Archive
SBS 9 Highlines & Highballs Results! + Thanks DBC!
Danny testing out one of the Advanced problems while taking a phone call.
The Highlines & Highballs comp went off last night and by all accounts it was a roaring success. Beer was drunk, burritos were eaten, prizes were won, problems were climbed, and highlines were styled.
Tyler Youngwerth on the highline
We would like to congratulate our pro final winners Michael O’Rourke and Delaney Miller for their decisive sends of the finals problems. For the men, Nick Milburn also finished the final but took second overall due to having one more fall than Mike in qualifiers. 15-year-old Shawn Raboutou took third with an amazing flash go in which he did an impressive rose move and fell going for the last hold. For the women, Nina Williams managed to match the last sloper but was unable to jump for the finish, so she took second. Lizzy Asher got the last sloper with one hand and ended up in third.
General comp results and full pro final results can be seen here: Highlines Highballs Results If you have questions or corrections, please email events@thespotgym.com.
There were many photographers on hand as well as a video team, so expect to see more media soon.
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Thanks DBC!
We’d like to send a huge thanks to our friends in Denver, The Denver Bouldering Club, for sending up their head setter TJ Kelly to help with our comp. DBC setter John Gass has helped at our last two, and as John was unable to be here for this event TJ stepped up. He set some awesome boulders–two recs, an intermediate, an advanced, and O10, and we were really happy to have him. Thanks TJ!
The DBC has their own comp coming up in January, and their proceeds will go to a good cause. If you’re looking for some mid-winter relief, check it out:
Highballs & Highlines More Pictures!
Prelim results here: Youth Results Adult Results
Matty Hong sticking the swing to flash the final.
Rob D about to hold the swing that would win him the comp.
Matty pressing into the corner before the jump to the volume. Photo by Ryan Nadlonek.
Megan Mascarenas almost sticking the long move in the middle of the Women’s Final. Photo by Ryan Nadlonek
Rob D mid-flash by Ryan Nadlonek
Matty holding the swing from another angle. By Ryan Nadlonek.
Isabelle Goodacre staring down the long move on the Women’s final.
Matt Lubar in his second SBS Final!
Matty Hong climbing O10
Michael O’Rourke on O7
O1
More photos on The Spot Facebook! (click the link in the right sidebar).
Highlines & Highballs Open Final Result – UPDATED
Rob D flashing the Open Final by Keith North
The top 7 Men and 7 Women from the Adult and Junior sessions of the comp were invited to compete in the Open Finals. The problems were on the Beach, Women’s on the left, Men’s on the right.
Men’s
The Men’s Final was a short powerful climb on the right side of the Beach. The start was a balance move off a sloper, followed by a stand-up/jump to a pinch made of two slopers on a small triangle volume. From there climbers moved out right to their choice of a dream pocket and two huge slopers. There was a foot bicycle to help them wrangle the holds until their left hand was in the dream pocket (Final competitor Rob D’Anastasio actually ended up doing a fantastic rose move into the dream pocket!) Next a big move to a wide sloper pinch, a high foot and flag, and another fatty pinch and flat gaston. From there it was a foot switch and high right foot and then a press into a sloper in the slight roof. Just around the corner above the lip was another volume with a sloper and a slopey ball on it. Competitors could either jump out of the press or reach around slowly and then jump to establish on the volume. Either way they took a massive nearly-horizonal swing, then had one more relatively easy move to a finish bucket.
The bottom moves gave many of the competitors trouble. Michael O’Rourke flashed through them, but after falling high up he fell several times before sticking the volume pinch again. On his last go he stuck it, then climbed through the problem and nearly finished it, falling on the final volume after swinging way out and coming off. It was a fantastic effort and earned him 3rd place. Matty Hong came out, 2nd place qualifier, and flashed the problem, sticking the horizontal swing as the crowd went absolutely crazy. This put a ton of pressure on 1st place qualifier Rob D’Anastasio, who knew he’d have to flash the problem to win. Rob handled the pressure well though, giving a great effort that involved the rose move at the bottom and sticking the top swing when everyone was sure he was off. I think his body literally went above his hand and somehow he managed not to let go. The crowd went crazy again and Rob maintained his first place.
