12: Anita Aggarwal + Christiane Luttikhuizen, RP3 Paraclimbers
Anita Aggarwal and Christiane Luttikhuizen are paraclimbers who have competed in world cups as part of the RP3 sports class. RP3 is a classification for limited reach, power or stability. In this episode, we’ll learn about what it’s like climbing with a disability, the difficulties dealing with classification and class merging, whether or not the IFSC does a good job with accommodations, and the possibility of joining the Paralympics in LA 2028.
Timestamps
Timestamps of discussion topics
0:00 - Introduction
1:15 - Holiday debrief
4:36 - How they got into climbing
6:01 - Explanation of paraclimbing categories
8:39 - Christiane's disability
10:07 - Anita's disability
12:05 - Classification + merging
24:31 - Getting de-classified and re-classified
30:17 - Managing fatigue + injury with competitions
39:38 - How to join a paraclimbing team
44:56 - History of paraclimbing
47:54 - Paraclimbing formats, potentially lead or bouldering?
50:33 - Paraclimbing route setting
57:49 - Logistical issues and isolation insanity
1:00:57 - Has the IFSC been good at accommodating paraclimbers?
1:08:37 - Funding for paraclimbers
1:16:23 - Not feeling disabled enough
1:20:05 - How it feels to climb a para route
1:25:18 - Matt Groom fan club
1:28:41 - Anita on being an older competitor (50+)
1:34:49 - Paralympics in LA 2028?
1:41:26 - Discord Q: Are there any paraclimbers who do speed climbing?
1:43:34 - Discord Q: Should there be more paraclimbing world cups?
1:45:32 - Discord Q: What are the future areas of growth for paraclimbing?
1:49:23 - Discord Q: How does the path of a pro paraclimber differ from that of an able-bodied climber?
1:55:03 - Where to find Anita + Christiane
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prosthetics lying around everywhere, guide dogs everywhere for the blind people.
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It was like absolute chaos.
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I've been climbing with an open wound across my belly button for the whole of this season.
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Like, OK, if you're missing an arm, you feel like you can't represent the community,
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then I'll do the podcast.
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That's the only opportunity we get to climb a route that's been set for us,
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which is one of the reasons I do it.
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Welcome to another episode of the That's Not Real Climbing podcast.
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I'm your host, Jinni, and I'm excited to introduce my guests, multiple for today,
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Anita Aggarwal and Christiane Luttikhuizen.
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Both Anita and Chris are para climbers who have competed in World Cups
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as part of the RP3 sports class.
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For those who aren't familiar, RP3 is a classification for limited reach, power or stability.
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In this episode, we'll learn about what it's like climbing with a disability,
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the difficulties dealing with classification and class merging,
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whether or not the IFSC does a good job with accommodations
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and the possibility of joining the Paralympics in LA at 2028.
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Hope you enjoy this episode with Anita and Chris.
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All right. So then I guess we can just get started.
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How's everyone doing today?
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Yeah, we've been looking forward to having a chat, something different at Christmas.
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Yeah, this will come out in like a month-ish, but you were just out in Font, was it?
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No, I was in Turkey. A couple of friends of mine went there.
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It's a beautiful climbing area. I'd never been there before.
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Climbed for three weeks and still sort of recovering.
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But it was amazing.
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I climbed so much. The last day I tried to climb the flight of Stair there, I was exhausted.
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Yeah, it was a really good trip.
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It was starting a new job in January and I had to climb up.
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So it's a nice vacation for us.
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Yeah, I didn't know there was climbing in Turkey. That's interesting.
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Very 3D, two-class style. It's really cool.
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And yeah, Anita, how are your holidays?
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It's been all right, actually.
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As an older 50-year-old who doesn't have any kids
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and has one family member, my dad lives an hour away
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in a small, light, old people's caravan on a field somewhere.
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And then my mum lives in a one-bedroom flat another hour away in another direction.
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It's not a viable sort of thing anymore.
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So I rang my dad and I says on Christmas Day, I only just worked out it was Christmas yesterday.
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So that's how not with it I've been.
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I've been too busy climbing and socializing and completely forgot everything.
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So my parents just don't celebrate it anymore.
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So I'd quite happily have joined Christiana in her climbing.
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Yeah, it seems to be the thing to do in the climbing world, go climbing, which is great.
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I think sort of similar.
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I think a lot of climbers end up just climbing on Christmas Day or over the holidays in general.
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Yeah, I really like to do short bouldering session before I have to sit at the dinner table for six hours with my family.
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So that helps quite a bit.
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How about you?
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I had a yeah, I had a well, no, I wouldn't say relaxing.
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I would say exhausting.
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I'm exhausted.
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I need a break from my break, which happens a lot.
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But, you know, life just keeps coming.
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So there's really no break.
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Getting back.
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I'm looking forward to getting back into a routine and getting back into doing this podcast.
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Had a little bit of a break, ready to start again.
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So looking forward to that.
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I did a little bit of climbing, but not too much.
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What kind of climber are you?
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I'm mostly boulder.
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Just because I'm like, I like aging.
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I'm starting to age.
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So I need to like focus all of my effort on one thing, I think.
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And so I'm focusing on competition bouldering, and that's all I'm focusing on.
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But I actually did climb outside a little bit since I'm in Vegas right now.
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But yeah, just a little bit of outdoor climbing.
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I did ropes for the first time in like three years.
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So it was OK.
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So, yeah, just getting into the climbing bit.
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How did you guys start climbing and get into it and what drew you to it?
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Basically, in 2009, a local church got converted to a climbing wall.
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Thought I'd go see what it was.
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I was 35 at the time.
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So quite late on in life, spent 19 years working and getting to that point where sport was just normal everyday stuff.
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So I went and had a look and it was very, very new then.
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There weren't very many climbing centers and stuff.
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So I gave it a go.
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And then life changed in 2009.
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But generally just going to see what this climbing was like inside a church inside Derby, which is a hometown in the UK.
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Nice.
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I started climbing at least seven years ago when a bouldering gym opened in my hometown and a friend just dragged me there and I really liked it.
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I used to play volleyball as well at the same time.
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But then it ends every time we had to go to volleyball practice.
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I just wanted to climb.
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So I quit volleyball, started climbing more and more.
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And then I found out that I was eligible for fair climbing in 2021 and I've been competing in RPC since then.
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Yeah, in general, I just really like talking about fair climbing.
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I really like the community.
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It's great people. So yeah, excited for today.
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And so, yeah, you're both in the RP3 category, which is for limited reach, power, stability.
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So could you just explain that category a bit for the people who aren't super familiar?
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And if you also don't mind sharing, what is your disability?
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Sure.
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If you want, I can give you a brief overview of all the categories and sort of how it goes with classification.
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And very broadly speaking, there are three categories.
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B for blind, A for amputees, and RP for limited range of power and mobility.
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And then every category is subdivided into how severe the environment is.
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So there's B1, B2, and B3.
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In B1, people are fully blind, and in B3, people have a little bit of eyesight left.
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For the amputation categories, there's AU for amputee at the upper limb, and AL for amputee at the lower limb.
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And again, one is more severely impaired and the two or three are less impaired.
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AL1 is people that cannot use their legs at all.
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So usually it's people that do have their legs but they're paralyzed.
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They can't do everything, and it's really, really cool to watch.
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There's this Austrian guy in the campus, and he's plus, I think.
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The level is super high. It's really, really awesome.
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And then AL2 is for people that don't have use of one leg.
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So often it's an amputation either above the knee or below the knee is one category.
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People can choose to wear a prosthetic, but they don't have to.
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And then for the AU, amputee at the upper limb,
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we used to have AU1, so people that couldn't use one arm at all.
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But last year a new category got added, so one had to go.
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Which means that now we have AU2 for people that miss their arm, but they do have an elbow.
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And AU3 for people that do have a wrist, but they miss some fingers.
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So that's the amputation categories.
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And for every category, you could say, oh, the level is so high and it's so amazing to watch.
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Yeah, I don't know. There's men with one leg all-siding 8a.
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There's women with one arm climbing 7b.
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I don't know. I'm just always so impressed by it.
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Anyways, that was Anita and me. We're in RP3.
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RP is a very diverse group of impairments and disabilities.
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Again, RP1 is the most impaired and RP2 and 3 are less than barely impaired.
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I have cerebral palsy, which means I was born with some mild brain damage.
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It affects the strength and coordination on the whole left side of my body.
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So my strength is about 25% less than on the right side,
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which means that on the right side it's an easy lock off. On the left, I just crash.
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I have spasm in my foot, so it's quite hard to coordinate it onto a hold.
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My ankle and hip mobility is a bit limited and my left foot is quite weak,
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so I can't push off from one toe or from my toes,
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which means it's really hard to put pressure on holds.
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And because my ankle ability is limited, I can't bring my heel down.
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Standing on volumes or small feet is quite tricky for me.
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Because RP is such a broad category, I have cerebral palsy,
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and it is not affecting me that much.
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If it was more severe, I could be in RP2 or RP1.
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We see people with neuromuscular diseases,
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MS, cerebral palsy, spasticity, genetic,
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anything that influences you neurologically or ideologically.
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People that have car accidents, joint replacements, that really impair mobility.
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So it can be a lot of things.
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And it makes it really fun to compete in RP because there are so many different bodies and different people.
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You were just making me think.
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So to the audience, I'm going to speak about before and after how the competitions worked for climbing.
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So when I actually first got classified back in 2017, I was actually clashed into RP2,
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which was middle of disability.
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And I was clashed at 7.30 in the morning when I struggled to walk and even process completely,
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because multiple sclerosis means multiple scars.
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So I've got three scars in my head and two in my spine.
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And that's kind of severed the communication and the response time of how my limbs operate and move.
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And then basically, I believe in 2019, when the able-bodied joined the Olympics,
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what it actually did is it tripped out classification for us.
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We were triggered into being checked to see what our disabilities were like.
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So I started off in RP2.
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What happens is when we don't have enough people in the class, we get merged.
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And at the time, I'm just looking at a map at the moment.
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If I was in RP2 and there wasn't enough upper amputees, I would be merged with them
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because they merge into my category, which back in 2017 happened a lot.
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My common competitor was Maureen Beck, which was brilliant for me, but there were so many...
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there weren't very many armless and legless female at the time.
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And then in 2021, when I went to the Moscow World Championships,
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was the first time I got classified in the new classification system.
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And because it became more in line with the Olympic classification,
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which meant that your impairment had to be more severe,
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not only myself, but the rest of the RPs in the GB team all got moved into RP3
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where Christina is... or Chris is, sorry, because I might get your name wrong.
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So that means that now I will never compete against the AU amputees if categories emerged.
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I now compete with the legless.
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So when you're looking at the RP category, RP3 is the weakest of your discipline.
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But if there wasn't enough legless female in their sports class, they get merged with RP3.
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Like, how did they decide that it would get merged with, I guess, amputees?
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Because that seems like quite different.
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Yeah, well, I'm just looking at the map. At the moment, you need...
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Say you need four people to run the category.
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And you've got B1 and only three people turn up. So B1 goes into B2.
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And there's one person in B2 that makes four, they run on their own.
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And I also look at the level.
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So in general, the women with one arm climb more or less the same level as RP2 women.
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And the women with one leg climb more or less the same level as RP3 women.
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So that's why I think that's sort of how they decide on merging.
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And I mean, merging is never fair, but it's better than no composition.
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So that's why it's fair.
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Well, this is it. This is it.
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Back in 2017 when there was very few female climbers in legless and armless,
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and there was only Pavitra who was the campus.
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In RP2, I was getting merged with Ava, who is one of Chris's teammates,
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which made it a lot more difficult for Ava to win over people who had moving legs because we were stronger.
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Now I've been moved into RP3.
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I agree with Chris that we're all of a similar impairment,
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but it gives people who are in wheelchairs the ability to compete against people who should be competing against.
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They've made the sport has become better because there's so many more athletes in it.
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And hopefully that will grow.
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So if you don't have enough of a category, then they actually kind of end up in the category that mean Chris are in,
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which is we get to compete against lots of different disabilities.
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It could be legless. It could be fingerless.
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But you will never get any of the B category compete with any other discipline other than B.
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So it's quite interesting how our class works.
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And it's quite fun to not know who you're going to compete against until the final comes up.
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And then you realize that you're competing against.
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And I think it's the same because both of our impairments are invisible.
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My weakness is down my left hand side.
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I can't really feel my left hand and my left foot.
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And I can't do what are known as pistol squats or I can't rock over my knee over my left foot.
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And if there's no foot hold on the wall, I can't physically push.
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I'm absolutely screwed if the if the root goes to the right and there's no left foot hold.
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I can't climb that that particular section.
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It needs more education, but it is brilliant because we don't know we could end up with legless or or handless people in our category.
210
00:15:15,520 --> 00:15:19,520
And what's the reason why the B category would never be combined?
211
00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:22,520
Is it just they climb at a different level?
212
00:15:22,520 --> 00:15:24,520
No, the bees get combined with the bees themselves.
213
00:15:24,520 --> 00:15:28,520
So B1 goes into B2 and B2 goes into B3.
