Saturday: rock climbing

There was another rock climbing competition today, this time in Holland.  Like last time, he flashed 8/9 routes.  The hardest part of those eight was one was in a crowded corner and he had a hard time getting to the wall.  In the future I think we need to remember that the crowd thins out a bit and to maybe come back to some of those.  Anyway, some routes were easy and some were harder.

The last one that he tried was the hardest...I think he knew that going into it.  It's the red one shown above: in the cave with some hard foot holds and a tiny jump at the end.  He was really close even after his first try, but it took five tries to actually get it.  (The video is better with sound.)

It was a relief to get that one.  Then he knew he could just play around a little.  He did a few of the intermediate ones, but some of the areas were still really busy.  So he started playing around on an advanced course.  Only one other person was working in the area and so they could easily take turns.  He got zone (a lesser point value than top, but still worth points), and he was really excited about that.

I'll also be honest, I saw the coolest move I've ever seen today...and we watched the Olympic Bouldering quite a bit this week.  Someone did a bat hang (only hanging on by their feet) to get a top hold and it was so cool.

We all decided to go to the award ceremony.  Isaac decided that he should show some support even if he didn't place.  I hadn't received a text to let us know to come by the time we were pulling into the parking lot, so I thought there must have been some other people that knocked it out of the park!  It was a little surprising, but it did take him several tries for the last one.  Anyway, I'm sitting in the back, minding my own business because we didn't actually need to be there.  Names are getting called and, as expected, Isaac wasn't one of them.  Then I hear a "First place - Isaac Hilldore."  What what??!?!  It was a good thing we came. :D  Ben and I were not ready with our phones, so the pictures aren't the best.

Joshua took the time afterwards to climb a few of the routes too.  We had offered him the option to actually enter the competition, and he went back and forth on it for a while.  In the end he decided not to, which I think he regretted a little bit.  It's ok.  There are more years if he's interested again.

This whole thing is part of a three gym series, with the finals being in Traverse City.  We weren't planning on going, as we didn't really expect Isaac to do this well.  I think we've convinced him to go, as long as we do something else while we're up there.