My Tour de Bloc Season Nine Results: Charted

This season, I decided on a whim to attend every Ontario and Quebec-based Tour de Bloc bouldering competition. I almost made it -- I had to skip the Nationals in Montréal this weekend, alas!

(If you came here for Nationals coverage -- check the links at the bottom for some great photos and highlights)

The question arose: How can I measure my performance?

Deciding What to Track
Subjective opinions aren’t sufficient. I might think I did well at a comp, but how would I know for sure? And how could I tell if I was getting any better?

A season of TdB t-shirts (lol).
L to R: Rockheads, Grand River Rocks, Climber’s Rock, Coyote, Vertical, True North, Altitude. On top: my comp shirts from Climbing Hold Review

I needed metrics: ‘How did I do versus my peers?’* Each comp session results in a ranked score, but the specific participants and the total numbers vary considerably per each event.

I settled on the following two goals as being realistic, but also requiring me to give 100% effort at each comp:

• ‘Qualify’ for Women’s Open Finals
• Finish out of the bottom third in Men’s Open

Having two targets somewhat mitigated the variable nature of each outing. For context, on a strong day I can climb roughly v5. I would characterize myself as an intermediate gym climber.

Results -- late-season performance
I noticed on compseason that there was an option to ‘Download the .CSV’ file of the results for each event in the system.

I wondered, Could I track my progress graphically over the course of the season?

The short answer is: not really. But it was amusing to try!

Ending my Tour de Bloc season on a good note...
Score vs. (reverse) Rank: Higher, to the right = better

Observations:

• There are less women than men (duh), and the guys score higher
• The mens field looks more ‘evenly’ competitive -- the slope of the womens scores is sharper than the mens
• The True North scores were a little higher -- Did that comp have easier problems than at Altitude? Or was the field that showed up stronger? Or both?
• Qualifying for Women’s Finals is usually sufficient to finish out of the bottom third in Mens Open (this fluctuates -- see the individual comp charts)
• I had a lousy performance at Coyote

By examining the charts and comparing my written accounts, I can get a sense of how well or poorly I did, and whether sending an extra problem or two would have made any difference in my relative positioning.

Here are the charts for each session, in date order:

Chart: TdB 11.11.05
See: Shut Up and Climb - TdB Season 9 begins!

Chart: TdB 11.12.03
See: Grand River Rocks Thrashing

Chart: TdB 12.01.04
See: Crunch Time at Climber’s Rock

Chart: TdB 12.01.28
See: Vertical Validation: Gonflé à Bloc 3e édition 

Chart: TdB 12.02.11
See: Crushed at Coyote Rock Gym

Chart: TdB 12.03.10
See: Dustin Curtis Makes Me Cry at True North Climbing

Chart: TdB 12.03.24
See: Absolution at Altitude: Tour de Bloc Season 9 Eastern Regionals

I can’t truthfully conclude much from chart to chart comparisons. There are too many variables, too many factors that can intrude. For example:

• the set of competitors changes 
• the number of problems varies (Coyote, True North, and Altitude had 70; Vertical had 60; Grand River and Rockheads had 50.)
• your own performance may not be consistent
• competitor performances may not be consistent
• a given comp might have harder or easier problems
• the scoring might change slightly (e.g. the scores for problem 1 might be 10, 5, 1, or they could be 19, 15, 11)
•  a given comp might have more problems ‘in your style’, at higher or lower scores than the previous comp; the setters are different; the walls and surfaces are different
• logistics might affect scores -- a crowded comp may interfere with your rhythm
• time allotment -- some comps were 3 hours; others were 3.5 hours
• travel to the event location may be tiring
• you probably climb stronger at gyms you’re familiar with (you know the angles/have climbed the holds/have experienced the local setter styles)
• the field might be stronger at one gym; your relative performance would suffer
• Scores for finalists may be significantly lower than their true ability -- their strategy may involve doing ‘just enough’ to qualify for Finals, but no more. 

What does my performance look like over time? Well, the chart isn’t too meaningful -- there are only seven data points! -- but it gives a different interpretation on some of the comps:

My TdB comp % rankings (lower is better) --
Did I wind up exactly where I started?! :)

For example, I subjectively felt like I did great at Altitude, where the chart suggests it was an average performance; conversely I felt I had an ‘ok’ outing at Climber’s Rock, but the chart says it was solid...

