Martha

Inspiration

The weekend of 11^th and 12^th July was the British senior bouldering championships in Sheffield. It is held as part of the Cliffhanger Festival. I went up on Sunday to watch. The day had started off really cloudy and drizzly and I knew that although the blocs were under cover the spectators weren’t so I took a bit of persuading from my mum. However, the sun came out and by the time of the finals it was lovely and warm.

We checked out the stalls and activities and had some lovely food and then it was time for the finals.

Over the last 10-months, following my selection to the GB Junior Bouldering Team, I have been on several team training days. These have been great fun and I’ve learnt loads that I feel have benefited my climbing. So it was really great to see lots of the junior team making the semi-final in both the men’s and the women’s competition. Molly Thompson-Smith and Billy Ridal both qualified for the final which is an amazing achievement as juniors.

This really inspired me. These are people who I have trained with. Very, very talented people but people who climb hard, work hard but also seem to love climbing and haven’t lost the fun that climbing is all about.

And then there is Shauna Coxey! Shauna won the final and flashed all the blocs, making it look easy. It clearly isn’t easy and she has got to one of the best climbers in the world by through hard work and dedication. But again she still seems to love climbing.

So, all in all I had a great day. Great food, fantastic weather and Billy, Molly and Shauna all inspired me to climb harder and push myself for success!