214
00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:38,520
But only the physically impaired, the legless and the armless get merged into our P, which is why we need more female armless and legless.
215
00:15:38,520 --> 00:15:40,520
On the female side, there's less on the men's side.
216
00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:44,520
There's loads like AU3 was fingerless.
217
00:15:44,520 --> 00:15:49,520
This is called a digit and you need seven digits to now make the new category.
218
00:15:49,520 --> 00:15:52,520
So there's loads of there's loads of people out there that got fingers missing.
219
00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:57,520
But if across two hands, if they've got seven digits missing, so that makes six.
220
00:15:57,520 --> 00:16:03,520
Those two on the top of the thumbs gone, it now makes you a disabled climber and you can come and get involved in power climbing.
221
00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:05,520
Very specific. Yeah.
222
00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:09,520
Maybe that's a good segue into classification.
223
00:16:09,520 --> 00:16:13,520
I think for a lot of people, it's really new how that works a lot.
224
00:16:13,520 --> 00:16:18,520
And I think the last time I checked the classification document was a hundred fifty three pages.
225
00:16:18,520 --> 00:16:23,520
I think there is no way to summarize it.
226
00:16:23,520 --> 00:16:25,520
But I can give my own classification as an example.
227
00:16:25,520 --> 00:16:29,520
But first, I'd like to what Anita said, you need to miss seven digits.
228
00:16:29,520 --> 00:16:32,520
You'd say, well, OK, that's easy. You just count the digits and then you're done.
229
00:16:32,520 --> 00:16:41,520
But actually for a lot of people with congenital limb deficiencies, it's not that you're born missing seven digits.
230
00:16:41,520 --> 00:16:43,520
You're like the entire bone structure of your hand is different.
231
00:16:43,520 --> 00:16:45,520
So it sounds really simple.
232
00:16:45,520 --> 00:16:48,520
It's a couple of fingers and you're in AU3.
233
00:16:48,520 --> 00:16:54,520
But even there, it can be so tricky that people don't even know exactly what digits they have and don't have.
234
00:16:54,520 --> 00:16:59,520
So the classifiers, it's really a challenge for them.
235
00:16:59,520 --> 00:17:08,520
And like Anita said, the classification system changed a couple of years ago when Paraclimbing could potentially make a bid for the Olympics.
236
00:17:08,520 --> 00:17:13,520
So they had to really redevelop the classification system.
237
00:17:13,520 --> 00:17:20,520
I've never been classified under the old system.
238
00:17:20,520 --> 00:17:29,520
So my first classification was in 2021 and how the process goes, there are ISSD classifiers, there are traditions or doctors.
239
00:17:29,520 --> 00:17:35,520
There are some forms of medical background and they are trained by the ISSD.
240
00:17:35,520 --> 00:17:39,520
And so what they do is apply the classification rules.
241
00:17:39,520 --> 00:17:47,520
In my case, I have less mobility and strength and coordination and it's bothering my foot.
242
00:17:47,520 --> 00:17:51,520
But they only look at one of those to score you the points, basically.
243
00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:59,520
So what they do, they put you on the bench for bench testing and then you just measure the angle of your joints, for example, to look at mobility.
244
00:17:59,520 --> 00:18:05,520
And then they have this point system that says, all right, if your joint doesn't move at all, you get six points.
245
00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:09,520
If your hip joint has this many degrees of range of motion, you get, I don't know, four points.
246
00:18:09,520 --> 00:18:11,520
If it's this range of motion, you get three points.
247
00:18:11,520 --> 00:18:19,520
And then at the end, they just add everything up, you get a score and then you need six points for RP3 and 18 points for RP2.
248
00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:24,520
So that's how they can put you in the category.
249
00:18:24,520 --> 00:18:27,520
Yeah, that's my experience in classification.
250
00:18:27,520 --> 00:18:30,520
And I think the new system is quite a bit more strict.
251
00:18:30,520 --> 00:18:35,520
They implemented it first in 2021 and that was really sort of a test year.
252
00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:49,520
They're like, OK, we think that this is a good system, but you know, you write everything down and it's so hard to say, like, how many, how do you even compare the mobility that you have in joint to people with spasticity?
253
00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:52,520
And I don't know, it's so hard to make a good system.
254
00:18:52,520 --> 00:18:56,520
So they tested the system and now every year they're up there.
255
00:18:56,520 --> 00:19:00,520
So every year they see something on the wall or say, OK, we put this person in RP3.
256
00:19:00,520 --> 00:19:11,520
But actually, we think that this mobility loss that they have in their ankle joints should give them more or less points because it really, they're climbing more or less than we thought.
257
00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:19,520
So the classifiers watch all the competitions and then they use that input to update and improve the classification system.
258
00:19:19,520 --> 00:19:26,520
So can you get reclassified in the middle of like a season when you're climbing?
259
00:19:26,520 --> 00:19:28,520
Absolutely, absolutely.
260
00:19:28,520 --> 00:19:32,520
Yeah, I don't think it's what anyone wants, but it does happen.
261
00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:35,520
So first they do the bench testing.
262
00:19:35,520 --> 00:19:40,520
So one classification moments, it's always before the competition, usually two or three days before.
263
00:19:40,520 --> 00:19:54,520
So they do all the bench testing and then they will also watch you in your qualifying rooms just to make sure that what they've seen in the bench tests is the same as what they see in the wall.
264
00:19:54,520 --> 00:19:58,520
And then they will probably also watch your finals.
265
00:19:58,520 --> 00:20:08,520
And then if there's another competition and they really feel like this is not what we saw in previous competitions or it just looks so different, then they might reclassify you.
266
00:20:08,520 --> 00:20:19,520
But in general, after a classification, you get either you're concerned, so I mean, some people still clear, your legs and say that you're concerned, well, too.
267
00:20:19,520 --> 00:20:27,520
But for most of the RP, because at least you get a review date might be next year or it might be a couple of years from now.
268
00:20:27,520 --> 00:20:33,520
But yeah, like Anika said, you can be classified within the season, but it's not common.
269
00:20:33,520 --> 00:20:37,520
It's definitely an issue at the moment.
270
00:20:37,520 --> 00:20:44,520
So the way it worked for me is I turned up at the first World Championships in 2021 in Moscow.
271
00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:48,520
It's the first year that the GB were allowed outside the country after Covid.
272
00:20:48,520 --> 00:20:55,520
So we all went out to the World Championships having not competed all year in any World Cup.
273
00:20:55,520 --> 00:21:00,520
And my classification went, it's the very first time they're going to classify me.
274
00:21:00,520 --> 00:21:06,520
And I didn't know what to do, so I didn't speak in my classification because I didn't know I was allowed to.
275
00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:11,520
And they said, we don't know what your impairment is.
276
00:21:11,520 --> 00:21:20,520
So the following day I had to go to effectively an indoor football arena and climb an artificial wall.
277
00:21:20,520 --> 00:21:29,520
And they basically just asked me to push off my legs and catch a hold above my head that I couldn't reach from doing it static.
278
00:21:29,520 --> 00:21:34,520
Well, I'm quite a strong upper body climber, so I just grabbed the hold.
279
00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:38,520
I didn't have any sort of barriers to grabbing those holds.
280
00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:42,520
And the exercises that they put me through didn't make any sense to me.
281
00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:45,520
So they then said, I don't know.
282
00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:47,520
I still don't know what your classification is.
283
00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:55,520
So I now want you to climb in the qualifications of the World Cup and we'll tell you if you are classifiable.
284
00:21:55,520 --> 00:22:00,520
So I nearly fell off the first climb.
285
00:22:00,520 --> 00:22:03,520
I ended up falling and just landed on three fingers.
286
00:22:03,520 --> 00:22:12,520
And then on the second climb with my neurological side, which you can't validate or classify, I actually completely forgot what I was doing.
287
00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:20,520
So I fell off like the 10th black hold, A, because I was more stressed about getting classified because I was in the qualification.
288
00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:25,520
And I came off the wall and I had to wait at least the rest of that day to find out if I was classifiable.
289
00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:30,520
By that time, I'd basically not managed to make it to the final.
290
00:22:30,520 --> 00:22:36,520
And then they said, yes, you're classifiable, but now you need to get classified again next year.
291
00:22:36,520 --> 00:22:39,520
So I got classified again in 2022.
292
00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:43,520
And then I got classified again this year.
293
00:22:43,520 --> 00:22:47,520
And this year was the only year that they gave me a classification for more than one year.
294
00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:57,520
So now I can relax next year and I can just focus on training and competing and not stressing about paying all that money to go to an event, not knowing if I'm going to compete or not.
295
00:22:57,520 --> 00:23:03,520
Because our events as well in our team or in our country, everything's self-funded.
296
00:23:03,520 --> 00:23:10,520
So when you want to join this level, you're kind of sort of saying, okay, I've made the team.
297
00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:13,520
Now I've got to save the money to get there, to get classifiable.
298
00:23:13,520 --> 00:23:16,520
And you can quite easily get unclassed.
299
00:23:16,520 --> 00:23:22,520
I'm sure Chris might know there's people that have been unclassed and it's really stressful for them.
300
00:23:22,520 --> 00:23:40,520
And then they're, you don't know what to do because you're trying to support your own classification as well as dealing with the issues of the community and how minute these little classification gradients are that can just make somebody go in or go out.
301
00:23:40,520 --> 00:23:53,520
I haven't had a complete failure at a World Cup for classification, but Chris has. So from even just from the first phase of do you get classified, it's really stressful.
302
00:23:53,520 --> 00:23:58,520
Because until you know you're classifiable each year, you've got to go through all that stress.
303
00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:01,520
But armless and legless, they're confirmed.
304
00:24:01,520 --> 00:24:06,520
You still have to send in strange paperwork like, can you prove that you've got your leg missing?
305
00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:09,520
I send you a photo. That's not good enough.
306
00:24:09,520 --> 00:24:11,520
I need an x-ray.
307
00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:14,520
And we're like, it's not going to grow back.
308
00:24:14,520 --> 00:24:24,520
But they still have to go through the same process and the same medical and go through the same part of going, yes, your leg's missing.
309
00:24:24,520 --> 00:24:29,520
But like what's, I'd ask Chris, what was it like to get re-classified?
310
00:24:29,520 --> 00:24:32,520
I don't know if I could do that in the same same day.
311
00:24:32,520 --> 00:24:33,520
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
312
00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:40,520
So far it's been more stressful every year. So my impairment really is on the minimal side.
313
00:24:40,520 --> 00:24:51,520
You need six points to be an Rb3. And so far I've always scored six or seven points, which also feels weird to sort of hope that you're just disabled enough to be able to compete.
314
00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:54,520
That's kind of a weird feeling.
315
00:24:54,520 --> 00:24:59,520
So I've been classified the past three years and I'm re-classified again next year.
316
00:24:59,520 --> 00:25:08,520
As I said, classification is always two or three days before the event because then they can also watch in qualifications and that's just where everyone gathers.
317
00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:12,520
But for me, it means that every year I have to train for a whole year.
318
00:25:12,520 --> 00:25:22,520
I have to drive or fly out to the first most couple of years and they tell me if I can compete for another year or if I'm out forever.
319
00:25:22,520 --> 00:25:26,520
There's no in-between and it's really, really stressful.
320
00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:31,520
I do like to highlight the classifier in an IFC perspective as well.
321
00:25:31,520 --> 00:25:34,520
I mean, they're testing and trying to improve the system.
322
00:25:34,520 --> 00:25:45,520
And at some point it will just be set and sort of, yeah, if they finish developing the classification system, everyone's just classified and then they're confirmed.
323
00:25:45,520 --> 00:25:51,520
But now because it's such a borderline case, they need to classify me every year.
324
00:25:51,520 --> 00:25:59,520
And the way I try to see it is that I don't want to be in a competition if I don't belong there.
325
00:25:59,520 --> 00:26:06,520
So if at some point they decide, well, yeah, of course, we see that you have an environment that's just not enough, like same as missing one finger would not be enough.
326
00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:10,520
So it does not mean there's no climbing, but it's not enough to compete.
327
00:26:10,520 --> 00:26:20,520
And if they decide that for me, it would be, of course, a small personal tragedy, but it would be good for a sport because they're just trying to help the sport forward and just keep the competition and the categories as such.
328
00:26:20,520 --> 00:26:22,520
And the categories as fair as they can.
329
00:26:22,520 --> 00:26:25,520
So that's how I try to see it.
330
00:26:25,520 --> 00:26:29,520
But of course, last year was pretty terrible.
331
00:26:29,520 --> 00:26:32,520
We had the first work of the year with an Innsbruck.
332
00:26:32,520 --> 00:26:38,520
There is always one competition before in Southlake City in the US, but it's really expensive to go there.
333
00:26:38,520 --> 00:26:46,520
And I know that I'm being classified, so I don't want to fly out to the US and then sort of have the risk of not being able to compete.
334
00:26:46,520 --> 00:26:51,520
I don't want to take that risk. So I went to a competition in Innsbruck in Austria.