For reference -- in case you want to do some data exploration, or generate your own personalized charts -- here is the spreadsheet containing all of the data. Check it out -- simply type your name into the specified field on the first worksheet!

Final thoughts

Yes, attending all the regional Tour de Bloc comps was ridiculous (heck, I was even the climber on the TdB website background this season) -- but it was also super fun.

I admit that I feel ambivalent about the competitive aspect of bouldering comps -- notwithstanding the premise of today’s post.

I have always focused on climbing for the enjoyment of the movement, for the pleasure of figuring out a problem, and for the personal discovery of my own physical and mental limits.

When we place ourselves in a competition versus others, does that enhance or detract from the experience?

I haven’t settled that question for myself yet. Clearly I had a great time at the TdB this season, and I definitely recommend going to a comp for anyone who’s never been. The atmosphere is invigorating.

In the end it was about having fun, meeting new people, and making good friends.

Thanks everyone for following along this season and for being so welcoming, wherever I went. Congratulations to all the participants!

See Also
• My series of posts covering the Tour de Bloc

• 2012 MEC Canadian Bouldering Championships -
Qualifier results & highlights (video):

• Womens and Mens Qualifier results (via Iyma Lamarche -- go Iyma!!)

• Finals results & highlights! (video):

Congrats to the victors, Sean McColl and Elise Sethna!! (And great job Ms. Lamarche (#2!))

• Adrian Das’ video from a routesetter’s perspective:

2012 Tour De Bloc Nationals. from A Das.

• Iyma Lamarche’s season and Nationals write-up (definitely check out this firsthand account)

• Nic Charron’s Nationals photo set

• Aaron Eden’s writeup of the Championships

I’ll link more 2012 TdB Nationals results and photos as I find them...


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* At first I thought, I’ll track how I fare against my secret nemesis. This was problematic, for several reasons:

• My secret nemesis wasn’t necessarily attending the same events
• When she was at the same event, it was in a different category with less competition, so this might result in a lesser effort
• She’s not a robot, and wouldn’t necessarily have identical results from session to session. Moreover, she’s also been training, and presumably improving along the way
• Lastly, she’s gotten way too skilled for me to compete against. My ego couldn’t take it. Ahem!

Absolution at Altitude: Tour de Bloc Season 9 Eastern Regionals

Whew! It’s been an incredible Tour de Bloc season so far.

Mark Button executing a tricky maneuver during the TdB Eastern Regionals Finals

This weekend, the Eastern Regionals for Season 9 of the TdB bouldering series took place at Altitude Gym in Gatineau, Quebec. I love the subtle, sinuous curves of the main bouldering island at Altitude. It’s a beautiful gym.

Perhaps it was my imagination, but the atmosphere for Eastern Regionals seemed more serious, more competitive. Not that everyone didn’t show up to have fun, as always -- but it also felt like people were there to show what they could do...


(video: Florent Balsez sends problem 3, men’s finals -- LINK)

Finals -- Tour de Bloc Eastern Regionals
As you might expect for Regionals, a deep field of competitors was present. In Mens, less than 50 points separated 8th place (the cutoff in Qualifiers) from 12th -- nobody was holding back. Eric Sethna, Sébastien Lazure, and Florent Balsez were all winners of TdB local comps this season.

Eventual winner Kerry Briggs
en route to flashing problem 2 

In Womens there was a similar story, with a final list of six including Kerry Briggs, Iyma Lamarche, Melissa Lacasse, and Thomasina Pidgeon (who placed 2nd in three straight events).

It made for a dramatic Finals. You could cheer for any of the climbers and have decent odds of seeing a problem completion.

Iyma Lamarche on 2, Eveline Lapierre on 3, Thomasina Pidgeon on 4

It was extremely close in Womens. Ms. Briggs, Lamarche and Lacasse completed all four problems, while Ms. Pidgeon (“Go Pidgeon!”) completed three. In the end it boiled down to number of attempts -- Kerry flashed everything, so she won out over Iyma, who in turn edged out Ms. Lacasse.

In Mens we also saw a tight, tense, and hard-fought battle.

