Rock Climbing

 Rock Climbing 

Bouldering competition season is coming up, and I am really excited. Bouldering is a type of rock climbing where climbers don't use ropes and climb on shorter walls. The competition season is going to look different this year due to COVID-19, but I think that it will still be fun. Competitions are normally held in big groups at a single gym, but this year, there will be several gyms that have certain routes designated for the competition, and you will have two weeks to try each route. You film each try you take, and submit the video clip of you completing the routes to judges, and they calculate your score. I like this set up because I get more time to try each route, and there aren't tons of other kids watching me climb. 

To train for bouldering season, I do a lot of different things. One thing I do is make a mock competition for myself. I do this with the help of an app called Crimpd. On Crimpd, they have a workout where you choose six routes at your gym, some of which you've done and some of which are new. You get four minutes to do each route, and you try to do the best you can. This really helps me get prepared for competitions and is really helpful to do a couple of weeks before each competition. Another thing that I do is projecting, which is basically where I choose a route that I've never done before and that is hard for me, and work on it. This is something that helps me progress a lot, because I always choose grades that are hard for me, and this helps me move up to be able to do harder routes. 

The CAS learning outcome I am fulfilling by by competing in rock climbing is "show commitment to, and perseverance in, CAS experiences". I think that by taking the time to prepare for and compete in competitions, I am showing that I am able to do an activity and stick with it.