335
00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:55,520
And then the competition started on Monday.
336
00:26:55,520 --> 00:27:02,520
I was classified on Saturday and then two IFC classifiers told me, yeah, we're really sorry, but this is not enough.
337
00:27:02,520 --> 00:27:04,520
You know, it's going off points.
338
00:27:04,520 --> 00:27:10,520
So you're not eligible, but you can always ask for a second panel of classifiers, so two different classifiers.
339
00:27:10,520 --> 00:27:13,520
So we said, OK, well, for sure, we mean we're here.
340
00:27:13,520 --> 00:27:17,520
We might as well. And then they did the measurements.
341
00:27:17,520 --> 00:27:22,520
Of course, it's the same measurements, but they just measured the angles of the joints and everything slightly differently.
342
00:27:22,520 --> 00:27:29,520
And then I was in. And if one panel says yes and one panel says no, then you can compete.
343
00:27:29,520 --> 00:27:34,520
But I think they told me Sunday around 5 in the afternoon that I was allowed to compete.
344
00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:41,520
And then the competition started Monday morning at 9. Yeah, it wasn't my best come.
345
00:27:41,520 --> 00:27:53,520
It's very stressful. So like the process of getting classified, does that happen on the wall like the the clients for regular qualifications?
346
00:27:53,520 --> 00:27:57,520
No, it is the simplest answer, I think.
347
00:27:57,520 --> 00:28:05,520
So in Innsbruck, if anybody knows the Innsbruck wall, you've got the big outside wall, which is where we had the qualifications in the final.
348
00:28:05,520 --> 00:28:15,520
But the actual classification, like the sports medical, as it's known, was actually done inside and the clitoris centrum on the straight walls.
349
00:28:15,520 --> 00:28:19,520
So it's not the angle of the wall that's the issue.
350
00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:31,520
I think the one thing I try and do when I explain it to my clients is you need to physically be able to show your impairment on the wall while you are climbing.
351
00:28:31,520 --> 00:28:37,520
If the classifiers cannot see your impairment, then they don't know how to how to grade you.
352
00:28:37,520 --> 00:28:41,520
So with my MS, my MS fluctuates.
353
00:28:41,520 --> 00:28:51,520
So when I look at RP each year, my MS can be up and down so I can fluctuate in whichever one, two or three I'm going to end up in,
354
00:28:51,520 --> 00:28:53,520
depending on whether I have a relapse.
355
00:28:53,520 --> 00:28:56,520
And thank God I haven't had a major relapse.
356
00:28:56,520 --> 00:29:01,520
So I've just got healthier as my body's recovered and I've ended up in RP3.
357
00:29:01,520 --> 00:29:07,520
But when I was originally diagnosed when I was 36, and I didn't start competing until I was 43.
358
00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:13,520
So I got classified at 43 and then they put me in RP2.
359
00:29:13,520 --> 00:29:17,520
So my impairment is a condition that affects my health on a daily basis.
360
00:29:17,520 --> 00:29:29,520
So from one day to the next, I might request a reclassification because my health fluctuates up and down the scale, whereas some people can have a fixed disability.
361
00:29:29,520 --> 00:29:32,520
I don't understand that because my health fluctuates up and down.
362
00:29:32,520 --> 00:29:35,520
So I'm kind of just waiting for me.
363
00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:46,520
If RP3 gets too more specific in the classification, I fear that I will get kicked out because I don't see how my impairment affects my climbing.
364
00:29:46,520 --> 00:29:50,520
And yet the classifiers can definitively see my impairment.
365
00:29:50,520 --> 00:29:53,520
I just climb the way I climb because that's how I am.
366
00:29:53,520 --> 00:29:57,520
I don't know how my body moves any differently to anybody else.
367
00:29:57,520 --> 00:30:00,520
I'm just heavily focused on the right hand side.
368
00:30:00,520 --> 00:30:06,520
Set me a left moving climb and I find it really difficult to do it.
369
00:30:06,520 --> 00:30:19,520
So do you have to kind of hope on classification day that you're like feeling worse or that you're just like not performing well so you can be classified properly?
370
00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:29,520
Well, the difficulty with me is it's not just another day of classification and it's not just another day of having a sports class.
371
00:30:29,520 --> 00:30:34,520
I have a limited amount of physical energy because of my fatigue system.
372
00:30:34,520 --> 00:30:51,520
So the stress of getting classified on the Saturday and then having to do a sports climb on the Sunday to be in isolation at six o'clock on a Monday to then climb that competition means that I will do less well at qualifications because I'm really fatigued.
373
00:30:51,520 --> 00:31:00,520
And then even if I finish the qualifications and I make the final, which is the Tuesday, in this example we're talking about, I sleep all day on Tuesday.
374
00:31:00,520 --> 00:31:03,520
I can't physically do anything else.
375
00:31:03,520 --> 00:31:12,520
I've got to sleep to let my body recover and hope that my body is ready to climb again on the evening of the following day.
376
00:31:12,520 --> 00:31:24,520
So the length of the competition and the day that you actually get classified and the additional climbing that you have to do has a big impact on how well I could make a final or a qualification.
377
00:31:24,520 --> 00:31:49,520
And it's something I wanted to point out because I think unless you have this debilitating condition that flares up throughout the course of the competition, I could be an RP3 in a qualification and end up as an RP2 in the final because I can't physically climb anymore because my MS has stopped my legs and my arms from working on that particular day.
378
00:31:49,520 --> 00:31:56,520
So if anybody said to me, would you change a two-day competition to a one-day competition? I'd say no.
379
00:31:56,520 --> 00:32:04,520
Because I think we have a three-day, don't we? We have a classification, then we have a qualification, and then we have a final day.
380
00:32:04,520 --> 00:32:08,520
So our finals are always on a different day.
381
00:32:08,520 --> 00:32:14,520
But there is potential for them to run the qualifications in the final all in the same day.
382
00:32:14,520 --> 00:32:27,520
For me, that just means I'm going to be really bad in the final, but that's kind of just the way that the sport is going is that if they've got to compress everything into a day, bearing in mind I've got to take medical medicine,
383
00:32:27,520 --> 00:32:34,520
I've got to make sure that I have all of the rest of the energy that I need around my medical system as well.
384
00:32:34,520 --> 00:32:41,520
So in RP, there's not necessarily just you have a condition that affects your skeletal system.
385
00:32:41,520 --> 00:32:48,520
I'm in the bracket of my medicine affects whether I can even attend a competition.
386
00:32:48,520 --> 00:33:00,520
So in Moscow, we had a teammate that couldn't go to the World Cup in Moscow because one of their medicine was banned in Russia, which meant they weren't allowed to complete full stop.
387
00:33:00,520 --> 00:33:26,520
So your medical additional medical requirements around what tablets you take for pain or ataxia or neurological or brain injury, whatever it is, we have to also consider, I know it deviated a little bit, but yeah, just your recovery system to be able to climb again has a big impact on my personal planet.
388
00:33:26,520 --> 00:33:31,520
And that's difficult because that's a problem that's kind of specific to you.
389
00:33:31,520 --> 00:33:35,520
Like that's not something that happens to everyone in the category.
390
00:33:35,520 --> 00:33:37,520
So it's just like, I think there's a lot.
391
00:33:37,520 --> 00:33:54,520
I think when if you look to RP across the range and you're looking at people that have like muscular dystrophy or whatever, maybe Chris can explain, but there's probably only so much energy that my teammates have because we have quite a few people in wheelchairs now.
392
00:33:54,520 --> 00:33:58,520
And just pushing a wheelchair and doing all the moving around and everything.
393
00:33:58,520 --> 00:34:00,520
We can't just recover as fast as you could.
394
00:34:00,520 --> 00:34:04,520
I no longer can go to bed or wake up the following day and be able to walk downstairs.
395
00:34:04,520 --> 00:34:16,520
So, but yeah, I think we have had in the past in 2019 when a lot of the Americans came over, they had a big, big group of athletes that came over.
396
00:34:16,520 --> 00:34:37,520
And one of their issues was that their medical requirements around the day of the competition, because if you've got to be in isolation at six o'clock and you don't take your meds till seven, if it takes you three hours to get out of bed like me, then I'm up at three o'clock in the morning just to be able to go in isolation at six to be able to make my body work and function, be able to hold climbs and coordinate.
397
00:34:37,520 --> 00:34:57,520
But that's just how my body works. But there are people that have not only a choice to make on whether they can climb at this level, whether they then their medical requirements fit in with the system of traveling around the world and competing as well, because your medicine might ban you from a competition.
398
00:34:57,520 --> 00:35:03,520
Have you ever needed to just like fully pull out of a competition day of or?
399
00:35:03,520 --> 00:35:21,520
Stubbornly, no. I think I don't know what those power climbers are like, Chris, but last year, the day before my qualification, I met a new international athlete that had MS from Brazil, Marina.
400
00:35:21,520 --> 00:35:33,520
And I saw her and I ran over to her and sat on the bench in front of her and it toppled over because I hadn't got my balance and I squashed my thumb and I crushed it and I crushed the whole top of my thumb.
401
00:35:33,520 --> 00:35:40,520
And I still climbed, I still climbed the qualifications because I just went, I'm a power climber. I've just got a thumb missing. I'm just going to climb it.
402
00:35:40,520 --> 00:35:43,520
Well, to clarify, you broke your thumb. You broke it, right?
403
00:35:43,520 --> 00:35:54,520
I completely broke the top of the thumb. I crushed the top of it and I was climbing, climbing with like a crag glove. We tight it up like it was a crag climbing glove because I couldn't physically bend it.
404
00:35:54,520 --> 00:36:08,520
So I was basically climbing with four fingers. And this year, I don't mind explaining, but I've been climbing with an open wound across my belly button for the whole of this season due to a big operation in January.
405
00:36:08,520 --> 00:36:19,520
And I couldn't fall on the harness because it could rip more, but there was never any decision on whether I would compete this year.
406
00:36:19,520 --> 00:36:26,520
My only requirement was, could I get to Innsbruck to get classified? Yes, I could. Right. I'm going to burn. I'm just going to enjoy it.
407
00:36:26,520 --> 00:36:42,520
And I just, it's just part of how my recovery system works because climbing is my physio. So whether I've got a broken thumb or whether I've got an open wound on my belly, I just like, just don't pull the rope in too tight.
408
00:36:42,520 --> 00:36:54,520
You'll let me free climb so it doesn't feel like I'm being pulled at all. But you do find that athletes climbing full body harnesses because of some of these systems, if they're tube fed and stuff like that,
409
00:36:54,520 --> 00:37:00,520
then they can't wear a waist harness because it's right where the tube is here, where they actually tube feed.
410
00:37:00,520 --> 00:37:07,520
And I know some clients and some athletes that have these systems or have had them in the past where they've been tube fed from the belly.
411
00:37:07,520 --> 00:37:19,520
So they can't climb with waist harness, but they'll still go and compete, which I think is amazing to see the level of how good our sport is to people with disabilities and impairments.
412
00:37:19,520 --> 00:37:25,520
Oh, yeah. Yeah. And I think your experience is a really good example of everyone's individual experience.
413
00:37:25,520 --> 00:37:36,520
I mean, for me personally, my environment doesn't really affect me in daily life. It doesn't affect my health. I don't really have any medical requirements, but a lot of people do.
414
00:37:36,520 --> 00:37:48,520
And they have to really manage their energy and their health. And I think it's also one of the big differences with regular competitions that for, I mean, you wouldn't go to a regular World Cup if you weren't healthy,
415
00:37:48,520 --> 00:37:57,520
if you were sick. Because for a lot of climbers, I mean, 100% healthy is just they won't, a lot of climbers, they just won't get there.
416
00:37:57,520 --> 00:38:05,520
Forgotten to tell you about my teammate, Ava. She sort of has a habit of before every World Championships, she gets hospitalized.
417
00:38:05,520 --> 00:38:15,520
And I think both in Bern and two years before, she was at the hospital for 10 days or so, and then she went to the World Championships and placed second.
418
00:38:15,520 --> 00:38:24,520
But yeah, there are a lot of climbers who need to sort of manage their health as well, next to training and the logistics of the competition.
419
00:38:24,520 --> 00:38:36,520
You don't really think about what else is going on in their lives while you're watching. So it's interesting to hear the stories behind it, because you kind of just like don't really think about it.
420
00:38:36,520 --> 00:38:47,520
I mean, you just see them perform and maybe, I don't know, it's weird as a viewer. It's just like, it's not something.
421
00:38:47,520 --> 00:38:53,520
Yeah, and especially in RP, I think often it's quite hard to see what someone's impairment or disability is.
422
00:38:53,520 --> 00:38:59,520
People watch me climb there, they say, well, what do you have? Like, what's your impairment? Because I don't see anything.
423
00:38:59,520 --> 00:39:07,520
And there are also quite a lot of climbers who move better on the wall than off the wall. So if you see them climbing, you wouldn't need to see that much.
424
00:39:07,520 --> 00:39:12,520
But then you see that they're in a wheelchair. Like, you wouldn't know if you just saw them climbing.
