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worldonastrng
Mar 5, 2007, 5:43 AM
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In my (jam packed) year and a half of climbing, I've been against being in climbing comps. Not because I suck, but because I didn't want to combine a competitive spirit with what I considered to be very pure. However, it seems that entering a climbing comp would supply truckloads of motivation juice to really get strong. Does anyone have any experience with a similar train of thought ? Anyone ever signed up for a comp, not to try to win stuff, but simply for a training regimen?
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petsfed
Mar 5, 2007, 6:12 AM
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First, your feelings not withstanding, climbing indoors is not pure by any stretch of the imagination. Outdoor comps are something else, but indoors, get over it. Second, most of the people at the comps I go to in Wyoming are there because you can't help but have fun and climb harder with all the positive energy flowing around. Less so in the Colorado Front Range, but that's because everybody sand bags to win (you know, flashing all the hardest problems in their division, then flashing the hardest problem they can in the next division up so as to get the highest score possible. I hate that shit).
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granite_grrl
Mar 5, 2007, 1:39 PM
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I have never been at a climbing comp that I actually felt that I was competing against anyone else. Every comp taht I ahve been to has been super fun, and more a gathering of the climbing community than anything else. Now keep in mind I have never been in a big comp, just ones the local gyms have had, so I'm sure most people wern't going in there with the goal to win. I actually did win at the last comp I went to! I got a plastic cap gun. It had a cowboy theme.....I guess that's the kind of comps I like to go to.
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redpoint73
Mar 5, 2007, 2:37 PM
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Yeah, comps are mostly about hanging out, pushing yourself, and having fun. Are you talking about a gym comp? Usually, various divisions are all competing in the same space, so the gym will be packed and you will be around everyone from beginners to uber-strong. So there is not much of a "you competing against another guy" vibe. Unless you make it into finals and are competing against 9 other guys in front of an audience. Even then, you are usually in isolation until its your turn. So its not like a street basketball game where you try to intimidate each other and psych out the opponent. The vibe at comps is usually upbeat and positive, with free foods and raffles and such. Go w. a bunch of friends and its a fun time. Check it out, I don't think you will find it too competitive. More than likely, you will just be competing w. yourself to cram in as much climbing as possible within the given time limit.
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granite_grrl
Mar 5, 2007, 3:51 PM
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taydude wrote: granite_grrl wrote: I actually did win at the last comp I went to! I got a plastic cap gun. It had a cowboy theme.....I guess that's the kind of comps I like to go to. woot the monkey man comps rock! lol i won a gun and an eye patch at the pirate one Wish I had gotten to more of them when I was living over in Tonawanda (though St. Catharines isn't too terribly far away). I'm pretty sure that falling while bouldering would hurt me too damn much right now (I'm injured)....maybe next year.
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lena_chita
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Mar 5, 2007, 4:04 PM
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I've been to two comps and they were a lot of fun. I don't know about using comps as training tool -- it would be more of a motivational tool, IMO, but hey, why not... The ABS comp that I've been to had some of that sand-bagging, too, with people entering at lower levels and then getting one problem form the higher level to win stuff. The other comp was local and I liked their way of deciding the winners a lot better. They just took total scores for men and women, and called the top 25% "advanced" (with top 3 people there winning prizes), the next 25% were "intermediates", again, with top 3 in this group winning prizes, and the remaining 50% were beginners, also with prizes. Somewhat random, sure, but it took out the score manipulation possibilities that sadly a lot of people play at. The bottom line for me: I wouldn't travel more than couple hours to enter a comp, but whenver there is one nearby, I think it is a lot of fun to participate. And watching the open finals is really cool, too...
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worldonastrng
Mar 5, 2007, 9:43 PM
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Registered: Nov 22, 2005
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Yeah thanks for all the good stuff. I guess I've got the competition idea in my head because I lived in Boulder for about a year. Petsfed - In no way would I ever mean to suggest that climbing indoors is pure. What I meant was that "to climb" is pure. The only time I ever climbed indoors was when I won a free month at the Boulder Rock Club last winter.
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petsfed
Mar 6, 2007, 2:35 AM
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worldonastrng wrote: Yeah thanks for all the good stuff. I guess I've got the competition idea in my head because I lived in Boulder for about a year. Petsfed - In no way would I ever mean to suggest that climbing indoors is pure. What I meant was that "to climb" is pure. The only time I ever climbed indoors was when I won a free month at the Boulder Rock Club last winter. Wasn't clear from your OP, and the number of outdoor comps is dwarfed by the number of indoor comps, so I assumed you meant indoor. No worries though.
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