Remi Chrusten grappling with problem 2,
while Daniel Gingras gives his all on problem 3

I thought that going in, Eric Sethna was looking really strong (I had witnessed him doing problem 70 during the Qualifiers) but Sébastien Lazure is an incredible competitor, so I was definitely looking forward to seeing who would come out on top.

Except of course, at any given TdB individual performances are what counts, and both climbers were beaten by an exuberant Remi Chrusten. Chrusten flashed all four problems. Sethna had a few more attempts for his four completions, while Lazure fended off Florent Balsez for third place.


(video: Eric Sethna on problem 4, men’s finals -- LINK)

Congratulations to Kerry, Remi, and all of the finalists!

Finals photographs
Check out the whole set:
• 2012 Altitude TdB Eastern Regionals Finals photos

I’ve posted most of the shots I took. As a result you’ll find some cool photo sequences where you can see the progression of moves made by the climbers...

[My favourite sequence is this one, which has Melissa Lacasse working through problem 2 and then Kerry Briggs doing problem 3. When viewing, press the right arrow key (onscreen or on your keyboard) to advance to the next photo.]

Reflection

Finding humility and inspiration

Competing in the Open category this season has been a fascinating personal experience. I’ve learned a lot about humility, since most of the athletes in Open are at an entirely different level than me.

I’ve been inspired by the people I’ve met along the way, particularly by their spirit and friendliness. I have a competitive streak and it always delights me to hear the genuine calls of support and encouragement when climbers are working a problem.

I’m grateful to be a participant in this welcoming community.

Getting there is half the fun

Yay!

I had not planned on going to Eastern Regionals. But the funny thing about climbing is that you wind up meeting people and making new friends so easily -- sometimes events just transpire.

I randomly bumped into two climbers at my home gym, who mentioned they were attending the event -- and I jokingly asked if they had room in their car for another.

To my surprise they said yes, so off I went! Thanks Neil and Elysia for letting me tag along on your mini-road-trip...

Eastern Regionals Qualifiers -- solid, solid work 
I was sick after my exertions from the comp at True North two weeks ago, so I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get back in rhythm in time.

My worries proved unfounded, as I had an excellent session -- probably my best this season. My shoulders and back are really sore today!

55 (black), 54 (pink, right): I had to figure out ‘short-person beta’ for the starting sequence for 55, as the right handhold around the corner was too far for me to make from merely pushing off the wall. I got my right foot on the left starting hold, before making the critical move to the right. 

I wound up with a solid, compact scoresheet that was very satisfying. There were not a lot of problems where I was left disappointed thinking, “Oh, I should have been able to do that.” So I felt like I had climbed to my ability.

53 (green) was thin, delicate, and balancy. The sequence was thoughtful and had several stable spots punctuated by difficult moves, which I enjoyed. 

51 (white) was tricky for me and took multiple attempts. A crossover move near the top puzzled many climbers attempting it.

52 (red) had a big dyno, which is a skill I need to work on. I never landed the dyno, alas. A hold was added (!) for Open. I saw lots of great attempts on 57 (orange) and 69 (purple)

I thought the two problems inside the little vestibule on the side wall, 45 and 29 were creative but overlooked. They were too low to wind up on my final scoresheet, but I enjoyed twisting around like a monkey on both of them.

45 (green), 29 (orange) -- playful and whimsical setting!

The two problems I would have liked to get were 56 and 50. 56 was too powerful for me (maybe if I was about 5 or 10 percent stronger), while I came super close to getting the sequence for 50, but not in time.

56 (yellow) -- a tad too burly. I was tempted to session it, but gave up after a couple of attempts to save my strength

50 (red) had a delightful crux just before the finish...
I nearly got it once but then ran out of time.

Here’s my complete set of TdB Eastern Regionals Qualifiers photos -- I think I got everything:
• 2012 Altitude TdB Eastern Regionals Qualifier photos 

I tend to experience major variations in morale during a comp. I still don’t know how to calm down and focus. That’s something I want to work on in the future.

Getting completions ‘on page 2’!

Early, I felt flushed and pumped out -- while contorting on 45 my back spasmed worryingly. I got spit off the beginning of 54, but then another climber (thanks Timothy!) settled me mentally and together we started sending ‘stuff on the second page’.

From there the session was a steady stream of evenness, and I relaxed.

It’s getting those first couple of high problems -- once I get those, I feel like ‘ok, I actually do know how to climb’. My pacing was good and the last half hour I spent messing around having fun (instead of the dreaded ‘need to find a sixth score’ scenario).

