"How do you compete in rock climbing?"
And then the follow-up:
"Is it just who gets to the top [of the wall] first?"
NO.
Well, yes, because speed climbing is a thing. But competitive climbing isn't just speed.
In local comps (that means the competition is in your region), each climb is worth a certain amount of points, with the easiest climbs having fewer points and the harder climbs having more. So the easiest climb in the comp is worth 100 points, while the hardest is maybe 3000--might be less, might be more, depending on how many routes are set for that comp. You climb at least three things, and the judges take your top three highest-scoring climbs and add the points together. The result is your score. So if I climbed 6 routes, each one worth 500, 1000, 1400, 1500, 1300, and 900 points, my score would be 1300 + 1400 + 1500 = 4200 points, which would probably get me some kind of ribbon or another. You also have to record the amount of attempts you took on a climb on your scorecard--so if another girl had the same amounts of points as I did, but she got the 1500 on her first try and I got it on my second, then she would place higher than me.
In Regionals and above (Divisionals, Nationals, maybe Continentals or Worlds), they lead you into "isolation"(not very isolated)--you're in there because they don't want anyone looking at the climbs beforehand. You can't bring anything with internet capability into the isolation area, and you have to be escorted to the bathroom. Pretty strict place.
Anyway, in Regionals each hold you get to improves your score. If I reached hold 20 on a climb at Regionals, I would get 20 points for that climb. If you finish a climb, the judge writes on your scorecard that you finished. You also get a fraction of a point if you touch a hold, and a fraction of a point if you get to the "usable surface" of the hold, which means you grab the good part, er, the usable part of the hold. Also, when you compete in lead climbing you get points for which quickdraw you reached. Kinda confusing, right? At least it's only the judges who have to worry about stuff like that.
I hope this post cleared up some of your questions about comp climbing. What I write up there ^ is the truth. Let it be spread around like a...like a...oh, I don't know, just spread this around and I won't have to answer the dreaded questions again. :-)
it *does* clear some things up. thanks.
ReplyDeletei can understand how frustrating it must be for people to ask you that question. i appreciate you responding in a way that kindly explains the answer to those of us who really don't know and are curious to learn. :)