This year was my fourth BMC Youth Climbing Series after I started climbing 3 and a half years ago.
I was really happy to win all 3 qualifying rounds and win the final at the Edinburgh International Climbing Arena (EICA) In Scotland.
I started training hard indoors in January knowing that there were three qualifying rounds before the final and after that it would only be a short time to my main aim for the year – the Youth Color Climbing Festival in Imst, Austria in June.
There 3 qualifying rounds were held at Surrey Summit (January), Craggy Island (February) and White Spider (March) and I won all 3 rounds flashing 9 boulders and 9 routes along the way. There was also a super-final at White Spider and we had to climb a Youth B route which I got the high-point on to win.
At the final at the EICA in Ratho in April I flashed my first 3 boulders and 2 routes and I knew that if I flashed my 3rd route I would almost certainly win. It 6pm by the time I climbed and despite warming up my hands were freezing! I could hardly tie in properly and before I knew it I was starting to climb.
It felt like a fight the whole way up the route with my arms feeling tired and pumpy. I was fighting with the route and never felt comfortable but by taking each move as it came I was soon 1 hold from the top.
I tried to make the last move and grabbed the final hold but couldn’t quite stick the very final move. I got 99 points on the last route which was also enough to win the whole series and I was only 1 point away from a perfect score throughout the whole of the qualifies and the final.
I was so happy to to win at the Nationals 3 and a half years after I started climbing and I am now really looking forward to the Youth Color Climbing Festival in Imst, Austria – the Europeans!