425
00:39:12,520 --> 00:39:21,520
As for me, I mean, it goes both ways, right? I've been in gyms with my Dutch team clothing, like the Dutch flag on your back.
426
00:39:21,520 --> 00:39:29,520
And I'm climbing and I heard people say, well, if that's the level of the Dutch team, we could be on there. You know, people don't say it.
427
00:39:29,520 --> 00:39:33,520
And I understand it. I don't really mind. It's kind of funny.
428
00:39:33,520 --> 00:39:40,520
Yeah, I think it's good to talk more about paragliding and to highlight that everybody's the same.
429
00:39:40,520 --> 00:39:51,520
Yeah. And I guess talking about the team, how did you specifically find paragliding, I guess, at the national level? Was it easy to get into?
430
00:39:51,520 --> 00:39:58,520
Do most countries have a prominent paragliding team or division or someone to reach out to?
431
00:39:58,520 --> 00:40:10,520
Basically for GB, at grassroots, it's not very, very common at the moment for people to be aware that paragliding exists.
432
00:40:10,520 --> 00:40:21,520
They're still not quite sure what that even means. We've had a change in how the competition seasons run.
433
00:40:21,520 --> 00:40:32,520
So unfortunately, the numbers have gone down, which means that we have less events to attend for next year.
434
00:40:32,520 --> 00:40:43,520
And it's all, it's basically all world of math. There's some push to try and go through social media.
435
00:40:43,520 --> 00:40:56,520
But I think it's just a case of you find out about it and then like me, I try and advocate to try and promote the visibility of this sport,
436
00:40:56,520 --> 00:41:08,520
especially if it makes the Olympics. It means that there could be more funding, but then more people could come and try the sport because they'll see it.
437
00:41:08,520 --> 00:41:15,520
But there's not a lot of advertisement or any sort of communication to know about it.
438
00:41:15,520 --> 00:41:28,520
I mean, I got diagnosed with MS in 2009. It took me to 2016 to realise there was actually a place I could go and see other people like myself.
439
00:41:28,520 --> 00:41:36,520
But paragliding, I think for GB, has been going on since 2012. So I lost four years just by not even knowing it existed.
440
00:41:36,520 --> 00:41:42,520
What's it like in Holland? Well, I can share my story of how I got into paragliding.
441
00:41:42,520 --> 00:41:49,520
In 2020, I travelled around a bit with the van that I had back then and my climbing level increased quite a bit.
442
00:41:49,520 --> 00:41:54,520
And I just noticed, well, a little more background. I didn't know that I had this impairment.
443
00:41:54,520 --> 00:41:59,520
I knew that my left ankle was quite stiff, that I didn't move as I should.
444
00:41:59,520 --> 00:42:07,520
And I suspected that my left side was less strong and coordinated, but I didn't know for sure. And it doesn't impair me in daily life.
445
00:42:07,520 --> 00:42:10,520
So I just didn't pay attention to it.
446
00:42:10,520 --> 00:42:18,520
And then I went on this climbing trip and as I progressed through the levels, I was like, wait, other people are making this field look so easy.
447
00:42:18,520 --> 00:42:23,520
And I just can't, I just like, I physically cannot do it. What's going on?
448
00:42:23,520 --> 00:42:29,520
So when I came back, I was a physiotherapist for something else, not on my knees.
449
00:42:29,520 --> 00:42:34,520
And then we were talking about a paraglider who is now my teammate.
450
00:42:34,520 --> 00:42:40,520
And then I sort of jokingly said, oh, do you think I could be on the team, you know, with my ankle on my left side that's a bit weaker?
451
00:42:40,520 --> 00:42:46,520
It was a joke, but then he looked at me and he said, well, yeah, maybe you could actually.
452
00:42:46,520 --> 00:42:55,520
So I sent an email to the team and you could just Google the email address, send an email. And then a year later I was at my first World Cup.
453
00:42:55,520 --> 00:42:57,520
That's sort of how it went.
454
00:42:57,520 --> 00:43:04,520
How long did you climb before you knew that you had, I guess, a disability?
455
00:43:04,520 --> 00:43:13,520
Three years. Yeah. And I also, I always did regular sports and I mean, I was never the most talented.
456
00:43:13,520 --> 00:43:16,520
I used to think of myself as just a really clumsy person.
457
00:43:16,520 --> 00:43:28,520
And I've come to realize it's actually the other way around for what I have, which is very well developed, like in terms of control and physical ability.
458
00:43:28,520 --> 00:43:33,520
But also you can only, you only know how you exist in your own body.
459
00:43:33,520 --> 00:43:38,520
So I thought that this is what it feels like to be left and right handed.
460
00:43:38,520 --> 00:43:44,520
It's like, oh, I'm right handed. So of course my left side feels like this, but it comes to realize that it doesn't feel like that for other people.
461
00:43:44,520 --> 00:43:46,520
I just thought it was.
462
00:43:46,520 --> 00:43:49,520
Was it kind of like a relief to find out?
463
00:43:49,520 --> 00:43:55,520
Not really. It's taken a long time for me to say, yeah, I have an impairment.
464
00:43:55,520 --> 00:44:01,520
I find it hard to call myself disabled because I am not disabled in daily life in any way.
465
00:44:01,520 --> 00:44:12,520
But the first year when I was competing, I got the diagnosis cerebral palsy, I don't know, two or three months before the first competition, because you need to have an underlying impairment.
466
00:44:12,520 --> 00:44:17,520
You cannot say, oh, I don't stretch enough. So I can't lift my shoulders above my head. So I'm a paraclomer.
467
00:44:17,520 --> 00:44:21,520
There needs to be a condition lying underneath.
468
00:44:21,520 --> 00:44:27,520
And I didn't know mine. So I saw a neurologist and they told me I have CP.
469
00:44:27,520 --> 00:44:33,520
And it was really weird, actually. It was definitely a bit of a small identity crisis thing.
470
00:44:33,520 --> 00:44:42,520
Well, it wasn't so bad. But during my first competition on the livestream, they always asked, can we share your impairment?
471
00:44:42,520 --> 00:44:48,520
And I was like, well, half of my family doesn't even know. I don't think I want to see Lisa on the livestream.
472
00:44:48,520 --> 00:44:59,520
So I had first year I wasn't so open about it. And then next year is, yeah, now I don't, I don't think I can go to be able to compete and have these experiences.
473
00:44:59,520 --> 00:45:06,520
And I think we had talked about this a little bit earlier. So Paraclimbing is still a little bit new.
474
00:45:06,520 --> 00:45:10,520
When did it start and how has it progressed since then?
475
00:45:10,520 --> 00:45:22,520
I looked into this a little bit for you. It looks like it started around 2009, 2010. So it's a really, really new sport.
476
00:45:22,520 --> 00:45:25,520
It's only been going 13 years. So we're trying to get at the Olympics.
477
00:45:25,520 --> 00:45:34,520
And at the time, the way the competition ran, you can go to a website called Paraclimbing.org
478
00:45:34,520 --> 00:45:41,520
and it's got all the links to all the videos for every year that there's ever been anything put on social media.
479
00:45:41,520 --> 00:45:51,520
So when you go to Paraclimbing.org and you go back through the calendars, we've written and you can see for next year as well,
480
00:45:51,520 --> 00:45:59,520
we write the calendar of what's coming up. We put a link to all the videos and the photos publication.
481
00:45:59,520 --> 00:46:07,520
So when I looked back in, I think it was 2009 or 2010, they had speed Paraclimbing,
482
00:46:07,520 --> 00:46:15,520
which was just random holds on a vertical wall and any discipline and competed against anybody. And I thought that was bizarre.
483
00:46:15,520 --> 00:46:22,520
In my nationals back when I think I started in 2016, we had bouldering on ropes.
484
00:46:22,520 --> 00:46:27,520
We had a top rope at the top of a boulder. We had that as part of our nationals.
485
00:46:27,520 --> 00:46:36,520
And then going back to the calendar, I think it's 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021 and this year.
486
00:46:36,520 --> 00:46:44,520
So you can go back and again, look through Paraclimbing.org and you can see all the live streams that have been uploaded and linked to it.
487
00:46:44,520 --> 00:46:51,520
But yeah, it's like 13 years old. And if we consider, was it 2017? That's when you started.
488
00:46:51,520 --> 00:46:59,520
2020 was when we really got classified. It's three years old at this level of impairment. It's only three years old.
489
00:46:59,520 --> 00:47:05,520
And so when did they decide to just do, I guess, rope courses?
490
00:47:05,520 --> 00:47:14,520
When the able-bodied team were picked for the Olympics. I think that's when we were stuck on ropes, but international level, sorry,
491
00:47:14,520 --> 00:47:21,520
we're only allowed to climb on twin ropes, which is two top ropes coming down. We're not allowed to lead climb.
492
00:47:21,520 --> 00:47:31,520
We're hoping they're going to let us lead climb in the future and we would love to try bouldering, but it's only at your local national level.
493
00:47:31,520 --> 00:47:38,520
They can choose to change how their national competition runs. So if USA want to put bouldering in, they can.
494
00:47:38,520 --> 00:47:46,520
If they want to put speed in, they can. It's up to the federation to choose. In UK, we only follow IFSC.
495
00:47:46,520 --> 00:47:56,520
So if IFSC changed, I think our national will change. But pre-2017, we had bouldering as well as ropes in the UK.
496
00:47:56,520 --> 00:48:05,520
Is that something that you guys want to do? Like you want to see bouldering and speed in the international level?
497
00:48:05,520 --> 00:48:14,520
Oh, I would love bouldering. There's no rope climbing in the city where I live, so I train bouldering quite a lot.
498
00:48:14,520 --> 00:48:24,520
I really like it. I don't know if this is true, but I suspect that they chose for the top rope system that we have because everyone can top rope safely.
499
00:48:24,520 --> 00:48:33,520
So how it works is you have the wall. Normally there's one top rope at the top, but if you fell low down, you would swing into the crowd and everything.
500
00:48:33,520 --> 00:48:40,520
So they put a second top rope halfway, which means that if you fall low down, that top rope catches you.
501
00:48:40,520 --> 00:48:45,520
And not everyone can fall safely, so not everyone can safely take a big leadfall.
502
00:48:45,520 --> 00:48:56,520
And of course, for example, the blind climbers, I think they will lead in their free time, but in a competition, it's a little bit unfair to ask them to lock off and look for a quick draw.
503
00:48:56,520 --> 00:49:04,520
Same for people with one arm, like if it's a tough hold for you to hold and then you have to clip from there, that's just a bit unfair maybe.
504
00:49:04,520 --> 00:49:10,520
Same for bouldering, not everyone can take falls safely. So I think that's why they chose the top rope system.
505
00:49:10,520 --> 00:49:17,520
But if bara bouldering is a thing, I'm there at every competition, every competition, I'll show up.
506
00:49:17,520 --> 00:49:27,520
I'm the same because with my impairment, I can't walk down the street, I can't run, I can't cycle a bike, but I can climb vertically a lot better than I can walk.
507
00:49:27,520 --> 00:49:34,520
And I prefer bouldering because I can do short climbs and have a crash pad.
508
00:49:34,520 --> 00:49:45,520
Whereas I'm not very good at trying to climb in a multi-pitch because that's just not how my condition lets me climb.
509
00:49:45,520 --> 00:49:51,520
I struggle to find because I am disabled in the sense that I don't work apart from the climbing coach.
510
00:49:51,520 --> 00:49:57,520
I'm free most of the day, Monday to Friday, and there's not a lot of other people that are, so I boulder.
511
00:49:57,520 --> 00:50:03,520
And then I only go on ropes like I think quite a lot of us do. I think we boulder more than we...
512
00:50:03,520 --> 00:50:06,520
So I'd like bouldering in the World Cups as well.
513
00:50:06,520 --> 00:50:11,520
Yeah, that'd be cool to see. But yeah, I guess it could be a safety concern depending on the category.
514
00:50:11,520 --> 00:50:13,520
Yeah, you'd probably need a rope system.
515
00:50:13,520 --> 00:50:19,520
Please excuse this brief intermission, but I would just like to remind you that if you are enjoying this podcast,
516
00:50:19,520 --> 00:50:22,520
please follow and rate it on your preferred listening platform.
517
00:50:22,520 --> 00:50:27,520
If you're watching on YouTube, I would love to hear your discussion and thoughts in the comments below.
518
00:50:27,520 --> 00:50:33,520
Anything helps to push this podcast out to more people and get even more amazing guests on.
519
00:50:33,520 --> 00:50:38,520
Back to the show. How many routes are set for Paraclimbing events?
520
00:50:38,520 --> 00:50:42,520
And sometimes they're like shared between categories, correct?
521
00:50:42,520 --> 00:50:51,520
Yes, exactly. Yeah. In general, I'd say they set four or five routes for classification and four Paraclimbs finals.
522
00:50:51,520 --> 00:50:57,520
And then our B3 women often shares with B2 or B3, so one for blind categories,
523
00:50:57,520 --> 00:51:06,520
the women with one leg, women with one arm, so A01, A02, and then maybe some others as well.
