to five times a week, three hours each.

That’s intense. In your head, what kind of a climber are you?

I’ve spent a lot of time and effort and focus and concentration on being an efficient climber. And being very technical with my climbing. I have pretty good hand strength. I think it’s definitely my strongest characteristic.

‘Jump starts are not my friend.’
Photo: Dennis Barnes

Where are you weak -- what would you like to improve?

I have a serious problem with jumping (laughs). Jump starts are not my friend.

What about dynos when you’re on the wall?

It’s so funny, when I’m at the end of a problem, and there’s a dyno -- there’s almost nothing that can stop me. I’m pretty motivated to get that dyno.

But when the dyno’s at the beginning, it’s SO hard, it’s like a big mental wall for me. I don’t know why it’s actually a big thing. I can’t... do it, I find that I need to have already done some hard moves before I jump.

And so I feel really, really held back by dynoing and jumping, and it’s something that I need to work on -- well I am working on it. That’s definitely my weakness at the moment. (laughter)

Who’s your coach?

My dad is my coach.

Your dad, Andrew McBurney...

Andrew McBurney, yes, the owner of Boulderz Climbing Centre. He’s my coach. Last year, I needed some time to get motivated. I was having a lot of trouble by the end of the year before last year, with feeling motivated without having people cheering for me and stuff, and being there and training with me, and pushing me. I was having a lot of trouble when I wasn’t in a situation where I was with other people.

Climbing with her dad, Andrew McBurney

I needed a year to train by myself, to re-connect with who I was and with why I was climbing. Which was all with the same idea with the blogs, and how to deal with my failure, and how I was going to push myself.

So for that year, it wasn’t necessarily a coaching thing, but it was more, I was making different people my mentors, and I was taking different bits of advice, but from a wide spread, a wide spectrum of people -- including my dad obviously. It was more of a ‘I’m going to take from you what I feel like I need’, instead of telling me what to do.

And then this year, I decided to join back onto the Boulderz team and train with the rest of the team. And my dad’s now obviously my full time coach. Which is great, and it’s working super well. I needed some time. But yeah, he’s my coach, for all time.

And I mean, my mom is pretty brilliant with that type of thing, she coached gymnastics for years -- high-level coaching, so she definitely helps me a lot with my mental preparation, and for comps and stuff. And she gets me off the ground all the time.

Iyma and mother:
“She gets me off the ground”

Do you do any other sports, or is there not enough time to...

When I was younger up until the eighth or ninth grades, I used to be on tons of teams, like volleyball, and baseball, and soccer. Tons. And I started having to quit things. The last to go were volleyball and cross country. I loved cross country so much! I ran since I was in grade 2. I love running. And then now that I’ve established a training routine and I’m a little bit more focused on being fit simply for climbing, I’ve started a fitness session with my school.

Which is... I don’t know, it’s kind of confusing. I don’t know why I took it on, I mean it’s so fun, but it’s so tiring! It’s funny, it happens on Friday mornings, so I have Wednesday, Thursday, Friday -- 72 hours of training. It’s great though, it’s really fun, we do an hour of fitness session in the mornings and we just work out. It’s crazy. It’s awesome.

So yeah, that’s the only other thing that I’m doing now.

Do you follow a particular diet, or eat specific foods for nutrition?

“I’m a healthy eater.”
Photo: Iyma Lamarche

I’ve always eaten very healthily since I was very little. It’s pretty much not a choice for me; I’m a healthy eater. I think that my diet has changed, it always changes. I just listen to my body; it’s easy after you listen to it for awhile, to know exactly what you need at certain times.

At comps especially, it’s important to listen to that: ‘Do I need protein, do I need carbs right now?’ Generally I actually eat a lot. I’ve got a pretty high metabolism. I eat like crazy. [laughs]

A lot of people don’t... I eat right before I climb, all the time, like I eat a lot and I never feel sick, I always feel perfect. Generally I just eat a lot of healthy food. And I drink a lot of tea!

That leads into what might for some people be a sensitive topic. I’m interested in your answer as an athlete. The issue is, weight and climbing.

Ah, yes!

Do you pay any attention to it? Do you maintain a weight range, or do you care?

It’s always been easy for me to maintain a very healthy weight. I’ve always had a lean body -- mostly because of my healthy eating and my physical activity. Obviously I can feel it when I lose a couple pounds, or I gain a couple pounds.

Does it affect your performance?

