On Sunday the 12th October the national final of the BRYCS climbing competition was held at the Leeds climbing wall.It was a hugely successful event, which saw approximately 180 competitors aged between 7 and 15 battling it out for the national titles.The competition format meant that each competitor had three routes and five boulder problems to complete within three different ages categories 7-9, 10-12 and 13-15. Unfortunately, due to fire regulations only one parent per child was allowed in the wall but even with this limitation the wall was packed and buzzing from the throng of over excited competitors and parents. The competition within each age category was incredibly close with some fantastic climbing In the female 13-15 year old category, Jemma Powell won but only after a close competition with very little separating the top finishers. Roise Shaw was second and Leah Crane third. Another close competition was fought in the male 13-15 category, which saw Tom Bulger just beating Cal Reedie into first place by just one point! There was only a tiny difference between the top finishers in the male 10-12 category with Martin Watson taking first place. Again the female 10-12 category was very close with Aline Kirkland just finishing ahead of Samantha Harker and Natalie Berry who finished joint second. The female 7-9 category had to be decided by a nail-biting super final between Shauna Coxsey and Catherine Whiteman…Shauna just won it!Joshua Farrell won the male 7-9 catorgory. It was interesting to note that 6 of the podium finishers are currently receiving, or have received coaching from planetFear! Thanks must go to all the volunteers, Ian Fenton and Greame Alderson from the BMC and Alan Price and staff from the Leeds wall.
Girls 7 – 9 Shauna Coxsey 600 Catherine Whiteman 600 Alice Berry 599 Natasha Milinkovic 598 Rosie Trapnell 596 Ellen Tracy 593 Sian Flett 590 Hannah Aitken 528 Edie O´Dowd 519 Emma Kesson 517 Jenny Stadden 505 Suzannah Zitter 475 Emily Winterhalder 461 Lisa Vella 459 Ellis O Shane 445 Anna Bolger 440 Catherine Peake 437 Pippa Coleman 436 Lauren Porteus 431 Kate Watson 413 | Girls 10 – 12 Aline Kirkland 600 Samantha Harker 600 Natalie Berry 600 Sophie Varley 598 Bethany Monks 598 Charlotte Davies 598 Ashleigh Naysmith 598 Emily Benbow 598 Lianne Smith 598 Elanor Kitchen 597 Polly Blinston 595 Michaela Tracy 595 Hayley Moore 593 Anna Wells 586 Rachel Morton 584 Gina Chaplin 583 Katy Glare 576 Hannah Brown 561 Abbi Fluen 554 Holly Rees 547 Rosea Day 543 Mairi Fenton 542 Molly Gallagher 539 Kerry Neil 513 Francesca Connor 512 Laura Forsyth 490 | Girls 13 – 15 Jemma Powell 600 Rosie Shaw 587 Leah Crane 584 Hazel Duff 573 Katy Whittaker 564 Hazel Findlay 561 Marina Leslie-Wujastyk 545 Lucy Turner 526 Katie Hill 524 Lily Fitzgibbon 501 Vicki Mayes 496 Anne Marie Pritchard 451 Laura Sweeney 443 Kate Lynch 436 Jenny Fishwick 421 Sophie Heron 379 Freya Alsop – Greenacre 379 Olivia Robinson 346 Kay Armitage 331 Clare Skea 319 Megan Walsh 219 |
Boys 7 – 9 Joshua Farrell 600 Cameron Marsh 589 Ben Meakin 578 Ross Kirkland 577 Tom Middlemas 576 Ed Mowbray 573 Matthew Nash 572 Hugo Peyre 559 Ben Whitehouse 536 Tom Spencer 533 Iain Harris 527 Joe Day 523 Justin Austin 518 William Butterworth 485 Oliver Dale 479 Nathan Philips 467 William Lawrence 467 Calum Pearson 465 Robert Gladdon 452 Greg Forsyth 434 Nick Gore 397 Duncan Birse 391 Matthew Clarke 391 Jake Day 361 | Boys 10 – 12 Martin Watson 600 Robbie Prentice 600 Tyler Landman 600 Richard Young 599 Tom Major 597 Peter Whittaker 596 Nicolas Duboust 593 Luke MacPhee 588 Paul Latham 585 Tomos Davies 583 Rhys Edwards 583 James Garden 580 Robert MacKenzie 576 Chris Dale 575 Callum Hart 573 Philip Winwood 571 Jason Arro 566 Richard Cartner 563 Martin McKenna 561 Declan Stock 552 Ryan Frost 538 Peter Cass 535 Sam Forbes 534 Cavan Walker 525 Alexander Marsh 517 Simon Platt 502 Simon Andrews 496 Alexander Clarke 478 Tom Craddock 460 Craig Balmforth 274 | Boys 13 – 15 Tom Bolger 600 Cal Reedie 599 Michael Mullins 562 Trevor Nagler 543 Thomas Gore 535 Joe Wilson 534 Richard Winters 530 Liam Desroy 528 Ben West 517 Tom Arnold 511 Thomas Newman 507 Andy Paton 505 Ned Feehally 497 Donald Birchall 466 Peter Helliwell 465 Jamie Goodwin 459 Chris Stott 444 Jack Smith-Keegan 441 Bailey Alcock 441 Richard Simpson 439 Sorle Haywood 437 Michael Sweeton 413 George Ullrich 398 Adam Watson 386 Craig Hutchison 371 Joe Craven 368 Lachlan McKeggie 364 Anthony Prigg 343 James Wells 316 |
Team Result: 1 North West 721 2 Scotland South 596 3 Peak 548 4 Yorks. & Humberside 515 5 London & South East 493 6 South West 416 7 Midlands 313 8 North East & Lakes 280 9 Scotland North 207 10 Wales 176
Putting in a good fight on the super-steep Leeds wall | Richard Winters takes flight |
Leah Crane on a hard problem | Jemma Powell on her way to another victory |
Gareth Parry, taking third place in the 7 – 9 year old boys category | Rosie Shaw giving Jemma a real run for her money! |