524
00:51:06,520 --> 00:51:14,520
Which means it's for the route setters. I talked to a route setter who sets for nationals.
525
00:51:14,520 --> 00:51:20,520
And he said, yeah, so you want to make a route that is if you share it with the campus guys,
526
00:51:20,520 --> 00:51:23,520
it needs to be you need to be able to campus every move.
527
00:51:23,520 --> 00:51:29,520
Then if people are blind, you need to make sure that it's you can lock off every move and look for the next hold.
528
00:51:29,520 --> 00:51:38,520
Well, that's relatively easy. But then it needs to be fair if you miss your left leg or your right leg.
529
00:51:38,520 --> 00:51:41,520
And it needs to be fair if you miss your left arm or your right arm.
530
00:51:41,520 --> 00:51:50,520
I think what they usually try to do is sort of set a intermediate sort of they choose a point in the route where they expect, OK,
531
00:51:50,520 --> 00:51:54,520
we expect the women with one arm to climb more or less until here.
532
00:51:54,520 --> 00:51:59,520
So after that, we can make it a little bit harder and doesn't need to be so equal anymore if you miss an arm.
533
00:51:59,520 --> 00:52:09,520
They try to create separation in the first half of the route, for example, for the A02 women and then the second part for the A02 women.
534
00:52:09,520 --> 00:52:15,520
And then the last part, that's where they expect the P3 to sort of decide the competition.
535
00:52:15,520 --> 00:52:18,520
I think they usually play that quite well.
536
00:52:18,520 --> 00:52:26,520
It means for our P3, because I think to look at the women, our level is more or less the highest, I'd say.
537
00:52:26,520 --> 00:52:31,520
It means that our competitions, you're expected to climb to the headwall if you make finals.
538
00:52:31,520 --> 00:52:37,520
And the comp is decided in four or five moves, like the last four or five moves with the route.
539
00:52:37,520 --> 00:52:44,520
They really expect you to climb until there. And then it gets hard for your category.
540
00:52:44,520 --> 00:52:47,520
I mean, it's hard for, but then it gets really hard.
541
00:52:47,520 --> 00:52:51,520
And for my environments, for example, my left side powers up.
542
00:52:51,520 --> 00:52:54,520
So for me, if the crux was at the beginning, then it would get easier.
543
00:52:54,520 --> 00:52:56,520
It would be way better for me.
544
00:52:56,520 --> 00:53:00,520
And now it's like my left side is completely powered up and then the route gets hard.
545
00:53:00,520 --> 00:53:04,520
So for me, it's not even ideal, actually, but that's how they combine the routes.
546
00:53:04,520 --> 00:53:12,520
And then they set four or five usually, and then they look at the level.
547
00:53:12,520 --> 00:53:15,520
So different kind of climbing standards.
548
00:53:15,520 --> 00:53:20,520
So I think they can have up to eight routes during qualifications.
549
00:53:20,520 --> 00:53:24,520
So they had eight routes in Innsbruck, four on the back and four on the front,
550
00:53:24,520 --> 00:53:28,520
because they've got so many athletes to get through, but they can't have any more than eight.
551
00:53:28,520 --> 00:53:34,520
I think in Moscow in the World Champs, they only had six because they're in that stupid little corner.
552
00:53:34,520 --> 00:53:36,520
I don't know if you were there, Chris.
553
00:53:36,520 --> 00:53:38,520
You're in Moscow. Okay.
554
00:53:38,520 --> 00:53:45,520
So you were in a little corner, so they only had one, two, three, four routes.
555
00:53:45,520 --> 00:53:53,520
And then at the moment, they only allow us four lines at Bern World Championships.
556
00:53:53,520 --> 00:54:00,520
So we had one on the speed wall, I think, and then you guys were on the head wall.
557
00:54:00,520 --> 00:54:02,520
They can't put any more lines on.
558
00:54:02,520 --> 00:54:05,520
We've got 200 athletes competing today.
559
00:54:05,520 --> 00:54:17,520
If we grow even more like we hoped to, then the IFSC would look into, do we have finals over two days?
560
00:54:17,520 --> 00:54:23,520
So would you do qualification and final for RP3?
561
00:54:23,520 --> 00:54:26,520
So that would impair my energy levels.
562
00:54:26,520 --> 00:54:33,520
And then do it again on the second day, because someone like Matt Groom currently has to speak for like six hours continually,
563
00:54:33,520 --> 00:54:39,520
because we would be going into finals at six in the morning.
564
00:54:39,520 --> 00:54:41,520
No, it's in the evenings normally.
565
00:54:41,520 --> 00:54:43,520
We start our finals in the evenings.
566
00:54:43,520 --> 00:54:50,520
I've been in finals at 10, 11 o'clock at night and been stuck at isolation at five o'clock in the afternoon.
567
00:54:50,520 --> 00:54:56,520
And I'm stuck in isolation for five hours because of the live stream.
568
00:54:56,520 --> 00:55:00,520
So all of our stuff is available on IFSC YouTube.
569
00:55:00,520 --> 00:55:06,520
So we're getting to a point where we either want more lines so we can run more categories in the final.
570
00:55:06,520 --> 00:55:13,520
The downside is at the moment is that if we have two or more sports classes in the final,
571
00:55:13,520 --> 00:55:17,520
at the moment Matt Groom can do a split live screen.
572
00:55:17,520 --> 00:55:21,520
So he can talk about this person who's legless and this person that's RP.
573
00:55:21,520 --> 00:55:26,520
We did have in the Brionson 2019 World Championships, we had a quad.
574
00:55:26,520 --> 00:55:29,520
He had four finalists on at the same time.
575
00:55:29,520 --> 00:55:36,520
He couldn't commentate with Seb because the audience can't tell which person they're looking at.
576
00:55:36,520 --> 00:55:43,520
So if we have more than two people on the live stream, we now need more routes
577
00:55:43,520 --> 00:55:49,520
because we're getting that good at climbing that you can't just keep multiple people on the same line,
578
00:55:49,520 --> 00:55:57,520
but also reduce the length of the live stream because six hours is a nightmare.
579
00:55:57,520 --> 00:56:07,520
But for us, that would be good because then they wouldn't be necessarily putting an AEU and a blind on an RP route
580
00:56:07,520 --> 00:56:11,520
because you don't want to fall off halfway if that's where they are expecting the arm amputees to fall off
581
00:56:11,520 --> 00:56:13,520
because they want to climb to the top.
582
00:56:13,520 --> 00:56:15,520
So why can't they have a full route?
583
00:56:15,520 --> 00:56:18,520
But I think that's just the progression of us growing so much.
584
00:56:18,520 --> 00:56:23,520
When I first started in 2017, there were only 96 para-athletes.
585
00:56:23,520 --> 00:56:27,520
I think there was, was it 200 at Byrne or something?
586
00:56:27,520 --> 00:56:37,520
Which meant that because we're growing, at the moment, our RP3 final is only four athletes.
587
00:56:37,520 --> 00:56:40,520
If we grow and grow and grow, that number gets bigger and bigger and bigger.
588
00:56:40,520 --> 00:56:43,520
That means our final gets longer and longer and longer.
589
00:56:43,520 --> 00:56:49,520
So behind the scenes, there's a lot of how quick can we get through this many athletes?
590
00:56:49,520 --> 00:56:53,520
And it's quite strange because obviously in male and female competition climbing,
591
00:56:53,520 --> 00:57:00,520
they've only got qualifications in the final where the root setters have got eight qualification routes
592
00:57:00,520 --> 00:57:02,520
and then four finals.
593
00:57:02,520 --> 00:57:07,520
And then we have up to 20 sports podiums, 10 male and 10 female.
594
00:57:07,520 --> 00:57:10,520
That's 20 podiums.
595
00:57:10,520 --> 00:57:13,520
60 athletes have to be announced and compete.
596
00:57:13,520 --> 00:57:17,520
That's a lot more than just having six for the seniors and the females.
597
00:57:17,520 --> 00:57:20,520
So our days were a lot longer.
598
00:57:20,520 --> 00:57:22,520
Hopefully it'll grow.
599
00:57:22,520 --> 00:57:27,520
Hopefully they'll come up with a better way of running a final because it is a very long day.
600
00:57:27,520 --> 00:57:39,520
Would you prefer if they had just fewer categories and stricter guidelines for who can be a part of it?
601
00:57:39,520 --> 00:57:42,520
Oh, I wanted to say because in the case of you, it'll kick me out.
602
00:57:42,520 --> 00:57:44,520
So no, I don't want to say.
603
00:57:44,520 --> 00:57:48,520
So I don't know what the solution is, but yeah.
604
00:57:48,520 --> 00:57:55,520
I think now this is running into some logistical issues.
605
00:57:55,520 --> 00:57:58,520
Like Anita touched on, normally you have six athletes in finals in burn.
606
00:57:58,520 --> 00:58:00,520
It was at 70 or 80.
607
00:58:00,520 --> 00:58:03,520
And first time I see isolation.
608
00:58:03,520 --> 00:58:10,520
It's 60, 70 people sitting there with coaches and then people with impairments.
609
00:58:10,520 --> 00:58:16,520
There are a lot of wheelchairs prosthetics lying around everywhere, guide dogs everywhere for the blind people.
610
00:58:16,520 --> 00:58:19,520
It's like absolute chaos.
611
00:58:19,520 --> 00:58:20,520
It's really hard.
612
00:58:20,520 --> 00:58:24,520
Can be really hard to warm up as well because 70 people want to warm up at the same time.
613
00:58:24,520 --> 00:58:27,520
And there's like one small ballroom wall usually to warm up on.
614
00:58:27,520 --> 00:58:30,520
So yeah, it's really good that sports is growing.
615
00:58:30,520 --> 00:58:34,520
And I'm also really curious how they will manage the logistics.
616
00:58:34,520 --> 00:58:36,520
At the moment, we have 10 sports classes.
617
00:58:36,520 --> 00:58:44,520
So three blind, two legless, two armless and three RPs.
618
00:58:44,520 --> 00:58:54,520
Times male and female, that's 20 different kind of routes that have to be in a route setters head and then merged into four lines for the final.
619
00:58:54,520 --> 00:59:01,520
So what's really, really good is our route setters are learning and they have progressed a lot since we first started.
620
00:59:01,520 --> 00:59:08,520
But our ability to climb and I did want to point out that we can climb the same route as a male and female.
621
00:59:08,520 --> 00:59:10,520
There's no difference.
622
00:59:10,520 --> 00:59:12,520
There's no age in para climbing.
623
00:59:12,520 --> 00:59:18,520
So as long as you're 16, you will compete against a 50 or 60 year old.
624
00:59:18,520 --> 00:59:28,520
And the route setters, they're constantly involving and learning how to route set because we're getting a lot better.
625
00:59:28,520 --> 00:59:33,520
So I think it'll always be 10 sports classes.
626
00:59:33,520 --> 00:59:34,520
They can't have any more.
627
00:59:34,520 --> 00:59:49,520
I think that's set by the IFC, which means that if we have a new category come in like AU3, which is fingers, then AU1, which was paralyzed or missing full arm is merged into an RP.
628
00:59:49,520 --> 00:59:51,520
That's a little bit unfair.
629
00:59:51,520 --> 01:00:01,520
But I think like any sport, any para sport, we have so many categories. They've got to whittle down how much they can get through in a three or four day competition.
630
01:00:01,520 --> 01:00:05,520
And rightly so with the isolation bit, which is hilarious.
631
01:00:05,520 --> 01:00:08,520
I don't know if you've experienced this yet, Chris.
632
01:00:08,520 --> 01:00:16,520
In 2018 in Innsbruck in the World Championships, the seniors and the para climbers were in isolation at the same time.
633
01:00:16,520 --> 01:00:27,520
It was one of the best isolations for finals I've been in because Alex Pucho and Sean McCall were playing pool while I was sitting down underneath the pool table.
634
01:00:27,520 --> 01:00:30,520
So the paras were merged in at the same time.
635
01:00:30,520 --> 01:00:35,520
So we have like, say, 40 athletes with 12 seniors.
636
01:00:35,520 --> 01:00:39,520
And we only had a small bouldering wall with no rope.
637
01:00:39,520 --> 01:00:41,520
And there was nowhere for us to actually warm up.
638
01:00:41,520 --> 01:00:47,520
So someone that's in a wheelchair might not warm up in isolation because they can't get on the bouldering wall.
639
01:00:47,520 --> 01:00:54,520
There's still how do they look after the athletes from a warming up point of view.
640
01:00:54,520 --> 01:00:57,520
It's a lot harder for us to be able to do it.
641
01:00:57,520 --> 01:00:59,520
But yeah, it can only get better.
642
01:00:59,520 --> 01:01:01,520
That's what I'm looking forward to seeing the changes.
643
01:01:01,520 --> 01:01:06,520
Yeah. So do you feel like in terms of venues, the IFSC has been accommodating so far?
644
01:01:06,520 --> 01:01:08,520
Good question.