I think that no matter what, when you lose weight it affects your performance. Point blank, losing weight is going to make you feel like you’re climbing better -- until you lose too much weight... then you’re just completely weak. So I definitely try not to -- it’s a very slippery slope to try to monitor your weight like that. I try to stay... I don’t really pay attention. I don’t even know how much I weigh right now...

I’m not --

Self-Image
Photo: Iyma Lamarche

No, no, it’s a good topic... It’s sensitive, because a lot of people feel that it’s somehow connected to your personality, or to who you are, but I think it’s important to just leave it alone. And just let your body do what it does.

I mean, if you’re struggling with obesity, or you’re overweight, that’s a different story, and whatever, if want to get on top of your health, and you do -- but for someone like me, I’m always going to be active and I’m always going to eat well. I just don’t worry about it, and I let my body do what it does.

So I don’t monitor it, but I make sure that I’m not getting huge, or thinning out.

I know some women I’ve talked to, they’re afraid of bulking up from climbing.

Yes.

What are your feelings on that -- do you think there is an ideal climbing shape? Like in the Olympics, gymnasts are a certain size and shape, basketball players tend to be taller. Weightlifters are stocky and powerful...

Climbing’s interesting. I think it’s so cool because I go to some pretty awesome competitions, and see people from all around the world and... obviously (being) leaner and having leaner muscle tissue is good, and it’s a good attribute to have. But even boulderers don’t necessarily have lean muscles.

I’ve seen people with all sizes and shapes --

It’s so different. It definitely varies. I think it’s just your own body, you really have to learn to adapt to your own body and make YOUR body the strongest that it can be for climbing. I don’t necessarily think that there’s an ideal body type.

I do think smaller women tend to excel in the sport. Like -- shorter. Which is great...

That actually is my next line of inquiry. Not to focus on your physical characteristics, but --

 -- It’s all good!

How tall are you?

I think I’m 5' 2". And a bit. I like to say five two-and-a-half. Five three? No.

When is reach an issue?
(Not during the TdB Eastern Regionals, apparently)
Photo: Nathan Ng

I’ve been at some comps along with you, and I love watching you climb because... it tends to be more relatable to me. And inspiring that way. What I mean by that is, if you look at the top guys at a comp, they’re like, burly. Orangutans.

Huge!

Yeah. And super powerful. And with you, it seems to be more about technique, [precision] and control. You’re relatively short. And I always think. Well, if she can do it, in theory I should have a shot too. Because I’m a short person as well. Do you ever feel constrained, by your height or reach or physical stature?

For a long time when I was little, when I was ten or eleven, reach was always an issue. Like, it’s always there. I made a promise to myself after I turned -- there was this one competition, I think I was twelve or something. And I had won Rec. And I had won it by too much. So they had to bump me into Open. That comp was the first time that I made the promise to myself that I wouldn’t blame anything on my height, I wouldn’t make any excuses because of my height. I think that that’s crucial.

Seeing all of these crazy strong women who are much -- even three, four inches shorter than me, it has definitely opened my eyes to the fact that height has nothing to do with it.

There are super amazing short climbers --

Yeah. Like Jain Kim is three inches shorter than me, and she’s a beast!

Thomasina Pidgeon on
the cover of Gripped

Thomasina (Pidgeon) --

Yes, Thomasina’s short too. I think it really has more to do with how you adapt to it. Obviously, some things are too reachy.

That does happen, and it’s unfortunate when it does, and it’s really crappy when it does; it makes you feel like poo -- but you know the good setters aren’t going to set like that. For me -- I strengthen my body to adapt to how I need to climb.

I’m not burly. I don’t have huge muscles in general. But they’re strong. I think I’ve strengthened my muscles to be more dynamic, and better at bigger moves.

Just a quick digression here. For the record, I beat Iyma Lamarche at Tour de Bloc, two years ago!

[laughter]

At Gravity gym I think...

Perfect!

... March 2010...

That’s hilarious. I didn’t even know that.

When she was like, fourteen years old.

Fourteen. Awesome.

Ok. [we settle down] I want to talk about competition climbing.

Yes!

A lot of us watched you compete, not necessarily in person, but online -- at the Bouldering World Cup in Vail, Colorado, and then recently at the Lead World Cup in Atlanta. Can you talk about those experiences, and what it was like competing at that level?

IFSC Bouldering World Cup in Vail
Photo: Will Hummel

Vail was my first [IFSC] World Cup. I had never competed or even really seen any of the Open women actually in person before. Or competed against them. Everything was new. Everything was shocking, everything was larger than life.

Did you feel intimidated?

