MEC Envoy Amy Sutley recently celebrated a win at the Youth National Championships in Saanich, BC, where she was also awarded the Canada Cup, given to the best overall climber in each category. We caught up with Amy to chat about her recent success.
How does it feel to be National Champion? Did you do anything special to celebrate your win?
The feeling still hasn’t quite sunk in yet. Going into this competition with such a tough field, I hadn’t allowed myself to even think about winning, so the results came as a little bit of a shock!
Since I had to catch a flight back the next morning, I celebrated on the day of the win with good food and friends. It felt awesome to just relax and be able to eat foods I had been craving for a while. My biggest reward was definitely the double scoop of chocolate gelato for dessert.
What was the biggest challenge you faced at the Youth Nationals comp?
The biggest challenge was the anxiety I suffered before my final route. During my preview of the route, I spent nearly half of it looking at the start holds. When I spread out my arms to full span, I could just barely touch the two split start holds, plus the next move was also quite lengthy. I knew to get the first move, I’d have to be 100% solid on those starting holds, and I wasn’t sure I could do that. That’s when I began to get scared.
Because my headspace at competitions is usually one of my biggest strengths, my panic attack threw me off guard a little. Fortunately I was the fourth climber out, so I didn’t have much time to dwell on it. After a little positive self-talk, I faced the wall and decided what I was going to do. To my relief, my plan for the first move was successful and I just barely managed to establish myself on the wall. Once I got past the beginning, I was able to calm down a little and focus on the climb.
Give us a sense of the training that you did this year to prep for Nationals.
The training we do is designed so we’ll reach peak performance right around Nationals. We train in phases of general fitness, power, endurance and stamina and then tweak that sequence to fit the needs of the facility we’ll be competing in. Since this gym is so tall, I knew the routes would be super sustained, so I made sure to focus on endurance as much as I could.
I think one thing that really helped this year was that I had more outdoor climbing days than any other year of my climbing career. This wide exposure to many different crags and a variety of styles really pushed my development and helped me win the comp.
What do you love most about comps?
The independence they allow the competitors. Although the individualistic nature of the sport places more pressure on you to succeed, the reward of personal satisfaction after a good climb is even greater. There’s no better feeling than working for something for a long time and finally seeing all your efforts come to fruition.
How long have you been climbing, and what got you into it?
I’m just reaching the end of my eighth year of climbing. My first ever climb was on a dinky little porta-wall at West Edmonton Mall… I’ve been addicted ever since. My parents even kept the sticker the mall staff gave me that says, “I ROCKED THE WALL!”
Where’s your favourite place to train?
My home gym, the Calgary Climbing Centre. That gym has cultivated a really psyched community and I’ve never gone to the CCC without being greeted by more than a few friendly faces. Plus, it’s home to my amazing coaches. Without them, I definitely would not be who I am today.
How do you find comps help your outdoor climbing?
I think comps have taught me to manage my headspace really well, which is really useful when you have to focus on a scary move or keep calm while struggling for a sketchy clip. The ability to not psych yourself out at a big competition such as Nationals also translates really well to not getting overwhelmed before a big outdoor redpoint, which can be equally intimidating.
What’s your favourite piece of gear right now?
Definitely my MEC Synergy LT Jacket. Since the gym I recently competed in is partially outdoors, this jacket was a lifesaver during the comp in rainy Victoria. It kept the cold wind off my back during preview and kept me warm and dry while I was cheering on my friends from outside. Plus, the past few days in Calgary have been just as wet, so it’s been a really useful addition to my arsenal of outdoor clothing.
Do you have any tips or advice for folks looking to compete in their first comp?
I’d say, “Relax!” First time competitors are often self-conscious and worried about being judged by better, more experienced climbers. Chances are, if you’re thinking of doing your first climbing comp, you’ve probably already been climbing a bit, which means you’ve probably also experienced the awesomeness that is the climbing community. This means that you’ll understand when I say that everyone is rooting for you. Despite what you think, there’s no judgement, everyone’s just there to have a good time and get psyched on some climbs. So pull on your shoes, chalk up and get going already!
Here’s a video of the Amy’s winning climb by Kevin Segedi:
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