645
01:01:08,520 --> 01:01:22,520
It depends. If I was honest, and I've not been, so I can't tell you, but because my condition is physically moving around the venue,
646
01:01:22,520 --> 01:01:28,520
Villars were having a brand new competition next year called the European Championships.
647
01:01:28,520 --> 01:01:30,520
It's a brand new event for Paraclimbers.
648
01:01:30,520 --> 01:01:37,520
And it's at Villars in Austria. It's the hilliest, mountainistic, up and down thing you could find.
649
01:01:37,520 --> 01:01:40,520
I've never been, so I don't know. I just heard from teammates.
650
01:01:40,520 --> 01:01:44,520
But pushing a wheelchair and walking around on crutches, it's not the best venue.
651
01:01:44,520 --> 01:01:46,520
But we have no other options.
652
01:01:46,520 --> 01:01:55,520
We've only got Salt Lake City, Innsbruck, Villars that currently hold yearly competitions.
653
01:01:55,520 --> 01:02:00,520
There's no other places I can think of that actually hold World Cups at the moment.
654
01:02:00,520 --> 01:02:10,520
You're right. And from the organizer point of view, I mean, they're almost, well, I probably shouldn't say this,
655
01:02:10,520 --> 01:02:12,520
they're almost doing us a favor, right?
656
01:02:12,520 --> 01:02:18,520
Because it's so much more work to organize for a lot less exposure for the organizer.
657
01:02:18,520 --> 01:02:23,520
So I think, yeah, I'm personally really happy people are organized for Paraclimbing events.
658
01:02:23,520 --> 01:02:30,520
But I mean, I cannot speak from, I don't need any, like I don't have any mobility needs.
659
01:02:30,520 --> 01:02:34,520
So I think I'm in a weird position where for me that doesn't really matter.
660
01:02:34,520 --> 01:02:38,520
Yeah, I think you mentioned there were like 70 people in ISO.
661
01:02:38,520 --> 01:02:44,520
Are there any like special things that they provide in isolation for Paraclimbers to warm up?
662
01:02:44,520 --> 01:02:49,520
Or is it just the regular spray wall, bouldering wall, whatever they have?
663
01:02:49,520 --> 01:02:58,520
Historically, most of the, so I've done competitions in 2018 all the way up to 23.
664
01:02:58,520 --> 01:03:03,520
Most of my competitions, because they've been World Championships and not World Cups,
665
01:03:03,520 --> 01:03:08,520
I've been in the same isolation as the Janyas and the Jakobsjubas.
666
01:03:08,520 --> 01:03:14,520
So our isolation at the moment is only the seniors isolation setup.
667
01:03:14,520 --> 01:03:18,520
There's no additional adaptations for us.
668
01:03:18,520 --> 01:03:24,520
The only time I saw it was in Bern this year where somebody put in a top rope
669
01:03:24,520 --> 01:03:30,520
on the top of a bouldering ply MDF wall.
670
01:03:30,520 --> 01:03:32,520
It wasn't a structural top rope.
671
01:03:32,520 --> 01:03:37,520
It was just put straight into the T-bolts, which is not the best idea.
672
01:03:37,520 --> 01:03:44,520
So I've never been anywhere right now where anything has been put in isolation
673
01:03:44,520 --> 01:03:46,520
that works for Paraclimbers.
674
01:03:46,520 --> 01:03:50,520
Because I don't know, Chris, how Ava gets off the ground on a bouldering wall
675
01:03:50,520 --> 01:03:52,520
if she doesn't have the rope.
676
01:03:52,520 --> 01:03:57,520
I don't know how Angelino is going to do it as the campers from AL1 Austrian.
677
01:03:57,520 --> 01:04:00,520
I don't know how Pavitra does it because you've got to remember,
678
01:04:00,520 --> 01:04:05,520
we have to climb up the bouldering wall and we have to climb down because we can't fall.
679
01:04:05,520 --> 01:04:09,520
Yeah, so a lot of people adapt their warming up to be able to warm up
680
01:04:09,520 --> 01:04:12,520
if they need to warm up but they cannot fall.
681
01:04:12,520 --> 01:04:17,520
Or we also trained, like within the Lodge team, we trained to do a warming up
682
01:04:17,520 --> 01:04:19,520
with just a hangboard.
683
01:04:19,520 --> 01:04:22,520
Sort of, yeah, you try to adapt your warm up so that if the wall is too busy
684
01:04:22,520 --> 01:04:24,520
or you can't go on the wall because there are no ropes,
685
01:04:24,520 --> 01:04:30,520
which is an issue, then you can still warm up properly for a competition.
686
01:04:30,520 --> 01:04:34,520
Yeah, but I think Bern is a really good example of where they got.
687
01:04:34,520 --> 01:04:37,520
As far as I can tell, they did everything right.
688
01:04:37,520 --> 01:04:41,520
It was, from what I've heard from other people, a really accessible venue,
689
01:04:41,520 --> 01:04:44,520
rent everywhere. Yeah.
690
01:04:44,520 --> 01:04:46,520
Wasn't really a cool event.
691
01:04:46,520 --> 01:04:52,520
This is good while you've got two of us, one that's like Chris and one that's like me.
692
01:04:52,520 --> 01:04:56,520
Because the biggest problem I found in Bern is you couldn't get to the disabled toilet
693
01:04:56,520 --> 01:05:03,520
because it was behind the competition wall in isolation down a lift,
694
01:05:03,520 --> 01:05:09,520
which you could only access before the seniors did their bouldering or their lead.
695
01:05:09,520 --> 01:05:13,520
As soon as their competition started, because we were at the same venue,
696
01:05:13,520 --> 01:05:18,520
you couldn't access that lift because you couldn't go through the isolation
697
01:05:18,520 --> 01:05:20,520
to get to the disabled toilet.
698
01:05:20,520 --> 01:05:24,520
So it was fine we could do it, but we had to plan it.
699
01:05:24,520 --> 01:05:30,520
So for example, in Bern, you had the big wall and then you had a bit on the ice rink,
700
01:05:30,520 --> 01:05:34,520
which the wheelchair users and the people on crutches could get to
701
01:05:34,520 --> 01:05:36,520
as long as they could get down the lift.
702
01:05:36,520 --> 01:05:43,520
As soon as any of the senior speed lead bouldering that you wanted to watch was on,
703
01:05:43,520 --> 01:05:49,520
you could see people being carried down the ice stadium stairs to get to that same level.
704
01:05:49,520 --> 01:05:51,520
There was no way you could get the wheelchair down.
705
01:05:51,520 --> 01:05:55,520
I was seeing people go down on the bum that was in the wheelchair.
706
01:05:55,520 --> 01:05:57,520
So we had to plan a lot more.
707
01:05:57,520 --> 01:05:59,520
And that's the thing.
708
01:05:59,520 --> 01:06:02,520
If I want to go to a competition in Innsbruck,
709
01:06:02,520 --> 01:06:06,520
I have to physically know three, four months ahead
710
01:06:06,520 --> 01:06:08,520
how I'm going to physically travel all the way there.
711
01:06:08,520 --> 01:06:11,520
I can't just jump on the plane at the last minute.
712
01:06:11,520 --> 01:06:17,520
So yeah, Bern was brilliant, apart from the fact that you only disabled toilet
713
01:06:17,520 --> 01:06:19,520
to get down on the ground floor.
714
01:06:19,520 --> 01:06:22,520
So imagine you're down the bottom, but you need the toilet.
715
01:06:22,520 --> 01:06:24,520
You couldn't get to the lift and get out.
716
01:06:24,520 --> 01:06:28,520
You had to be carried up the stairs to get to the able-bodied toilets,
717
01:06:28,520 --> 01:06:31,520
or you just couldn't go down to that part of the area,
718
01:06:31,520 --> 01:06:36,520
which is most of where we want to shout anybody, whether we're able-bodied or not.
719
01:06:36,520 --> 01:06:40,520
You still want to go shout your own country's team, don't you?
720
01:06:40,520 --> 01:06:44,520
Because you want to go and support your team.
721
01:06:44,520 --> 01:06:47,520
But it's just little things like that that I just want to point out
722
01:06:47,520 --> 01:06:53,520
that there's a lot more that needs to be done for accessibility through mobility aids
723
01:06:53,520 --> 01:06:58,520
versus assuming we can just turn up and can't just turn up, some of us.
724
01:06:58,520 --> 01:07:01,520
I said it and then I realized I'm not the one to judge accessibility,
725
01:07:01,520 --> 01:07:03,520
so thanks for adding that to me.
726
01:07:03,520 --> 01:07:08,520
Is there anything you can think of right now that you would want to see in isolation
727
01:07:08,520 --> 01:07:12,520
or at a venue that would just greatly help things?
728
01:07:12,520 --> 01:07:18,520
The biggest things I've seen in the past is not having a toilet behind the final wall
729
01:07:18,520 --> 01:07:25,520
when you're called from isolation to sit in behind the big wall.
730
01:07:25,520 --> 01:07:30,520
When it's outdoor venues and they don't give you a toilet so you can go to the toilet,
731
01:07:30,520 --> 01:07:34,520
that's one of the biggest things I've noticed because I have no bladder control.
732
01:07:34,520 --> 01:07:37,520
I can't control when I'm going to go to the toilet or not.
733
01:07:37,520 --> 01:07:44,520
I've had situations where I've had to go run behind a banner and have some teammates look out
734
01:07:44,520 --> 01:07:49,520
so I can go to the toilet in the middle of being stuck in isolation in the final, in an outdoor event.
735
01:07:49,520 --> 01:07:53,520
Because once you're put into these different parts behind the wall,
736
01:07:53,520 --> 01:07:56,520
you can't move out of them.
737
01:07:56,520 --> 01:08:02,520
So simple things like stuff like that is quite handy.
738
01:08:02,520 --> 01:08:07,520
I don't think we'd get ropes because they build the isolation area.
739
01:08:07,520 --> 01:08:12,520
It's a prefabricated area.
740
01:08:12,520 --> 01:08:15,520
We get food and drink, which is good. I quite like that.
741
01:08:15,520 --> 01:08:21,520
I'd like physios and stuff, but we have to bring our own or we borrow each other's.
742
01:08:21,520 --> 01:08:27,520
I do find that community-wise, when we're getting ready for qualifications or finals,
743
01:08:27,520 --> 01:08:30,520
whoever's brought the medical person or whoever's brought the physio,
744
01:08:30,520 --> 01:08:35,520
we all share those people in isolation, which is really good.
745
01:08:35,520 --> 01:08:41,520
I think the GB had somebody in burn and everybody was just borrowing him to get warm up.
746
01:08:41,520 --> 01:08:46,520
Yeah, so that's sort of like an issue with funding and being able to bring people on the team
747
01:08:46,520 --> 01:08:51,520
who, I guess, have to pay their own way to get to the competition.
748
01:08:51,520 --> 01:08:53,520
Yeah, and there are big differences within countries as well.
749
01:08:53,520 --> 01:08:56,520
In the Netherlands, we do get some funding for competitions,
750
01:08:56,520 --> 01:09:03,520
and for the comps within Europe, it's usually just enough to cover it, more or less.
751
01:09:03,520 --> 01:09:07,520
But we have a teammate in the wheelchair, so we need to rent an accessible apartment,
752
01:09:07,520 --> 01:09:10,520
and the car needs to be big enough to sit in her wheelchair,
753
01:09:10,520 --> 01:09:14,520
and she needs someone to come with her to just help her out throughout the day.
754
01:09:14,520 --> 01:09:19,520
It's sort of an energy management thing, and that is not covered.
755
01:09:19,520 --> 01:09:23,520
So she is still paying a lot more than I am,
756
01:09:23,520 --> 01:09:27,520
because she just needs someone there because of her environment.
757
01:09:27,520 --> 01:09:32,520
But I still would say that we're quite lucky in the Netherlands to get some form of support.
758
01:09:32,520 --> 01:09:36,520
Some countries have Paraclimbing fully funded, like the regular teams,
759
01:09:36,520 --> 01:09:39,520
and other countries just get nothing at all.
760
01:09:39,520 --> 01:09:42,520
So there is big differences, I'd say.
761
01:09:42,520 --> 01:09:48,520
Yeah, I mean, even a lot of athletes in the Senior World Cup circuit, I think, struggle with funding.
762
01:09:48,520 --> 01:09:51,520
So is it comparable in Paraclimbing?
763
01:09:51,520 --> 01:09:56,520
Like, how do you guys fund your competition journeys?
764
01:09:56,520 --> 01:09:59,520
My job is my sponsor.
765
01:09:59,520 --> 01:10:04,520
It's a very good question.
766
01:10:04,520 --> 01:10:10,520
It's definitely something that comes up, because we are all entitled to what's known as an aid
767
01:10:10,520 --> 01:10:13,520
to international Paraclimbing.
768
01:10:13,520 --> 01:10:18,520
When we register for a competition, we are allowed to take a plus one.
769
01:10:18,520 --> 01:10:21,520
Each athlete is on the team.
770
01:10:21,520 --> 01:10:25,520
Now, currently, our team is about 22 athletes in size.