My performance
I was quite content with how I did at Altitude. I performed significantly better than at Coyote, and at a higher level on average than at True North (where my score was bumped up by a last-minute high send). How did I do goal-wise?

• ‘Qualify’ for Women’s Open Finals: YES (would have been #5)
• Finish out of the bottom third in Men’s Open: YES (35/53)

Altitude -- a great way for me to cap off a whirlwind Tour de Bloc season

Overall -- a deeply satisfying personal result. I always want to improve of course, but on Saturday it was a performance that was close to the limit of where I am as a climber right now.

Mental flubs and errors in judgment
Even experienced competitors are not immune to occasional mental flubs. If you’ve ever cursed yourself for screwing up your comp strategy, take heart from the following...

Both Ayo Sopeju and Cloé Legault have been Tour de Bloc finalists in the past. They know what they’re doing.

Yet Ayo told me afterwards that he had encountered time management issues -- he simply didn’t pace the session right. And Cloé mistakenly thought that the time allotment for qualifiers was 3.5 hours instead of 3. As a result, she had to turn in a scoresheet that only had five completions on it (scores are based on your top six finishes)!

“I’m so mad at myself,” she said. “I was climbing strong, too!”

Iyma don’t let go -- you haven’t finished yet!!

And in the Finals, on problem #2, Iyma Lamarche got to the bonus hold, where she incorrectly believed she was finished -- so she dropped off.

Assuming she would have finished the rest of the problem -- which she did with ease on her next attempt -- this came close to making a difference on the final results. There was a scenario where if Kerry Briggs had not flashed everything and there was a tie, the tiebreaker would have gone back to Qualifiers -- in which case Iyma would have come in first...

So -- if you ever make a dubious error at a comp and feel like an idiot for doing so, relax. Even the best climbers let these things happen now and then.

[Ayo, Cloé, Iyma -- hope you don’t mind my pointing this out -- you’re all inspirations to us normal climbers...]

Thanks!
Thanks go to Neil and Elysia. Neil for providing the transport, Elysia for getting her sister to host us over the weekend, and the both of them for graciously letting me tag along on their trip. I appreciate the hospitality!

Thanks to Timothy H. who, in addition to having a stellar outing himself, settled me down after I was a bit rattled in the early going. We wound up sending 55! Thanks for the stoke!

Cloé: “Are you taking a picture of me?!”
Me: “No, I’m taking a picture of Iyma!”

Thanks: to Altitude Gym for hosting the Eastern Regionals, to the TdB organizers for holding yet another fantastic event (great spacing for problems, didn’t feel crowded, no lineups), to the setting crew who looked super-calm under the time pressure of setting up during Finals, to the cheerful volunteers -- and of course to all the other competitors.

Great comp, everyone!

Thank you, gentle reader, once again for following along on my adventures. I’ve got one more post lined up with some self-absorbed analysis, so I hope you’ll stay tuned...

See you at the gym or outside!

Also of interest...
• My series of Tour de Bloc comp recaps, from an intermediate climber’s perspective
• Photos from Marie-Claude Charron: here

As usual, I will link here to other photos/blogs, as they get posted! [feel free to send me links! I saw tons of cameras so there should be some great footage...]

Miscellaneous commentary that didn’t fit in anywhere
I did have one peevish complaint. I was a little irritated when due to my late registration for the comp the organizers wanted to charge me $10 for a t-shirt. That felt lame. I understand they have to have a registration cutoff date to gauge the right number of shirts to print -- but if you print extra shirts and a competitor shows up and pays admission... C’mon. There were people who registered and didn’t show up -- were they penalized? No. Meanwhile their shirt got printed. I saw plenty of extras at the desk after the Finals.

Footnote 2: No, there isn’t any meaning to the ‘absolution’ of the title; I simply felt like it went with the church theme at Altitude. Or perhaps I’m just not telling. :) 

Please like, share, link, or forward this recap to anyone who might enjoy it. Thanks.

Dustin Curtis Makes Me Cry at True North Climbing - Tour de Bloc Season 9

A slightly modified Tour de Bloc poster
[Original poster by Jovana Randjelovic] 

Whenever I go to True North Climbing in Downsview Park, I think to myself “I oughta climb here more often!”

