There’s no other way to describe this event than extremely heartwarming. Maybe there are other words, but the overall feeling was just beautiful. Smiles and hugs, cheers of encouragement – the GC Cup was easily one of the best events we’ve hosted at Friends and Allies.
The success of this event came down to collaboration and inclusivity. The idea was to create an event open to all. A comp not just for the seasoned competitors, but one that could help newcomers get into the comp scene and see what it’s all about. But also, a legit event for comp climbing. Sho – I know that’s ambitious. And ambitious it was, with categories for all ages and a wide range of skill levels.
We wanted to give everyone an equal opportunity to climb in the finals – something most people never get to experience. Yes yes, I know not everyone can climb in finals. You still have to qualify but by opening up all these categories, we gave everyone a fair shot. Lekker.
Damn, but how exactly is this all going to work? We had the same question. The answer? As I said earlier – ambitious. It was something we’ve never done before, never seen before, and never even heard of. There was no doubt the setters had their work cut out for them, and they were up for the challenge.
Some things in comp climbing, we can’t really change – like the 3 rounds of 2-hour sessions to qualify on 20 boulders. Pretty standard. On the day though it was clear the energy was different. People were there to climb and have a good time. It was also clear that people froth over a good old competition. People like to say the energy levels were through the roof. We don’t really have a roof, per se – we’re in the basement – but we have noticed some new cracks.
Finals kicked off at 4 PM, and this is where the whole comp took a twist. Session-style finals – 20 minutes per boulder. We split the groups male and female, and then again into more experienced and newer climbers. That’s four groups climbing – at the same time.
Here’s the kicker: they all climbed the same boulders. For the experienced groups, we eliminated some of the holds. A hard version and an easier version of the same boulder – all in one beautiful bloc. Still with me? Even I had to reread this to make sure I understood.
It was just so good watching climbers of all ages and skill levels ultimately climbing the same problems. Such a good experience both for climbers and spectators. People climbing everywhere. Was the format perfect? Of course not. Some boulders were too easy, others too hard, but hey – that’s comp climbing.
This format was something new. Something challenging. Something different. It’s important to play with and evolve the traditional comp format. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how we get to that final ranking – we just need to get there.
Massive thanks to all the amazing people who helped bring this idea to life. To GC for taking the initiative and coming up with this fun concept. To everyone who showed up on the day — you made the comp happen, and you made those hard-warm feelings real.
Very much looking forward to the next one.
Much love,
Wes
Wes Antonites
Founder of Friends and Allies