771
01:10:25,520 --> 01:10:32,520
So the federation will get a small amount of money, and that is divided across 22 athletes.
772
01:10:32,520 --> 01:10:39,520
So as a bigger team, we have very little money.
773
01:10:39,520 --> 01:10:42,520
And I don't like to call it this, but my brain wants to say it.
774
01:10:42,520 --> 01:10:50,520
I call it a rich man's sport, because there's no financial gains from competing at this level.
775
01:10:50,520 --> 01:10:52,520
We don't get any rewards.
776
01:10:52,520 --> 01:11:01,520
We get a lovely medal, but we don't get any financial rewards that allow us to go to the next event.
777
01:11:01,520 --> 01:11:02,520
We're not big enough yet.
778
01:11:02,520 --> 01:11:06,520
We don't have the audience following.
779
01:11:06,520 --> 01:11:09,520
People don't come and watch our events very much.
780
01:11:09,520 --> 01:11:12,520
And if we do, it's because we're with the seniors.
781
01:11:12,520 --> 01:11:16,520
I've been at World Cups when there's been high-bearing people there during qualifications,
782
01:11:16,520 --> 01:11:19,520
because the seniors haven't been climbing.
783
01:11:19,520 --> 01:11:28,520
So mine is I coach and try and coach people in climbing.
784
01:11:28,520 --> 01:11:40,520
I have the benefits that help me live on a daily basis and trying to occasionally make something that I can sell.
785
01:11:40,520 --> 01:11:44,520
Or I think people make woolly hats.
786
01:11:44,520 --> 01:11:49,520
I make little key rings, little short bag key rings that I sell off to the community.
787
01:11:49,520 --> 01:11:50,520
But yeah.
788
01:11:50,520 --> 01:11:57,520
And then I have to pay twice as much as Chris, because I personally have to take a carer,
789
01:11:57,520 --> 01:12:02,520
because I can't mentally navigate the transport system.
790
01:12:02,520 --> 01:12:05,520
I can't get on the plane and the train and the automobile.
791
01:12:05,520 --> 01:12:07,520
I can't drive a car.
792
01:12:07,520 --> 01:12:10,520
So I need that plus one.
793
01:12:10,520 --> 01:12:18,520
Our team works slightly different in the sense that because our team is so big, we just meet at the venue.
794
01:12:18,520 --> 01:12:23,520
There's no collective transport.
795
01:12:23,520 --> 01:12:25,520
We all fly in from different parts in the UK.
796
01:12:25,520 --> 01:12:28,520
We've got some people at the north of England.
797
01:12:28,520 --> 01:12:29,520
Some people in the West.
798
01:12:29,520 --> 01:12:39,520
We all dive on into Geneva and then get on a car or public transport and all go into competition.
799
01:12:39,520 --> 01:12:44,520
And we're not very good in our team at sharing accommodation.
800
01:12:44,520 --> 01:12:50,520
We're very independently collectively want to just have our own space or our own mean time,
801
01:12:50,520 --> 01:12:54,520
because that's how we like to acclimatize around our events.
802
01:12:54,520 --> 01:12:57,520
Personally, it's not how I can't do that.
803
01:12:57,520 --> 01:13:04,520
So I have to take the plus one so I can rely on my friend, my mum, my family member.
804
01:13:04,520 --> 01:13:06,520
And then people say, what does that plus one do?
805
01:13:06,520 --> 01:13:11,520
Well, that plus one makes sure that I get up in the morning and I can get to qualification.
806
01:13:11,520 --> 01:13:16,520
I always leave my crutches in the wrong place and they're always running around getting them for me.
807
01:13:16,520 --> 01:13:21,520
I come off the wall and I can't physically breathe or walk and my mouth gets really dry.
808
01:13:21,520 --> 01:13:24,520
So then I need my crutches and my drink after the qualification.
809
01:13:24,520 --> 01:13:30,520
And then someone has to come and collect me for qualification too, because I've completely brain fogged out
810
01:13:30,520 --> 01:13:33,520
and I don't know what time I'm supposed to be aware.
811
01:13:33,520 --> 01:13:40,520
And we only have volunteers at the team level.
812
01:13:40,520 --> 01:13:46,520
And without those volunteers, we wouldn't basically have a support mechanism in the federation.
813
01:13:46,520 --> 01:13:50,520
So we're totally driven by volunteers and stuff at the moment.
814
01:13:50,520 --> 01:13:58,520
Anita, do you have a para coach or para trainer on UK level?
815
01:13:58,520 --> 01:14:02,520
They're all volunteers. I've just checked the GB website.
816
01:14:02,520 --> 01:14:08,520
And lovely Zoe, who you interviewed, volunteers for the para climbing at the nationals level.
817
01:14:08,520 --> 01:14:11,520
She volunteers to support a time for us.
818
01:14:11,520 --> 01:14:18,520
And then we've got Jay, Jamie and Jamie, see my brain fogs kicked in.
819
01:14:18,520 --> 01:14:21,520
We've got three coaches. It's all voluntary.
820
01:14:21,520 --> 01:14:27,520
So yeah, without them, we wouldn't even have site guides because our site guides are our coaches,
821
01:14:27,520 --> 01:14:29,520
are the ones that are married.
822
01:14:29,520 --> 01:14:33,520
So that's a whole other discipline when you're looking at a visually impaired person.
823
01:14:33,520 --> 01:14:38,520
I'm not visually impaired, but I'm also not in a wheelchair.
824
01:14:38,520 --> 01:14:42,520
I struggle to pull a suitcase around the airport because I've got crutches.
825
01:14:42,520 --> 01:14:46,520
I need the aid to pull my luggage around.
826
01:14:46,520 --> 01:14:52,520
But if I wasn't visually impaired, I'd have to train a site guide or bring a friend that I climb with
827
01:14:52,520 --> 01:14:56,520
on an everyday basis to compete at an international competition.
828
01:14:56,520 --> 01:15:03,520
And you also have to consider that that site guide needs to be able to climb a 6C or above himself or herself
829
01:15:03,520 --> 01:15:09,520
to be able to site guide that person up those kind of holes that we climb.
830
01:15:09,520 --> 01:15:17,520
So the support mechanism around us is bigger than you think it is when you're looking at paragliding.
831
01:15:17,520 --> 01:15:22,520
And we've got people on our team that physically can't even get themselves to the World Cups.
832
01:15:22,520 --> 01:15:25,520
They're on the team, but they can't afford to come to a World Cup.
833
01:15:25,520 --> 01:15:28,520
And if they don't go to the World Cup, they can't get classified.
834
01:15:28,520 --> 01:15:31,520
And if they don't get classified, they can't compete.
835
01:15:31,520 --> 01:15:34,520
And you can do all of that and then get told you're not.
836
01:15:34,520 --> 01:15:41,520
So fingers crossed we get in the Paralympics and then hopefully funding comes our way
837
01:15:41,520 --> 01:15:48,520
because it's all riding on this 2028 decision in March now, I think it's moved again.
838
01:15:48,520 --> 01:15:55,520
Right. Yeah, I heard. And yeah, Chris, different experience for you or similar in terms of funding?
839
01:15:55,520 --> 01:16:00,520
In terms of funding, well, like I said, I did think we have quite a good position in the Netherlands
840
01:16:00,520 --> 01:16:05,520
because we get some funding from the Federation and I don't need to bring someone with me.
841
01:16:05,520 --> 01:16:07,520
Yeah, we usually share accommodations.
842
01:16:07,520 --> 01:16:10,520
So we just look at accommodation and transport together.
843
01:16:10,520 --> 01:16:14,520
But we're a really small team. We're only three people at the moment plus a coach.
844
01:16:14,520 --> 01:16:18,520
And then one of my teammates brings someone with her.
845
01:16:18,520 --> 01:16:21,520
So usually we're five people at the competition.
846
01:16:21,520 --> 01:16:25,520
And that's a small enough number that you can share everything, share accommodation.
847
01:16:25,520 --> 01:16:28,520
So I don't think I have much to add there.
848
01:16:28,520 --> 01:16:34,520
Specifically, Chris, with you and your story, I think several times throughout this podcast,
849
01:16:34,520 --> 01:16:42,520
as well as during our pre-interview, you kind of mentioned that you don't really feel qualified to do the interview
850
01:16:42,520 --> 01:16:49,520
or maybe you feel like a bit of imposter syndrome with like your impairments.
851
01:16:49,520 --> 01:16:53,520
Can you explain why you feel that way?
852
01:16:53,520 --> 01:16:59,520
Or like, do you ever feel judgment from the para community for not being as impaired?
853
01:16:59,520 --> 01:17:03,520
Yeah, sure. Well, judgment, no, for sure not.
854
01:17:03,520 --> 01:17:06,520
The community is very open and welcoming.
855
01:17:06,520 --> 01:17:08,520
People have definitely asked, well, what's your impairment?
856
01:17:08,520 --> 01:17:10,520
Because I don't see anything where to see you climb.
857
01:17:10,520 --> 01:17:12,520
But actually, I really appreciate it.
858
01:17:12,520 --> 01:17:17,520
Some people just ask within the community or just in daily life.
859
01:17:17,520 --> 01:17:26,520
But yeah, like, I feel like I sort of have to emphasize that I am not really impaired in daily life.
860
01:17:26,520 --> 01:17:28,520
And that's why we talked about doing the podcast.
861
01:17:28,520 --> 01:17:31,520
I sort of wondered, am I the right person to do this?
862
01:17:31,520 --> 01:17:37,520
Can I speak for this community and for people with an impairment?
863
01:17:37,520 --> 01:17:39,520
Because I didn't feel like I could maybe.
864
01:17:39,520 --> 01:17:46,520
But then I was talking to a German athlete who is in 82, so she's missing her forearm.
865
01:17:46,520 --> 01:17:50,520
And I told her, could I be in the podcast? Could I do that?
866
01:17:50,520 --> 01:17:55,520
And then she said, well, I don't think I could represent the community because I'm only missing an arm.
867
01:17:55,520 --> 01:17:58,520
I don't know what it's like to be in a wheelchair or to live with a mess.
868
01:17:58,520 --> 01:18:04,520
If you're missing an arm, you feel like you cannot represent the community, then I'll do the podcast.
869
01:18:04,520 --> 01:18:06,520
Because apparently everyone feels that way.
870
01:18:06,520 --> 01:18:07,520
Yeah, absolutely.
871
01:18:07,520 --> 01:18:12,520
And I mean, yeah, you definitely have an important part of the story as well.
872
01:18:12,520 --> 01:18:21,520
I mean, especially when people can't like visually, when it's not visually obvious what kind of disability or impairment you have.
873
01:18:21,520 --> 01:18:26,520
I feel like that's also its own experience that is important to hear about.
874
01:18:26,520 --> 01:18:28,520
Sure. Yeah, yeah. Thank you.
875
01:18:28,520 --> 01:18:36,520
Yeah, that's what I when you contacted us and asked us to do the podcast, it's nice to be able to explain our situations.
876
01:18:36,520 --> 01:18:42,520
Because on a daily basis, I look like an able-bodied person.
877
01:18:42,520 --> 01:18:48,520
And as soon as my social media goes quiet and as soon as you don't see me in the climbing wall, there's something wrong.
878
01:18:48,520 --> 01:18:51,520
There's health issues behind it.
879
01:18:51,520 --> 01:18:58,520
And then as soon as I'm fit again, I'm spamming on my social media and I'm doing as much climbing as I can.
880
01:18:58,520 --> 01:19:07,520
But I'd love to be able to, I don't want to, obviously, but I'd love to be able to fly into Salt Lake City to compete.
881
01:19:07,520 --> 01:19:09,520
Can't financially afford it.
882
01:19:09,520 --> 01:19:19,520
And my condition doesn't give me time to recover from the jet lag and the physical fatiguing of the travel to be able to fly in the day before competing fly out.
883
01:19:19,520 --> 01:19:23,520
So I have to acclimatize and build that in.
884
01:19:23,520 --> 01:19:29,520
So travel for me is lucky that we're in Europe and all the comps are in Europe.
885
01:19:29,520 --> 01:19:39,520
If I was in your neck of the woods without the financial backing and support of the USA, they've got a brilliant team and a brilliant setup.
886
01:19:39,520 --> 01:19:45,520
It's so hard to be able to come that far over to where we are.
887
01:19:45,520 --> 01:19:51,520
But then again, I'd like quite like to be in Holland and just be able to get on the night train and just zip off to a different country.
888
01:19:51,520 --> 01:20:00,520
Whereas we've got a bit of water to deal with, so we have to put in planes or long environmental car transport.
889
01:20:00,520 --> 01:20:05,520
So it's different for everybody.
890
01:20:05,520 --> 01:20:07,520
I wouldn't change it for the world.
891
01:20:07,520 --> 01:20:10,520
I think it's a brilliant sport.
892
01:20:10,520 --> 01:20:15,520
And the weird thing is that we all are just climbers.
893
01:20:15,520 --> 01:20:19,520
We all train on the same routes that you would train in a climbing wall.
894
01:20:19,520 --> 01:20:25,520
We'd all climb on the same holds and the styles of routes that you would climb, Ginny.
