National Selection 2020 - What competition has thought me

 So 2020 turned out to be quite a roller coaster of experiences, and its only October.

I went from topping my longtime project route in January, shifting to climbing mountains in March to a depressing and hopeless 2months in movement control order, then starting bouldering once a week, to Battle of The Boulders, and the biggest event of them all, National Selection 2020.

Lead Climbing

It will be the first lead competition for me and I’m so looking forward to it. I did not looking forward to win it though, looking at the list of the competitors, I’m not even looking forward to be in the finals. I know some of the girls who are an exceptional lead climber and some other girls who are known as a excellent boulderer but judging by their bouldering caliber, I’m sure they have enough strength to last on a lead wall longer than me. So I was expecting to be in the middle of the pack at least.

But turned day of event, I was at the BOTTOM of the pack. I know I shouldn’t compare but it’s hard not to when you’re in a competition and you know who you’re against. 

I (who lead climb 2-3times a week for 2 freaking years) did worse than boulderers who I never seen climbed a lead wall - ever.

So what gives?

It was the lowest moment of my climbing life but I still have to swallow that fact. 

So competition thought me, if you love lead climbing, you lead climb. But if you want to get stronger, lead climbing alone (unfortunately) is not the answer, you need to boulder.

I did not get stronger because of lead climbing. What I have is just muscle memory of repeating a movement. Repeat that many time enough the move will be easy for you. 

Seems like a bitter fact to fathom but that’s apparently the truth. 

Or maybe I’m not built for competitions, maybe I don’t need to be stronger, or better than everybody else, if I just love lead climbing, maybe I just lead climb, day in and day out, not having to worry about getting stronger.

So I have to decide what I actually want in climbing? 

1. To just enjoy it?

2. To get stronger enough to progress to harder route?

3. To get stronger for competitions?

The answers are,

1. Just lead climb.

2. Lead climb + boulder + training 

3. Every kind of training there is in the world. Coaching/mentoring. 

So I have to reflect.

Anyhow, I learned a lot of things.

To be continued...