On Saturday, the gym was the busy scene of the final GTA-local Tour de Bloc bouldering comp for season 9. There were close to 190 competitors who came out, and 70 (!) challenging problems awaiting their discovery.

Going in I had a little bit of a headcold, so I was just trying to keep relaxed and hydrated.

I chatted for a bit with John Gross, the affable proprietor of True North. It was the third time he’s played host to the Tour de Bloc, and he was stoked.

“I'm really excited about the strong field we have today, especially in the women's Open category,” he told me. “And I'm really happy that we have climbers coming here from as far away as Alberta and Newfoundland. That gives a local comp a nice bit of national flavour.”

The qualifier problems were lots of fun. Steep, flat, slabby, crimpy, pumpy, technical, burly, delicate -- it was a smorgasbord of bouldering!

Dustin Curtis -- making grown men weep
I was having an ok comp. I sent some decent problems, and got shut down on others. I had been hoping to get a couple of completions in the 50s, but only managed one (53) over the course of the day. So while I was doing all right, it wasn’t an amazing performance.

53 (pink tape) and 57 (red) -- excellent movement!

As the comp was winding down, I wandered over to the back. I was deep into that mode where you’re totally exhausted from climbing, so you just try random hard stuff for fun. My friend Jon Pencharz was working on 61. I asked him if there were too many people in line on the wall. He said “Nah, it’s just me and these other guys on orange (66). C’mon and work this. It’s totally doable.”

61 (black) - the site of my last-minute sending ecstasy

I queued up and watched Ayo Sopeju flash it -- I was surprised to see him still climbing (usually finalist-candidates try to do their six scorecard problems fairly early and then rest up for finals), but he had arrived late so he was in a hurry. He’s such a smooth climber!

The one-minute warning was sounded and it was my turn so I got onto the problem, fully aware of the time ticking by. Jon had talked through the beta for me, so I knew what to do -- the shock was that the sequence worked exactly the way he described it.

I arrived at the final move before the finish and felt paralyzed. I wasn’t 100% sure if I could make it, but I was also afraid they were going to call time before I was done (the rules vary; sometimes they let you finish a climb you started, but often when the final buzzer sounds, that’s it, it doesn’t matter if you started the problem or not.).

I committed to the little throw and -- stuck it! Matched my other hand to the hold and let out a yell. I had been lucky enough to experience the magical thrill known as the last-minute send.

49 (blue) and 62 (pink). I wanted to work 62 but it was too steep.

I was so happy afterwards that I rushed up to Dustin Curtis (the head routesetter at True North, and the playful event poster villain), gave him a big hug, and shed a tear or two of incandescent joy. Yes, Dustin Curtis made me cry.

Thanks Jon for pushing me onto 61. And thanks to the guys working 66 for letting me in.

The lesson from this is, even if it’s right at the end of the comp, giv’er! You never know what might happen.

52 (pink) exposing my poor slab technique

I found a couple of the problems quite intriguing even though I didn’t manage to complete them. 52 on the slab was a great test of technique. I just could not get to the last hold. I saw a few people roughly my height get it, so it wasn’t entirely a reach issue (though some tall folks had a breeze with it by comparison).

51 (green) and 47 (pink). 51 was quirky!

The ‘goofy’ problem of the comp was 51. It only had three holds on it. You had to press yourself right into the corner while stemming.

You also had to choose between arching your back behind you or doing a little twirling movement to get turned around with your back to the wall. I would have liked to have gotten this -- came close twice, but not quite in control enough to hang on to the finish.

See more photos from the comp here:
True North TdB March 10, 2012 Qualifier Problems

My performance
Overall I was fairly happy -- more satisfied compared to how I did at the last comp at Coyote, at any rate.

Adding in 61 gave me a solid boost on the scoresheet, and though I would have liked to have gotten one or two more in the fifties, it was still a solid day for me. Let’s see how I did metrics-wise:

• Beat my secret nemesis: N/A (she wasn’t in attendance)
• ‘Qualify’ for Women’s Open Finals: no (would have been #9)
• Finish out of the bottom third in Men’s Open: yes (41/65)

Scoresheet for yours truly

I was only 70 points out from the 8th women’s spot -- meaning 52 was the difference between hitting this target and not. As Mr. Gross mentioned, it was a strong women’s field competing, so I feel good about my relative placement.