Oh, super intimidated! I almost felt as though I... well, I had been really busy before I left. I had exams and stuff to study for, and summative evaluations, so I hadn’t trained as much as I would have liked to, first of all -- which made my experience feel a little like... I didn’t ‘deserve’ to be there. More that I didn’t work hard enough to be there.

So a) I felt uncomfortable because I felt like I shouldn’t be there to begin with; and b) I had never seen the wall in person, or even in any videos or anything, so I had no idea what to expect. I’m definitely not as great at the World Cup style bouldering. It tends to be a lot of deciphering, tricky sequences, with a lot of volumes, and there were jump starts. Like one jump start, one dyno. So everything went against my favor in that comp.

But that was actually good for me; it presented ‘the worst of the worst’. And it was a great place to start. I think that if I had started off and done really well, then I wouldn’t have worked as hard as I did for Atlanta, and just in general in terms of working at my mental preparation and my physical preparation for any comps.

So I think Vail was crappy, haha, and really disappointing, but I think it was necessary.

Then I trained like crazy over the summer. Pretty much lived and breathed climbing. And then, I went to Atlanta feeling like I actually really deserved to be there. And I was super excited to be there. I had gone to the gym, earlier in the last month to train a bit. So I knew what to expect. And I knew where it would be, and it was so relieving when I got there -- ‘Oh, I actually know where I am, this is so cool.’

And then the comp went really well! The first climb, I think I was a little bit nervous. I got very flash-pumped. I had been warming up on routes, prior to the event, so to have a bouldering wall to warm up on was a little bit iffy; I don’t think I necessarily got the best warmup, but that’s technical. And I learned from that.

Iyma on the World Cup
Semi-Finals route in Atlanta

Then my second route, I was very disappointed -- I thought I’d be able to do a lot better than I did. I was doing a move that I thought I would get, and then my hand slipped off. Which I was sad about.

But -- I ended up making it into semi’s, which was awesome! That was my goal going into it, I really wanted to make semis. Because I knew I could, and I wanted to see that result.

In semis, it was kind of the same thing, I was a bit nervous. Something new -- I wasn’t familiar with it, and I think it just comes with experience, but I ended up falling on a move I could have done if I’d just been a bit more patient.

I think it’s about experience. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about doing those high-level competitions, it’s just, you can’t have anything to expect if it’s your first time. It was hard to be ready for it, in that respect. I’m really happy with how I did.

It was my first lead World Cup, so it was good. All in all, I was super happy with Atlanta. Happy I went to Vail. I had a really great comp season this year! It was good.


*** INTERMISSION  ***
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This concludes the first half of my interview with Iyma Lamarche, rock climber. Later this week: the exciting conclusion, in which we talk about pressure and competition, women in climbing, the future of the sport in Canada -- and Iyma’s Nutella obsession!

UPDATE: Here’s Part Two of the Interview!

Please Like, Share, & Repost this interview if you liked it!
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Audio Bonus: Listen to This Conversation

[Use THIS LINK if the above doesn’t work in your browser...]

See Also

Onward and Upward (Iyma’s blog)
Iyma on Twitter
IFSC Competitor Record: Iyma Lamarche

Other thematically related pieces of mine...
My series of posts on competing at the Tour de Bloc
Interview with Rock Oasis’ Founder and President
Profile: Justin Readings, Downhill Skateboarder

Absolution at Altitude: Tour de Bloc Season 9 Eastern Regionals

Whew! It’s been an incredible Tour de Bloc season so far.

Mark Button executing a tricky maneuver during the TdB Eastern Regionals Finals

This weekend, the Eastern Regionals for Season 9 of the TdB bouldering series took place at Altitude Gym in Gatineau, Quebec. I love the subtle, sinuous curves of the main bouldering island at Altitude. It’s a beautiful gym.

Perhaps it was my imagination, but the atmosphere for Eastern Regionals seemed more serious, more competitive. Not that everyone didn’t show up to have fun, as always -- but it also felt like people were there to show what they could do...


(video: Florent Balsez sends problem 3, men’s finals -- LINK)

Finals -- Tour de Bloc Eastern Regionals
As you might expect for Regionals, a deep field of competitors was present. In Mens, less than 50 points separated 8th place (the cutoff in Qualifiers) from 12th -- nobody was holding back. Eric Sethna, Sébastien Lazure, and Florent Balsez were all winners of TdB local comps this season.

Eventual winner Kerry Briggs
en route to flashing problem 2 

In Womens there was a similar story, with a final list of six including Kerry Briggs, Iyma Lamarche, Melissa Lacasse, and Thomasina Pidgeon (who placed 2nd in three straight events).

