MEC Envoy Sébastien Lazure competed at the recent Bouldering World Cup in Ontario. Here’s his take on the event, from both a competitor and spectator standpoint.
In my travels to different countries, I’ve witnessed the sport of climbing at different stages in its evolution. Some nations take it super seriously, while in other places, climbing is still known as an activity – not a sport.
Here in Canada, climbing is slowly getting recognized and structured, and a lot of effort is being put forward to help push it to the next level. In June, an IFSC Bouldering World Cup took place in Hamilton, Ontario – only the second time it’s been held in Canada – and I was there to compete.
Photo credit: France Lavoie
Climbing in the Qualifiers
The qualifiers were on June 1 (my birthday). I decided to make it a good day, have fun, and hopefully climb well enough to make it to the semi-finals.
I managed to realize most of my goals except going to the semi-finals. I would’ve really liked to be a part of it, but I still had an amazing day and it was one of my most fun comps. This year’s crowd was one of the most supportive I’ve ever seen, and they motivated the climbers to push themselves even more. Canadians know how to cheer! I’m pretty happy with how I did, as I had a mere 6 weeks of training before the comp to come back from my finger injury, and I was feeling a lot better already.
Competing is a mental game, and I think I was on my game at this comp. I climbed horribly in isolation, but talked to myself and kept my head up. It went a lot better when it was important! I should’ve done the first boulder, but ran out of time as I touch grabbed the bonus hold. I knew the problem was over after it.
My second boulder was a dyno out of a roof and I stuck it after a few tries. I fell once, slapping the final hold, and climbed back on to secure the final hold! For the final three problems, I climbing strong but didn’t top anything else. I finished 25th and would’ve needed another top to make it to the semi-finals.
Photo credit: France Lavoie
Motivated by the Finals
Being part of the crowd to watch the finals was a really motivating experience. We had a good show from the 6 men and 6 women in finals, with lots of crazy hard moves. We cheered hard for everyone, but Sean McColl was clearly the crowd favourite, as he was the only Canadian in the finals.
Inspired by all the action in this comp, I’ve already started training for the next one. (I’ve finished school, so I have more time to train.) The final World Cup of the season will be in Munich on Aug 24–25, so I’ll fly out there for a couple of days and will take some time off work to go climbing outside afterward, probably in Switzerland for the first time. I’ll keep you updated!
If you’re interested in watching the Munich Bouldering World Cup, there’ll be a live stream of the event on the IFSC site.
You can follow my adventures on my blog at www.sebastienlazure.wordpress.com
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