Ok so I was in a bouldering competition a few days ago up in Belmont, CA and was climbing in the advanced category hoping to get in the top ten but something happened that I was not expecting, I got bumped up to the open category. This kinda bummed me out because I was hoping to get a top score or something in the advanced category but i guess if you get a score higher than that of the top 5 problems in the category with all flashes then they bump you up to the next level.
For those of you who dont know much about bouldering or climbing i'll break down how the scoring works. So the way that they do it at the comps I've been at is there are a certain number of problems throughout the gym that are numbered, these problems were from 1-40, 1 being the easiest and 40 being the hardest. There were three categories and they were broken down like this: Recreation(1-16), Advanced(17-30), and Open(31-40). Now in bouldering there is what is called the hueco scale or V-scale. The V-scale currently goes from V0-V16, although V16 is still being debated on. V0's are the easiest climbs and are somewhat like ladders because they usually have very large holds, we call these jugs, that are easy to hold on to and also many different footholds or places to put your feet. Other types of holds that you wont see on the easier problems are; sloppers, crimps, and pockets. The ratings are based on difficulty of holds, how long or sustained the problems are, and how many difficult moves there are.
So in the comp the Recreation category was V0-V2, Advanced was V3-V6, and Open was V7+(aka V7 and above. and they broke down that points by taking the problem number you did and multiplying it by 100. So number 4 would be 400, 18 would be 1800 and so on. The way you would get a top score on a problem is by sending it on your first try, every attempt after would be 10points less but after 10 tries theres no point to keep trying a problem because it is only worth the amount of the next one down. So you have 10 tries before you have to give up on a problem at a comp. The top possible score for the Open category would be 19000 for a comp with 40 problems and that can only happen if you flash all 5 of the top problems aka send them on your first try. The top score for the Advanced category is 14000. My score was 14480 so I barely passed the limit. I think this is why I was bumped up a lvl. So what this tells me is that from now on I'll have to train a lot harder so that i can get to the top 10 scores in the Open category =).
On another note I sent another V6 tonight making my V6 count 6. Hopefully this means I'm getting stronger because there is still one comp thats coming up next month and I want to keep progressing forward. A motto that I picked up this year/ made up this year for myself is Strive to always surpass your limitations. If I'm always seeking to do that then hopefully I will never let my self down. Well these are my thoughts for today so until next time.
-The Red Headed Step Child
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