It made for a dramatic Finals. You could cheer for any of the climbers and have decent odds of seeing a problem completion.

Iyma Lamarche on 2, Eveline Lapierre on 3, Thomasina Pidgeon on 4

It was extremely close in Womens. Ms. Briggs, Lamarche and Lacasse completed all four problems, while Ms. Pidgeon (“Go Pidgeon!”) completed three. In the end it boiled down to number of attempts -- Kerry flashed everything, so she won out over Iyma, who in turn edged out Ms. Lacasse.

In Mens we also saw a tight, tense, and hard-fought battle.

Remi Chrusten grappling with problem 2,
while Daniel Gingras gives his all on problem 3

I thought that going in, Eric Sethna was looking really strong (I had witnessed him doing problem 70 during the Qualifiers) but Sébastien Lazure is an incredible competitor, so I was definitely looking forward to seeing who would come out on top.

Except of course, at any given TdB individual performances are what counts, and both climbers were beaten by an exuberant Remi Chrusten. Chrusten flashed all four problems. Sethna had a few more attempts for his four completions, while Lazure fended off Florent Balsez for third place.


(video: Eric Sethna on problem 4, men’s finals -- LINK)

Congratulations to Kerry, Remi, and all of the finalists!

Finals photographs
Check out the whole set:
• 2012 Altitude TdB Eastern Regionals Finals photos

I’ve posted most of the shots I took. As a result you’ll find some cool photo sequences where you can see the progression of moves made by the climbers...

[My favourite sequence is this one, which has Melissa Lacasse working through problem 2 and then Kerry Briggs doing problem 3. When viewing, press the right arrow key (onscreen or on your keyboard) to advance to the next photo.]

Reflection

Finding humility and inspiration

Competing in the Open category this season has been a fascinating personal experience. I’ve learned a lot about humility, since most of the athletes in Open are at an entirely different level than me.

I’ve been inspired by the people I’ve met along the way, particularly by their spirit and friendliness. I have a competitive streak and it always delights me to hear the genuine calls of support and encouragement when climbers are working a problem.

I’m grateful to be a participant in this welcoming community.

Getting there is half the fun

Yay!

I had not planned on going to Eastern Regionals. But the funny thing about climbing is that you wind up meeting people and making new friends so easily -- sometimes events just transpire.

I randomly bumped into two climbers at my home gym, who mentioned they were attending the event -- and I jokingly asked if they had room in their car for another.

To my surprise they said yes, so off I went! Thanks Neil and Elysia for letting me tag along on your mini-road-trip...

Eastern Regionals Qualifiers -- solid, solid work 
I was sick after my exertions from the comp at True North two weeks ago, so I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get back in rhythm in time.

My worries proved unfounded, as I had an excellent session -- probably my best this season. My shoulders and back are really sore today!

55 (black), 54 (pink, right): I had to figure out ‘short-person beta’ for the starting sequence for 55, as the right handhold around the corner was too far for me to make from merely pushing off the wall. I got my right foot on the left starting hold, before making the critical move to the right. 

I wound up with a solid, compact scoresheet that was very satisfying. There were not a lot of problems where I was left disappointed thinking, “Oh, I should have been able to do that.” So I felt like I had climbed to my ability.

53 (green) was thin, delicate, and balancy. The sequence was thoughtful and had several stable spots punctuated by difficult moves, which I enjoyed. 

51 (white) was tricky for me and took multiple attempts. A crossover move near the top puzzled many climbers attempting it.

52 (red) had a big dyno, which is a skill I need to work on. I never landed the dyno, alas. A hold was added (!) for Open. I saw lots of great attempts on 57 (orange) and 69 (purple)

I thought the two problems inside the little vestibule on the side wall, 45 and 29 were creative but overlooked. They were too low to wind up on my final scoresheet, but I enjoyed twisting around like a monkey on both of them.

45 (green), 29 (orange) -- playful and whimsical setting!

The two problems I would have liked to get were 56 and 50. 56 was too powerful for me (maybe if I was about 5 or 10 percent stronger), while I came super close to getting the sequence for 50, but not in time.

56 (yellow) -- a tad too burly. I was tempted to session it, but gave up after a couple of attempts to save my strength

50 (red) had a delightful crux just before the finish...
I nearly got it once but then ran out of time.

Here’s my complete set of TdB Eastern Regionals Qualifiers photos -- I think I got everything:
• 2012 Altitude TdB Eastern Regionals Qualifier photos 

I tend to experience major variations in morale during a comp. I still don’t know how to calm down and focus. That’s something I want to work on in the future.