I had minor issues with my problem selection. You can’t see it on the scoresheet because it shows the back side, but in retrospect I ‘wasted’ effort on some lower-ranked problems that I shouldn’t have, because they didn’t even wind up on my final score.

I spent a lot of energy on 42 (I also did 43 but it was my 7th ranked problem so if I didn’t get 61 I would have used it), and also did 41 and 37. I have mixed feelings because sometimes you need the intermediate ones to get your morale up after being crushed on a hard problem. But I know for sure that I worked on 42 much too often -- it irritated me that I wasn’t sending it, so I kept at it until I did. This might have cost me a good attempt at a higher problem elsewhere.

Finals results
For the Finals there were a few interesting storylines to follow. Would the impossibly-sweet Iyma Lamarche be able to pull off a third TdB victory? Who would emerge from the wide set of burly challengers to capture the men’s crown (my money was on Eric Sethna)?

Alas, I wasn’t able to stay for the Finals -- a steak dinner at my folks awaited me and I wasn’t going to pass that up. So I don’t have a first-hand report, but I’ll relate the results anyway. Just pretend I was there!

In Women’s, the highly-accomplished Elise Sethna -- in town all the way from Alberta -- dethroned Iyma (aww) by completing all four problems to Iyma’s three. Meanwhile, Kerry Briggs from Ottawa edged out Marieta Akalski for third place.

In Men’s, Florent Balsez held off Mark Button (who incidentally finished third at Coyote) for the win, while the aforementioned Sethna came in third. Looking at the men’s finals results, it looked like it was a tough set for everyone.

Congratulations to all of the finalists!

Done for the season?
I’m not sure if this will be my last comp for this season. The next one is at a sick gym, Altitude in Hull, but I’m feeling somewhat tuckered out. But that might just be the muscle soreness from the day after talking. We’ll see!

As usual I really enjoyed myself at this Tour de Bloc event. The organizers have been tinkering with the scheduling, to interesting effect. I stayed on to cheer on a friend of mine during Rec and Experienced and the gym felt a lot emptier. If I were a Finalist I would welcome the extra resting time, but it makes for a long gap to wait through if you competed during Open.

Thanks!
Thanks to True North Climbing Gym, the organizers, sponsors, the setters (Dustin Curtis, Shaun Hunter, Andreas Lerch, Gareth Ryan, Max Lefevre and guest setter Kaleb Thomas from St John’s), and the volunteers. Thanks Pencharz for urging me up onto 61! It was great to see so many climbers from everywhere.

Thanks to Climbing Hold Review for the shirt (Johnny Walker fans seem to think it’s hilarious).

And thanks to you, gentle reader, for following along on my bouldering adventures. I appreciate your attention.

See Also...
• My ongoing series of Tour de Bloc comp recaps, from an intermediate climber’s perspective
• Tomasz Wojtkowiak’s Finals photo set
• Aaron Eden’s review of the Finals
• Gael Jaffrain’s photos from the comp
• True North’s recap of the comp

As usual I will link here to other photos/blogs, as they get posted! [feel free to send me links!]

Wait a second, that’s ME!!

I recently noticed to my amusement that the climber in the background image for this season’s Tour de Bloc website is me. It’s great that they chose a photo of a normal recreational climber (rather than one of the many serious competitors out there)...

Hey that’s me! (right forefront - click to expand)
Photo: possibly Dennis Barnes (not 100% sure--e-mail me if you know!)

The photo is -- I believe -- from the 2009/2010 series -- the first comp at the then-newly-opened True North Climbing Gym in North York, Ontario. Apparently I had a good time!

That’s my friend Mike Palma in green, scrutinizing a sequence.

In the picture I’m (presumably) about to finish an intermediate route. I also remember another problem from this comp -- seen on the left slab wall. The climber in black with splayed legs is working it -- a low numbered but surprisingly challenging problem where you stood on these big yellow blocks and traversed across the slab.

Alas, content obscures me on most of the pages on the site -- but who cares. I’m ‘internet-climbing-famous’! w00t!

Prospective sponsors, take note...


See Also...