1. Rob D
2. Matty Hong
3. Michael O’Rourke
4. Ben Hoberg (won our last 2 comps, was just under Michael O’Rourke’s highpoint here)
5. Matt Lubar (got to the press but didn’t get to the volume)
6. Remi Arata (got to hold 7 on his 1st try, then struggled)
7. Greig Seitz (struggled with the bottom, got to hold 7 on his 7th try)
Women’s
The Women’s Final was a long technical climb with some powerful moves in the middle and end. All the competitors struggled with the techy bottom section, then made their way through some thin crimps to a sloping pinch, then fell trying to stick a long move to an e-grips comfy crimp ear. Several competitors nearly stuck the move, but all-in-all it was stopper, and final rankings came down to attempts-to-highpoint. Here are the Women’s final results:
1. Nina Williams 9- 1st go (2nd place qualifier. Nina got back on the stopper move just after finals and got through it by using a heelhook, then climbed to the top.)
2. Isabelle Goodacre 9- 2nd try (4th place qualifier)
3. Megan Mascarenas 9- 3rd try (Megan was the closest to sticking the move, but as she did not control the hold she got the same score as the others who also grabbed but did not control it. After the raffle she got back on at the start and easily climbed the problem. Megan was the 1st place qualifier, and climbed O7 and down in the regular comp.)
4. Margo Hayes 9- 4th try (5th place qualifier)
5. Tiffany Hensley 9- 5th try (3rd place qualifier)
6. Laurel Todd 9- 6th try (6th place qualifier. Laurel fell on the opening moves 5 times and it looked like she wouldn’t get through them, but then she magically managed and climbed quite a ways further.)
7. Tika Anderson 3- (7th place qualifier. Tika got pretty stuck on the tricky opening moves, where everyone fell at least once and many several times. She nearly stuck the crimp but her foot kept slipping at the last second.)
Full preliminary results will be up soon at http://www.thespotgym.com. No pictures yet, will post some when we get ’em. Thanks for coming out, and nice job everyone!
Quick Update – Highballs & Highlines Comp This Weekend! + Reset Schedule + Hold Sale Ending Tonight!
2011 – He didn’t land it, but it was a good effort!
If you’ve been in the gym at all you’ll know that we’ve already started setting for the SBS 8 Highballs & Highlines comp. This comp will be Saturday, and so far we’re really excited about the problems. Also, the highline slacklining is really sweet to watch, and as usual we have food, drinks, beer, a DJ, a gigantic sweet raffle, Pro Finals, etc… Hope to see you there!
Pre-register and breeze through on comp day! – SBS 8 Registration
This means that The Spot will be closed tomorrow for setting. Spot members can climb for free at the BRC tomorrow and Saturday (during the comp).
Sunday The Spot is open as usual.
Monday we will begin the reset, but we are resetting differently than usual. We will be running a mini onsight- style comp for our Youth Team and some of Team ABC. This onsight-style comp will help our kids get ready for Regionals the following weekend. We will be setting the mock comp on the Dojo and Back Hueco, meaning there will be new problems there Monday night, but they will be closed off to public climbing until probably 7 or 8pm (after the mini comp is over).
Tuesday and Wednesday we will set as well, and we should have fill on most of the walls by Wednesday 4pm-ish. We will probably do River/Font on Tues and Front Hueco and/or Beach on Wednesday.
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Also, last chance on our used holds sale. We are selling them through 11pm tonight at $1 off current listed price. If they cost $1 they will now cost .50 cents. If you want ’em, come get them before they’re gone!
And…now he’s on Conan. Along with Michael Payton and other Gibbon Slackliners
The Spot was one of, if not the first, gym in the country to have a permanent slackline fixture. Our slackline has been a training ground for many a slacker including some who have gone on to the big time. One of our long time regulars, and also a regular at our Highball/Highline comp, is Gibbon Pro Team leader Mike Payton. This week Mike, as well as the infamous Andy Lewis and two guys from California–Frankie Najera and a kid named Alex Mason (who, in my opinion, is the most impressive of the bunch) did a bit of slacking on the Conan O’Brien show. Check out the bit here:
And here is an older video featuring Michael and Andy at The Spot:
Remember this guy? Slackliner Andy Lewis at Super Bowl 2012 Halftime Show with Madonna!
From this:
Andy lands his second highline backflip ever at the 2009 Highlines/Highballs Comp at The Spot
to this:
Sketchy Andy, aka Skandy, with Madonna. Pretty Crazy, huh?
Super Bowl 2012 Halftime Show
Highline Highball Rundown + Media Links + Slackline & Comp Results + Setting Update
Matty Hong qualifying well in the Men's Open category. He took 2nd in Finals.
