Young Climbers
Competitive Climbing
For Juniors
Young climber, Evie Stripp interviews:
Climbing competitively can be a
very daunting part of climbing for young
people, and comes with a whole load of
added pressures. However, you don’t
have to be climbing in national championships against professional climbers
in order to call yourself a competitive
climber. With a huge range of competitions – some harder than others- climbers
of all abilities can challenge themselves,
as well as making it an enjoyable experience.
Young climber and member of
The Quay Climbing Centre's youth club,
Evie Stripp, has experienced some of the
problems linked with competitions herself, and shares some words of wisdom
about climbing competitively.
With a rise of young climbers,
there is a wide range of opportunities
available, such as clubs and youth
squads at indoor climbing centers. Evie
says: “I think it’s fantastic that there are
so many competitions and opportunities
available to young climbers. My local
climbing centre has two weekend clubs
and a squad and also offers family taster
sessions and competitions. At the club
we can also experience coaching on
technique and safety which help to make
us better climbers and work towards the
NICAS qualification”.
The BMC Youth Climbing
Series - probably the most well-known
youth competition - is one of the more
serious competitions. But it is still a very
enjoyable way to learn new skills, as
well as meet other young climbers who
share a similar interest. There are many
more relaxed and informal competitions
available, like the BMC Leading Ladder
and inter-schools competitions. The
Leading Ladder especially, attracts many
young people, because – unlike most
other competitions – it takes place over
several weeks in various climbing centres
across the country. Not only is this a
great excuse to visit some other climbing
walls, but participants normally feel a lot
less pressure, as they can complete the
set routes over several days in their own
time, without a massive crowd watching their every move. The British Lead
Climbing Championships, Junior British
Bouldering Championships, and Blokfest
are for more experienced climbers who
already feel confident with competing.
Evie says: “All of these opportunities help
to bring the young climbing community
together, and climbing helps us develop
qualities and life skills such as determination and confidence”.
The list of skills young climbers
can gain for climbing competitively is
endless. “Climbing competitively helps
young climbers to develop skills such
as teamwork and good sportsmanship.
It also helps to develop problem solving
skills and take people out of their comfort
zones. Doing a climb you’ve never tried
before can be a daunting prospect but
working out how to do it is fun and this
skill can be transferred to everyday problems”.
Not only do climbing competitions boost climbers’ confidence,
but it gives young people a chance to
really test what they’ve learnt in climbing – often people know a lot more than
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