• (most recently) Crushed at Coyote Rock Gym - TdB Season 9
• My ongoing series of Tour de Bloc comp recaps, from an intermediate climber’s perspective
• Fwd: Fwd: Fwd: Hey that's me! In which I discover I make a peripheral appearance in a widely-circulated internet chain e-mail/set of pictures

Crushed at Coyote Rock Gym - Tour de Bloc 9

Catherine Laflamme on Women’s Finals #2

The Tour de Bloc series of bouldering comps keeps rolling on!

Coyote Rock in Ottawa played host for the latest event, just two weeks after Gonflé à Bloc in LaSalle.

Just for kicks I’m going to switch things around and first describe how the finals went down, and then relate my own experience in qualifiers.

“Some of the strongest climbers are from Ottawa and Quebec region,” I heard one of the spectators explaining, “which means that people have to go all out here.”

That certainly seemed to be the case!

Problem #2, Men’s Finals - burly

Women’s Finals! A photo finish...
I was torn on who to cheer for in the Women’s Finals.

Iyma Lamarche at the top of #3

I have a hometown affection for the irrepressible Iyma Lamarche, who was fresh off a win at Climber’s Rock -- congrats Iyma! -- but I was also secretly rooting for Thomasina Pidgeon.

The latter finished 2nd at the last two Tour de Bloc comps I attended (Vertical and Climber’s Rock). Would it finally be Thomasina’s turn to stand atop the podium this season?

Thomasina Pidgeon flashing #4, forcing Iyma to do the same...

Well, you certainly can’t say she didn’t deserve a win. As the scoresheet indicates, she flashed all four problems with style and grace. And so did Iyma -- which meant that the tiebreak went back to qualifying scores, where Iyma came out ahead. Coyote makes it the third time in a row Thomasina has come in second. Quite an accomplishment in itself!

(A nascent rivalry brewing here, perhaps?)

Clarrie Lam on Problem #1

Catherine Brunel-Guitton came in third, barely missing out on flashing everything as well, requiring a single extra attempt. Congratulations to Iyma for the victory (yay Iyma!) and to all the women finalists!

Men’s Finals
It was tough going for the men, but the effort and attitude was glaringly evident. Fred Charron’s intensity was palpable. Almost everyone was stumped by problem 1, and it kind of set the tone. Problems 2 and 3 looked super burly, and problem 4 seemed to have an impossible ending.

Mark Button gamely working Mens #1 -- a wretched set of holds

It looked as if Sébastien Lazure was going to take another win as he managed to send the first three problems. On one of the early problems he electrified the crowd by frictioning the surface with the palm of his hand and scrambling to complete the topout.

Sébastien Lazure on Problem #3. All he needs is a cape.

When Lazure set up on Problem #4, the whole crowd was watching to see if he would make the last move. He almost did -- for an incredible instant, he was clinging to the finish hold -- but he couldn’t hang on.

This set the scene for the last Finals climber -- Yves “Chainsaw” Gravelle. He had only sent two of three problems, and consequently he needed to send problem #4. The winner would be decided by the outcome of his attempt. Check it out:

 [link]

Wow. That’s an athlete in motion. Look at those abs!

Mark Button came in third. I enjoyed watching him sit calmly between problems.

Congratulations to Yves, Sébastien and Mark!

Qualifiers -- my novel experience
After my surprisingly awesome results at Vertical I was feeling under the weather. The exertion beat me up and I had to lie around for a week recuperating. Consequently I tried to keep my expectations in check for this event. I only had a rusty outing on Thursday where perhaps I went a little too hard.

Yours truly checking out Coyote Rock

This was my first time visiting Coyote Rock Gym. Coyote has been operating for 20 years. In that time, they’ve filled every possible nook and cranny in their location with climbing surface -- I was impressed at the inventive and creative nature of the layout.

I was overwhelmed. They set so many qualifier problems for this comp -- seventy!

Wide spread = inconsistent

It meant there was a huge variety of challenges of all sorts and styles to explore.

I had a novel experience for me -- a widely spread out scoresheet. Usually, my problems tend to be clumped together -- if I have a good session, it’s a high clump, and if not, it’s a low clump.

27 problems separated my top and bottom problems!

My score as a result was not pleasing, but in all honesty it’s tough for me to judge whether I had a good or a poor session. The reason is I flashed one problem which I was thrilled to get and totally satisfying -- #52.