Highline Highball 2011 – The Rundown
The SBS 7 Highball Highline Comp fell on a cold and snowy weekend in the beginning of December. We were a little worried the bad snow conditions would limit attendance, but climbers can’t seem to spend a full day without activity and so people braved the icy roads and the comp was packed.
The problems were a mix of styles, with R10 involving a balance move at the top, I2 being a little steep but very juggy and flowy, I6 involving a trust move, I8 a technical pressing slab, I10 also a little steep and dynamic, A1 a balance-fest, A8 an incredible journey through the Dojo roof (don’t forget to clip!), A9 a stem, A10 involving a small dyno, and the Opens running the gamut from slopey and steep to the near-vertical volume testpiece of O10 on the right river wall.
A competitor fights for it on A4 at the Highball Highline Comp
When the dust from both sessions had settled the Highliners demonstrated their skills for the crowd (who were feasting on Wahoo’s tacos, pizza, and Avery beer) and we frantically added up scores to find out who our open finalists would be. It turned out that once again junior climber Megan Mascarenas from Colorado Springs had the most points in the female category so she qualified for open finals in first. Alex Johnson barely beat out Alex Manikowski and Matty Hong to qualify in first for the men. Both held on to their leads in finals to win the comp. For the full rundown on the finals click the Open Finals Results link below.
Here are the final results from the rest of the Highline Highball Comp in the Youth and Adult categories. I will write top competitors here and the rest can be seen at the links to the full results.
Adult
Recreational Female
1. Sarah Josey
2. Ali Schultz
Recreational Male
1. Matt Melton
2. Raleigh Burrell
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Intermediate Female
1. Tracy Ng
2. Jade Sevelow
Intermediate Male
1. Luke Shaack
2. Russell Teabeault
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Advanced Female
1. Becca Bossert
2. Megan Cerise
Advanced Male
1. Brian Moore
2. Cletus Blum
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Open Female (pre-open final, adult session scores only)
1. Nina Williams
2. Tiffany Hensley
Open Male (pre-open final, adult session scores only)
1. Alex Johnson
2. Alex Manikowski
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Masters Female
1. Bobbi Bensman
2. Diane Nickerson
Masters Male
1. Pete Youngwerth
2. Rob Gilbert
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Slackline
The Highline event was another fun demonstration from some very brave and balanced individuals. This year’s winner was none other than Emily Sukiennik (below) who won over the crowd with her skillful slacking.
Highline winner 2011 - Emily Sukiennik | Photo by Jay Droeger
He didn't land it, but it was a good effort!
Youth Climbing Results
Girls Junior
1. Katelyn Hudspeth – Team BRC
Boys Junior
1. Sean Morgan – Team Spot
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Girls A
1. Laurel Todd – Team ABC
2. Tika Anderson – Team Spot
Boys A
1. Matt Lubar – Team ABC (Matt also got 6th in the Open Final)
2. Remi Arata – Team BRC
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Girls B
1. Megan Mascarenas – Team ABC (Megan also won the Open Final)
2. Isabelle Goodacre – Team ABC (Isabelle placed 4th in the Open Final)
Boys B
1. Austin Lankford – Team ABC
2. Pierce McCrerey – Team ABC
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Girls C
1. Ivy Todd – Team ABC
2. Felina Jaeger – Team Spot
Boys C
1. Timmy Dolan – Team ABC
2. Ethan Kruteck – Team ABC
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Girls D
1. Brooke Raboutou – Team ABC
2. Stella Noble – Team ABC
Boys D
1. Joe Goodacre – Team ABC
2. Liam O’Brien – Team ABC
Said Parirokh looking stylish, as usual.
Setting Update
As usual, we set every day last week to get hundreds of new problems up for you to climb on. Every wall has been reset and next week we will continue to fill in. Setting will be light through the holidays and pick up to regular speed and density again shortly after the New Year.
Don’t forget to pre-register for Gladiator Finals! This last and best comp of SBS 7 will be held on February 4th. Click here to sign up or get more info: SBS 7 ~ Registration.
Highline Highball Media
2011 Spot Bouldering Series: Highballs and Highlines Photo Gallery from Climbing Magazine
SBS Highlines & Highballs Open Results + Commercials – Alex Honnold & Katie Brown, and Chris Sharma selling watches?!
Highballs & Highlines Open Finals Results
Yes, it was exciting. As usual. Three members of Boulder’s Team ABC made finals, giving the start of the finals some orange flair. On top of that, we staggered start times due to a men’s finals no show, so our 2nd girl ABC’er and 1st guy ABC’er ended up climbing at the same time. There was SO MUCH ORANGE! I’ll write up a longer rundown later, but til then here are the results:
Men's winner Alex "Socks" Johnson staring down the Bear Claw. Photo by Jay Droeger.
