BCT success at Big Sky Region Finals

Congrats to the whole Team for a great finish at the Big Sky Region Finals last Saturday at Boise Peak Fitness!
All 11 BCT athletes in attendance earned a spot to the D1 finals-a truly remarkable feat!
In addition, Inge Perkins, Bridget Creel, and Walter Funke took 1st place honors. Chan Leachman, Kevin Macartney, and Andie Creel nabbed 2nd place ribbons. Adam Gianforte and Clyde Harrelson earned 5th in their categories. Jack Schwarze and Kade Leachman got 4th and 7th in a strong male youth category, and Ol' Cale Schwarze rounded out the team with 6th in MYB. I cannot remember a region finals where a team has pulled off 100% of entries getting a 1st round invite to Divisionals.

We also recieved the following Region awards:
MVPs: Kevin Macartney and Inge Perkins.
Rookie of the Year: Bridget Creel.
Most Improved: Walter Funke (BTW, happy birthday Walter).
Most Likely to be President: Adam Gianforte.
Style Award: Bozeman Climbing Team.
Coach of the Year: Aaron Hjelt (no, I didn't pick myself).

Blue Ribbons, road trips, pool parties...

The Bozeman Climbing Team has continued to shine at the USAClimbing Big Sky Region Sport Climbing Series. At the Spire Spring Fling on April 18, BCT climbers took 4/5 top boys places and 3/5 top girls places from a field of 82. Walter Funke and Inge Perkins were overall champions for boys and girls, respectively. On Saturday, April 25 at Momentum in Sandy, UT (who will be hosting SCS Youth Nationals in July) BCT athletes again took top honors with Kevin Macartney and Inge Perkins winning high scores. We placed 1,2,3, and 5 in the boys with Walter Funke, Clyde Harrelson, and Cale Schwarze backing up Kevin. Chandler Leachman made a strong finish in the talent loaded youth B category to finish 5th. Cade Lohss and Kade Leachman took 6th and 7th in the strong youth c division. On the ladies side, Bridget Creel finished strong to nab a 2nd place finish in the stacked youth c category. Andie Creel showed a strong presence on the "sharp-end" by flashing two difficult lead routes and finished right behind Inge. We finished the day with more climbing at Momentum (thanks Jeff P. and Steven and the rest of the Momentum staff for all of the great routes) and an epic pool party at the 'ol sleep Inn. Check out Coach Kayla's pics here. Team mom Nancy's pics can be seen here.

BCT Summer Trips 2009

Summer is just around the corner. This means BCT summer roadtrips! In addition to our trip out to California for SCS youth Division 1 finals (June 11-17) we are offering two trips. The first will be a trip to Idaho's City of Rocks National Reserve. We'll get four days of cragging in on some of the best granite face and crack climbing in the country. This will be a laid back trip for all ages and abilities. Families are welcome to tag along. Dates on this trip are loosely set for June 26-30. We could potentially go the following weekend (July 3-7) if there is enough requests. Check out this brochure for more info.
The annual Canada trip will be heading up to Squamish, B.C. for two weeks of crack, face, and boulders in August. Trip dates are August 2-17. This trip is for experienced climbers who can commit to a scheduled training program through the summer. A flyer for this trip can be found here. Limited spots are available on each trip. A full prospectus will be emailed to you upon your query.

Results from Billings Steepworld comp, 3/28/09

The BCT proved their bouldering prowess in Billings yesterday at the Steepworld Steepfest '09 USAClimbing SCS event. We nabbed 4 blue ribbons, 2, red ribbons, and 4 white ribbons. Overall male points winner was BCT's Walter Funke. Overall Female points winner was BCT veteran Inge Perkins. Nice job Team! Full results are here.

Results from Boise Peak Fitness comp, 3/7/09

The BCT had a small but strong showing at the first SCS comp. of the season at Boise Peak Fitness on March 7. In the Male Youth Junior category, Kevin Macartney tied for 1st, with first year Junior Clyde Harrelson taking 4th. Adam Gianforte held off the field in Male Youth A to get a first place ribbon. Nice job guys! Full results are here.

Set Your Intention

My yoga teacher often uses the phrase "set your intention" when preparing us to do a specific pose or series of poses which could be difficult and/or strenuous. When I hear her say this, a decision process occurs in my brain. My "intention" becomes a commitment that is based on my desired outcome for the class and my yoga practice in general. It can change due to physical or emotional health or motivation. What is important about this phrase is that it triggers a response that actively engages my brain with what my body is doing.

This phrase can trigger the same response in a climbing workout or competition. By "setting your intention" before attempting a route or starting a workout drill, you help connect body to mind. And, most likely, you'll be much more satisfied with your effort.

"flow like warm butter-strike like lightning"

Why do we train? Why can't we just climb more to get better? Well, we could, but eventually one or more of three things would happen: 1) We'd get injured, 2)We'd cease to improve because our bodies were not receiving any more stimulation to provoke muscle or technique development, 3) We'd get bored or burned out with our available opportunities. I would agree that if you had the time and money to simply travel around from crag to crag, switching up disciplines every so often, and allowing for periods of rest, and, considering you were extremely motivated to set new standards, then yes, you could get better by simply climbing. However, most of us have significant responsibilities that prevent this lifestyle. So training offers us a way to balance life and climbing, while hopefully preventing injury, targeting weaknesses on which to improve, and keeping things fun and interesting. Furthermore, it puts more tools in our toolboxes. A climber relies on all sorts of skills and strengths to get up a route. These "tools" can be developed through specific training. Lately, I've been expressing the phrase "flow like warm butter-strike like lighting" during practice. Embodying the essence of melted butter or lightning while climbing are tools that, if used appropriately, can help a climber achieve a desired outcome. A tool doesn't need to be a specific strength, like being able to do a one-arm pullup. It can be a state of mind that helps you achieve a specific focus while on the wall or preparing for a route.