Getting completions ‘on page 2’!

Early, I felt flushed and pumped out -- while contorting on 45 my back spasmed worryingly. I got spit off the beginning of 54, but then another climber (thanks Timothy!) settled me mentally and together we started sending ‘stuff on the second page’.

From there the session was a steady stream of evenness, and I relaxed.

It’s getting those first couple of high problems -- once I get those, I feel like ‘ok, I actually do know how to climb’. My pacing was good and the last half hour I spent messing around having fun (instead of the dreaded ‘need to find a sixth score’ scenario).

My performance
I was quite content with how I did at Altitude. I performed significantly better than at Coyote, and at a higher level on average than at True North (where my score was bumped up by a last-minute high send). How did I do goal-wise?

• ‘Qualify’ for Women’s Open Finals: YES (would have been #5)
• Finish out of the bottom third in Men’s Open: YES (35/53)

Altitude -- a great way for me to cap off a whirlwind Tour de Bloc season

Overall -- a deeply satisfying personal result. I always want to improve of course, but on Saturday it was a performance that was close to the limit of where I am as a climber right now.

Mental flubs and errors in judgment
Even experienced competitors are not immune to occasional mental flubs. If you’ve ever cursed yourself for screwing up your comp strategy, take heart from the following...

Both Ayo Sopeju and Cloé Legault have been Tour de Bloc finalists in the past. They know what they’re doing.

Yet Ayo told me afterwards that he had encountered time management issues -- he simply didn’t pace the session right. And Cloé mistakenly thought that the time allotment for qualifiers was 3.5 hours instead of 3. As a result, she had to turn in a scoresheet that only had five completions on it (scores are based on your top six finishes)!

“I’m so mad at myself,” she said. “I was climbing strong, too!”

Iyma don’t let go -- you haven’t finished yet!!

And in the Finals, on problem #2, Iyma Lamarche got to the bonus hold, where she incorrectly believed she was finished -- so she dropped off.

Assuming she would have finished the rest of the problem -- which she did with ease on her next attempt -- this came close to making a difference on the final results. There was a scenario where if Kerry Briggs had not flashed everything and there was a tie, the tiebreaker would have gone back to Qualifiers -- in which case Iyma would have come in first...

So -- if you ever make a dubious error at a comp and feel like an idiot for doing so, relax. Even the best climbers let these things happen now and then.

[Ayo, Cloé, Iyma -- hope you don’t mind my pointing this out -- you’re all inspirations to us normal climbers...]

Thanks!
Thanks go to Neil and Elysia. Neil for providing the transport, Elysia for getting her sister to host us over the weekend, and the both of them for graciously letting me tag along on their trip. I appreciate the hospitality!

Thanks to Timothy H. who, in addition to having a stellar outing himself, settled me down after I was a bit rattled in the early going. We wound up sending 55! Thanks for the stoke!

Cloé: “Are you taking a picture of me?!”
Me: “No, I’m taking a picture of Iyma!”

Thanks: to Altitude Gym for hosting the Eastern Regionals, to the TdB organizers for holding yet another fantastic event (great spacing for problems, didn’t feel crowded, no lineups), to the setting crew who looked super-calm under the time pressure of setting up during Finals, to the cheerful volunteers -- and of course to all the other competitors.

Great comp, everyone!

Thank you, gentle reader, once again for following along on my adventures. I’ve got one more post lined up with some self-absorbed analysis, so I hope you’ll stay tuned...

See you at the gym or outside!

Also of interest...
• My series of Tour de Bloc comp recaps, from an intermediate climber’s perspective
• Photos from Marie-Claude Charron: here

As usual, I will link here to other photos/blogs, as they get posted! [feel free to send me links! I saw tons of cameras so there should be some great footage...]

Miscellaneous commentary that didn’t fit in anywhere
I did have one peevish complaint. I was a little irritated when due to my late registration for the comp the organizers wanted to charge me $10 for a t-shirt. That felt lame. I understand they have to have a registration cutoff date to gauge the right number of shirts to print -- but if you print extra shirts and a competitor shows up and pays admission... C’mon. There were people who registered and didn’t show up -- were they penalized? No. Meanwhile their shirt got printed. I saw plenty of extras at the desk after the Finals.

Footnote 2: No, there isn’t any meaning to the ‘absolution’ of the title; I simply felt like it went with the church theme at Altitude. Or perhaps I’m just not telling. :) 

Please like, share, link, or forward this recap to anyone who might enjoy it. Thanks.