Men
1. Alex “Socks” Johnson (fumbled the accursed BEAR CLAW!)
2. Matty Hong (1 move below Alex)
3. Garrett Gregor (we messed up scoring a little at comp time, Garrett actually earned 7- so he should have been 3rd)
4. Alex Manikowski (6+)
5. Michael O’Rourke (6+, qualified lower than Alex M so in 5th actually instead of 3rd)
6. Matt Lubar (6+, last qualifier so in 6th here)
Women's winner Megan Mascarenas hiking her final.
Women
1. Megan Mascarenas (flash!)
2. Nina Williams (14-)
3. Tiffany Hensley (13-, top qualifier of the next 4 climbers)
4. Isabelle Goodacre (13-)
5. Gabi Masse (13-)
6. Jesse Youngwerth (7)
I can’t find any more pictures of it yet, so here’s a picture of Maddie in the youth section of the comp.
Commercials
You may have seen this recent Citibank Ad featuring Alex Honnold and Katie Brown.
No, that is not Katie’s voice. You can read an interesting blog about how that all went down on Beth Rodden’s Blog.
But you probably didn’t know that Chris Sharma ditched his hot Spanish lifestyle and went climbing in Italy. Well, check this out:
He ties the rope, but did you see him use it?
We’re glad to see that climbers are finally getting paychecks from other industries!
Highballs & Highlines Results & Reset
We will be resetting Monday – Friday in the mornings. If you want to climb only comp style go to The Spot today. Tomorrow afternoon (after 4 is a safe bet) there will be at least 1 new wall for you. Etc. for the rest of the week until the gym is fairly full.
The rest of the SBS 7 Highballs & Highlines Wrap Up is coming later this week. Photos, full results, and more. Stay tuned, and see you at The Spot!
Comp Today! Reasons to compete + an impressive little video from Garrett
Yeah. And unfortunately for those of you who wanted to go outdoors today, the weather is right! But don’t be dismayed, cause we just set 42 brand new boulder problems for today’s Highballs & Highlines Comp!
A quick list of reasons you might use to not come compete, and reasons you should reconsider:
1. It costs $.
~ So does everything else in life, it isn’t that much (30/climb, 10/spectate), it is expensive for us to put on a comp but we do it because it is so much fun! Also, it is warm in the gym, we feed you, give you high quality Avery Beer and Mix 1, we entertain you with a sure-t0-be-exciting pro finals and our once-a-year highline slackline competition, and most likely you’ll either win something in the raffle or catch something in the schwag toss that is worth at least the cost of your entry or spectator fee. So, to recap, it’s more than worth it for a fun evening with the climbing community.
2. It is snowing outside and I don’t want to leave the house.
~ Yes, it is snowing. By 5pm you’re going to be bored silly, and if you don’t get some exercise you might not even sleep well tonight!
3. I am a beginner or intermediate climber and I feel intimidated.
~ Spot comps have an equal number of new problems for each category (though of course you’re welcome to climb on problems from any category in the comp). That means there are 20 new rec and intermediate problems, or 20 new problems in the 1-3 spot range. That is a lot of problems. You should get tired before you run out of things to climb. Also, most of the problems are separated on the wall so people can more or less climb at the same time without interfering with each other. Also also, Sender Films is coming to document the efforts of some of our intermediate and rec climbers to help show how much fun it can be to compete in a Spot comp at any level.
4. If I win I don’t get a prize, so what’s the point?
~ We don’t give prizes for category winning to discourage sandbagging. Instead we do an equal opportunity schwag toss and raffle to encourage everyone to climb their best and try some new problems instead of winning the category below the one they should be in for the sake of the prize. That way you get doubly rewarded, once for pushing yourself on the routes, and the 2nd time just for showing up!
I could go on, but the point is Spot comps are designed to be fun community gatherings where the high group psyche will help you push yourself and perhaps even surprise yourself with how well you can climb when everyone is pulling for you. It is snowing, so get on down to the Spot and climb some highballs!
Garrett’s Video
Yep.
Comp tomorrow!
Highballs and Highlines is coming TOMORROW!
That means today we’re gonna be closed for setting, but if you are a Spot member you can climb for free at the BRC. Tomorrow the fun starts! Check out The Spot’s main website (link on the rt. bar) for details.
The Spot Route Setting Blog 