I had the pleasure of watching Catherine Laflamme do this problem shortly before my attempt, and sometimes when you see a person do a problem with such control, you can delude yourself into thinking you might be able to do it too.

52-orange: an epic thriller; it was 80% desperate moves (for me).
The whole time I felt like I was peeling off... 

Starting on 1 and pushing off 0 (right foot), you get 2 with right hand. Heel hook 1 with left and cross over into 4 with left hand, stepping on 3 with right. Lean waaay rightwards and hit 5 (skipping 13). Your feet cut out for a precarious moment until you can get established on 6 and 7. A big committing launch to hit 8 with left hand and shake out. Stabilize on 9 with right hand, and hop right foot to 10. Make a desperate bump right to 11, step left onto 5, hit 12 with left. I’m short so I jumped up with my left foot onto 8. Ms. Laflamme simply bumped left from 12 to the finish, but I wasn’t confident enough being outstretched like that. Instead I put weight on my left and went for a wild overhand right hand to the finish.

57-orange: the 'spurious' problem;
I heard they messed up the numbers

I let out a big roar on completion. I’m not sure if it’s poor etiquette to do this, or ridiculous, but sometimes I can’t help but yelp in celebration. It’s that transcendent moment of unlocking everything I have, of existing purely in that joyful teardrop of action -- that’s why I climb.

Would I trade completing that problem in exchange for a higher score? I... don’t think so. Not unless you replaced it with another epic. It probably gassed me and cost me the completion of a couple of other problems, but the satisfaction of finishing it was immense!

The other problems I completed were ok but nothing super exciting. 57 was easier than the numbering indicated. 47 was fun, located in the same cave as 52:

47-white: A nice overhang. In retrospect I should have also attempted 38.

43 was kind of awkward, as was 35:

43-blue: The crux was getting
up onto the vertical corner...

I did #35 (white) specifically to practice my friction-work

48-pink: I couldn’t quite get to the orange block

It was the failures that intrigue me, and make me acknowledge I need to adjust my pacing.

I got away from the desired strategy.

When you attempt a hard problem, you have to make an accurate assessment of its difficulty relative to your present energy state and ability.

You need to know when to abandon it, and avoid using up all of your energy for the rest of the comp.

45-blue: I got stuck (like everyone else) at the crux below
the top-out: after, of course, a long pumpy burn

That entered into my struggles during this comp.

I got seduced into working on several enjoyable problems which really felt doable, and it affected my climbing.

I simply made too many unsuccessful attempts, and the payout was zero. I think my thrashing on the above two killed me on my subsequent attempts on 51 (something crimpy that normally would be my style), 42 (a straightforward climb I should normally be able to do), and 40. I also flailed on the start at 44, which annoyed me -- I hate it when I can’t get into the meat of a problem.

51-white and 40-red: Arghhhhh...

The social aspect of these comps can be smile-inducing. I was very happy to run into Charles Croy, who used to work at my home gym. If only I had sent 51, that might have put me within hailing distance of catching him... Charles, good to see you [I stupidly forgot to take any pics of you!]!!

By my typical metrics it wasn’t a great outing:

• Beat my secret nemesis: N/A 
• ‘Qualify’ for Women’s Open Finals: no (would have been #9)
• Finish out of the bottom third in Men’s Open: no (55/75)

31-aqua: put a smile on my face.
(I did it after the comp)

I’m pretty sore; it’s going to take me a few days to recover. But I definitely enjoyed working a bunch of the problems, and I just wish I could stay in Ottawa longer to return and session some of them.

And 52? I’ll be dreaming about it for days...

True North is a month from now. Time enough to prepare, and train...

Photos
Click here to view qualifier problem photos for Coyote.
Click here to view mens and womens finals photos.

Thanks!
Thanks to Coyote Rock Gym, the organizers, sponsors (MEC is the lead sponsor this year), the setters -- 70 qualifier problems plus finals must have been a huge challenge -- and the many, many volunteer judges.

Thanks also to Bonnie for giving me a lift from downtown to Coyote, and to Charles for giving me a lift out after finals. You’re awesome!! +1 Karma!

See Also...
• My ongoing series of Tour de Bloc comp recaps, from an intermediate climber’s perspective
• A great large set of photos from Andrew Pallek

As usual I will link here to other photos/blogs, as they get posted! [feel free to send me links!]