‘Talented Climbers Day” at Manchester Climbing Wall

I am on the train coming back from the ‘Talented Climbers Day” at Manchester Climbing Wall. Me and mum got the train after school on Friday and were in Manchester at 5.30. I had pizza and went to bed early so that I had lots of energy for the next day. It has been sooooo cold at Ratho I have not climbed a route for 3 weeks, I have only been bouldering and so I don’t feel very fit. We arrived before 10 and then did a warm up. We then had four different sessions, they were 45 minutes each. My first session was with Steve McLure doing routes, aaaaghhh!!! I hoped I would be okay. I was okay, they were not too hard and I had warmed up okay. I was pleased when one of the BMC guys said he though my footwork was good. I then did the body tension session which was about core strenth. I like this session and there were lots of exersises that I can do at home. We stopped for lunch and I got to talk to Steve Mclure about my new Sportiva shoes because he organises all the Sportiva stuff. My new shoes were a wee bit big so he is going to send me a smaller pair. I then had McGeek for bouldering which was great… I love bouldering. My last session was with Buzby and Robbie which was all about footwork. I really enjoyed this session as well ( although I was sick in the middle of it). We then had a short session on route reading and keeping a training diary. I love the T shirt and the training diary. Mum and I had to leave quickly to get to the train station, we got there in time but I was starving. Great day, thank you Ian Dunn and team for organising this. I would like to go back to Manchester to do some more climbing.

Eleanor and Ishbell were also down for the day.

This is Buzby and Robbie talking to us about footwork.

Sportiva Sponsorship

I am soooooo lucky because I have been Sponsored by Sportiva!!!!! When Neil Gresham came up to Edinburgh EICA at Ratho to do a coaching session with me and Angus he told me my shoes were not helping my climbing and I might as well be wearing slippers. He helped me look at shoes in the `Tiso shop but we couldn’t find any shoes that fitted properly. He then said that he would talk to the people who do all the sponsor stuff with Sportiva so that I could maybe get sponsorship even if I was only 10. They agreed and I now have my first Sportiva shoes. Thank you Sportiva, I promise to train and climb hard with my new shoes.

Tuesday night at Ratho

Bouldering on a Tuesday night in January at Ratho is becoming really squashy because everyone who wants to train are in the bouldering room. I try to get there early but I have to wait for my sister to get home from school and also my lift ( mum or dad). When I get there it is FULL of climbers, groups of climbers, and also McGeek, Natalie and Robbie hogging all the best routes. I dream and hope it will be empty when I arrive but it never is.
Last Tuesday I was trying to do my grey circuit and I did it 8 times finishing on the pink on the 45digree board and then I did some bouldering. I tried the grey and was then glad Jaime Davidson helped me on how to position my feet. McGeek asked me if I had tried the purple on the 45 digree board, I had but couldn’t make the move to the 3rd last hold, Neil helped me but I still couldn’t do it, I think I will make it my project. I also used my stopwatch to make sure I took a break between tries.
Maybe it is quite good to have lots of climbers in the bouldering room, to watch them and also they are always helpful.

Too cold to climb!

For the past four weeks I have only been in the bouldering room at Ratho because it is soooo cold in the arena and the boulders outside are closed because of the new mats. My training schedule isn't going to plan at the moment, I was going to start running with my mum but it is too cold outside to go. I am going to Manchester on Saturday for a training day, I am excited about going, this gives me the opportunity to climb with climbers all over the U.K.

In October I was lucky enough to climb with Kitty Wallace (the British champion for girls, under 16)in London. We worked on hard boulder problems and moves. I love climbing with different people!!!

About me ,,,,,

My name is Gabriella and I am 10 years old. I started climbing when I was 8 because my mum said she had taken me to the sick kids hospital too many times after falling out of trees that I needed to learn to climb properly. I had a lesson from Martin one of the instructors at EICA to see if I liked it, and I loved it and have been going to Ratho ever since.

I joined the Rocksters club at first and then got to enter the BRYCS competitions. That stands for the British Youth Climbing Series. Then I joined the Quickdraw Climbing Club and we get training and coaching through the club. We have had loads of indoor and outdoor sessions. One of the coaches was Neil Gresham. This is a picture of me with him and my Climber of the Month Trophy.