895
01:20:25,520 --> 01:20:31,520
And then it's only when we turn it to a World Cup have they set something that works or tries to work for our own impairment.
896
01:20:31,520 --> 01:20:37,520
That's the only opportunity we get to climb a route that's been set for us, which is one of the reasons I do it,
897
01:20:37,520 --> 01:20:41,520
because I'm like, I wonder if I can really climb that level.
898
01:20:41,520 --> 01:20:47,520
Because I don't know what you think, Chris, but you climb a, I don't know, let's just take an easy grade.
899
01:20:47,520 --> 01:20:51,520
You climb a 6A indoors at your local wall and you leap climb it.
900
01:20:51,520 --> 01:20:55,520
And then you go and climb a 6A in a World Cup or World Champs.
901
01:20:55,520 --> 01:20:56,520
Are they the same?
902
01:20:56,520 --> 01:20:58,520
Because they make us move around?
903
01:20:58,520 --> 01:21:00,520
Well, I don't think they are the same.
904
01:21:00,520 --> 01:21:06,520
If I climb indoors on a normal top rope and I climb it, it's straight up and down.
905
01:21:06,520 --> 01:21:12,520
And I think, oh, I can climb a 6A, turn up at a World Cup, completely different style of setting.
906
01:21:12,520 --> 01:21:15,520
And I'm like, this is so much harder.
907
01:21:15,520 --> 01:21:22,520
It's not a grade you can actually grade because we go sideways and we go up and round corners, just like the seniors do.
908
01:21:22,520 --> 01:21:25,520
I don't know how they can grade it, but it's more fun.
909
01:21:25,520 --> 01:21:28,520
I think World Cups are more fun when the ropes are.
910
01:21:28,520 --> 01:21:29,520
Yeah, the routes are really specific.
911
01:21:29,520 --> 01:21:37,520
I mean, anyone could just go onto YouTube and type, I don't know, FSC power climbing 2023 or something and find a competition
912
01:21:37,520 --> 01:21:41,520
and just look at the routes and watch some categories and see how everyone climbs.
913
01:21:41,520 --> 01:21:45,520
I think it's really interesting part of the sport if you're not so value-wasted.
914
01:21:45,520 --> 01:21:56,520
Yeah, I guess comparing routes they set at pair climbing in the IFSC compared to what you find at your local gyms.
915
01:21:56,520 --> 01:21:59,520
I mean, I'm assuming there are huge differences.
916
01:21:59,520 --> 01:22:05,520
Well, in general, the level really increases during the route.
917
01:22:05,520 --> 01:22:10,520
So it might start out really easy because they don't want people to fall over beyond the session because it's so pro
918
01:22:10,520 --> 01:22:12,520
and you might hit the ground.
919
01:22:12,520 --> 01:22:19,520
So it might increase from like a 5C to a 7B, which is really like every move just gets harder and harder.
920
01:22:19,520 --> 01:22:23,520
You're like, oh, it's still doable. It's really hard. It's really hard.
921
01:22:23,520 --> 01:22:26,520
Just keep increasing like that.
922
01:22:26,520 --> 01:22:29,520
In general, there are more holds.
923
01:22:29,520 --> 01:22:40,520
So in a regular competition, the hold before it's up is 43, 44, and with us might be 60 holds on the wall.
924
01:22:40,520 --> 01:22:45,520
For the blind categories and for people with arm infusions in general, they don't set dinos.
925
01:22:45,520 --> 01:22:48,520
They want to be in static everything. So the holds are quite close.
926
01:22:48,520 --> 01:22:57,520
Yeah, I guess I'm actually wondering if it might feel easier because it's set more specifically for people who have certain impairments.
927
01:22:57,520 --> 01:23:01,520
For me, it feels easier. It's interesting to hear that it feels harder for you than it is for you.
928
01:23:01,520 --> 01:23:03,520
Yeah, I mean, that's the thing.
929
01:23:03,520 --> 01:23:10,520
I mean, we're in the same sports class, but we have different styles of climbing.
930
01:23:10,520 --> 01:23:13,520
And I'm the same as everybody else.
931
01:23:13,520 --> 01:23:20,520
I think when I go and look at people that are climbing in a competition and see them on YouTube, I'm like, what is their impairment?
932
01:23:20,520 --> 01:23:23,520
I'm quite interested to learn about their impairments.
933
01:23:23,520 --> 01:23:30,520
So when you understand somebody's impairment, you can kind of then spot it.
934
01:23:30,520 --> 01:23:40,520
So I do find that it's purely my ability to climb for that number of consecutive days.
935
01:23:40,520 --> 01:23:44,520
Because if I go to the local wall, I only climb every other day.
936
01:23:44,520 --> 01:23:47,520
Right now, I climb every other day. I went climbing yesterday.
937
01:23:47,520 --> 01:23:55,520
I got nothing left in me today to either physically drive a car or walk down the street and get a bottle of milk.
938
01:23:55,520 --> 01:24:00,520
So I've got to save all my energy today just so I can go climbing again next day.
939
01:24:00,520 --> 01:24:02,520
So I can choose when and where to climb.
940
01:24:02,520 --> 01:24:10,520
But competition-wise, this time on this day with the classification and the qualifications
941
01:24:10,520 --> 01:24:20,520
and as much sightseeing as you want to do at the country that you've gone to and the physical, getting there, it compounds really badly for me.
942
01:24:20,520 --> 01:24:32,520
Whereas if they have a World Cup in the UK, yay, I'll be a lot stronger and a lot more fitter because I haven't had to travel to do it.
943
01:24:32,520 --> 01:24:42,520
But it's the whole thing, getting there, traveling, seeing the athletes, seeing another country, having some sunshine.
944
01:24:42,520 --> 01:24:47,520
It's raining a lot here at the moment. No snow though. I want some snow.
945
01:24:47,520 --> 01:24:57,520
But it's the whole thing. Like literally the whole thing and however long it is, it is why it depends on how well I do.
946
01:24:57,520 --> 01:25:05,520
It's fun to tell. In my first year of competing, it was in 2021, I did two World Cups and I placed second and first.
947
01:25:05,520 --> 01:25:07,520
I was completely overwhelmed by it all.
948
01:25:07,520 --> 01:25:11,520
And I was just so new to the sport and the community and everything.
949
01:25:11,520 --> 01:25:15,520
And then I won a gold medal in the Grand Sons.
950
01:25:15,520 --> 01:25:20,520
And then I was just standing there completely super happy, overwhelmed, everything.
951
01:25:20,520 --> 01:25:24,520
Then they just tapped me on my shirt like, hey, you've got to come for your interview.
952
01:25:24,520 --> 01:25:27,520
My what? Your interview with my group.
953
01:25:27,520 --> 01:25:35,520
Yes. I was just completely like my face is red and I'm like, I don't know, everything's overwhelmed by me.
954
01:25:35,520 --> 01:25:40,520
And then he's asking questions and I'm just standing there like, I'm talking to my group.
955
01:25:40,520 --> 01:25:45,520
Yeah, it's really super lucky to be able to compete.
956
01:25:45,520 --> 01:25:53,520
That's really amazing. That's a very, very good point because I'm really big on advocating for the sport.
957
01:25:53,520 --> 01:25:59,520
So at the end of every one of our sports classes, if you win,
958
01:25:59,520 --> 01:26:04,520
because it's live stream and the IFC and Matt Groome are there and then live streaming it live on YouTube,
959
01:26:04,520 --> 01:26:09,520
what they do is they then interview the person that won.
960
01:26:09,520 --> 01:26:12,520
What you don't see is you don't see it on the live stream.
961
01:26:12,520 --> 01:26:18,520
So we actually don't know what anybody said and where all of those interviews have gone because I would love to see them.
962
01:26:18,520 --> 01:26:20,520
Sometimes they do.
963
01:26:20,520 --> 01:26:23,520
Yeah, not all of them though. Do you know what I like to do?
964
01:26:23,520 --> 01:26:29,520
Yeah, not always because we've seen them in the past
965
01:26:29,520 --> 01:26:35,520
because you only get in the live stream from the front and then they'll run off and do the interviews.
966
01:26:35,520 --> 01:26:40,520
But yeah, it'd be good to see some of those interviews, I think,
967
01:26:40,520 --> 01:26:45,520
even if it was just a load of them put together and it was like five minutes, not six hours.
968
01:26:45,520 --> 01:26:48,520
And you're trying to find that person at the end of it.
969
01:26:48,520 --> 01:26:54,520
Because as soon as you finish your final, the next final is out, so Matt Groome's live streaming the next final.
970
01:26:54,520 --> 01:26:58,520
As soon as that final is finished, the next final is out and Matt streams that final as well.
971
01:26:58,520 --> 01:27:01,520
Can we also say how amazing Matt Groome is?
972
01:27:01,520 --> 01:27:07,520
Before he used to go around isolation with a pen and paper and write down everyone's names phonetically
973
01:27:07,520 --> 01:27:09,520
so he could pronounce the name correctly.
974
01:27:09,520 --> 01:27:13,520
I'm always finding girls, he's amazing. He's a really good commentator.
975
01:27:13,520 --> 01:27:16,520
And it's also really cool, I think, that he's doing both the regular and the paraclony.
976
01:27:16,520 --> 01:27:21,520
Glad you've had a good experience there. He definitely shouts out paraclimbing quite a bit.
977
01:27:21,520 --> 01:27:23,520
Yeah, yeah.
978
01:27:23,520 --> 01:27:30,520
It's good when we get him on the wall and he's trying a route that's been set for one of the finals.
979
01:27:30,520 --> 01:27:35,520
Yeah, I think he tried one of the routes. He tried with a blindfold or with one leg or one arm.
980
01:27:35,520 --> 01:27:37,520
So difficult.
981
01:27:37,520 --> 01:27:43,520
I mean, I would love to try it. It sounds fun, but really hard.
982
01:27:43,520 --> 01:27:47,520
Well, he came and grabbed me and Burn, which I was not prepared for.
983
01:27:47,520 --> 01:27:53,520
So in Burn on the para finals, he came and grabbed me and I did some of the commentary for it at the beginning.
984
01:27:53,520 --> 01:27:57,520
And that's the first time I've been invited to do it live there and then.
985
01:27:57,520 --> 01:28:02,520
And his job is so difficult because you can't say certain things and you can't swear.
986
01:28:02,520 --> 01:28:12,520
And in our case, just like Chris said earlier, is you can't divulge information that's not globally okay to divulge.
987
01:28:12,520 --> 01:28:21,520
So even though we might know people's conditions, you can't just blur out this person's condition if they don't want it to be broadcast.
988
01:28:21,520 --> 01:28:25,520
So there's a lot of extra implications behind broadcasting.
989
01:28:25,520 --> 01:28:30,520
But it was amazing and scary at the same time because I was playing spot the difference on different climates.
990
01:28:30,520 --> 01:28:35,520
And you never know what the audience wants to listen to in para planning.
991
01:28:35,520 --> 01:28:41,520
Well, I'm glad you had a good experience and yeah, more mac room talk.
992
01:28:41,520 --> 01:28:46,520
But back to back to you guys specifically.
993
01:28:46,520 --> 01:29:07,520
I think, Anita, with your personal experience being an older competitor, you I think you had mentioned you were the one that Zoe was talking about in the previous podcast episode where you have like dealt with going through menopause and competing at the same time.
994
01:29:07,520 --> 01:29:10,520
I'm just so curious to know what that's like.
995
01:29:10,520 --> 01:29:12,520
So would I, to be honest.
996
01:29:12,520 --> 01:29:14,520
And that's that's not really a joke.
997
01:29:14,520 --> 01:29:19,520
So on our team, we have some males and females that are over 50.
998
01:29:19,520 --> 01:29:22,520
I think our oldest competitors, 56 or 57.
999
01:29:22,520 --> 01:29:31,520
I think the only benefit to get in MS is I don't know I've been through the menopause because it's the same sort of bodily issues.
1000
01:29:31,520 --> 01:29:43,520
So I must have been through the menopause, but I don't have any difference in my body from when I was 20 or 30 or 40 years old.
1001
01:29:43,520 --> 01:29:46,520
I just like so.
1002
01:29:46,520 --> 01:29:52,520
And because of my multiple sclerosis, I've got no temperature control in my body.
1003
01:29:52,520 --> 01:29:55,520
My body just decides to overheat and underneath.
1004
01:29:55,520 --> 01:30:02,520
So I wouldn't be able to tell you if I did or didn't go through the menopause.
1005
01:30:02,520 --> 01:30:09,520
I think in general, with being an older competitor, do you feel much different from when you were climbing when you were younger?
1006
01:30:09,520 --> 01:30:12,520
Up until the last two years, I probably would have said no.
1007
01:30:12,520 --> 01:30:18,520
But I've had two years of health issues that I wasn't expecting.
1008
01:30:18,520 --> 01:30:29,520
And I jokingly say I've shrank by about three inches because I got older and I feel a lot shorter than I was when I was climbing in 2017.
1009
01:30:29,520 --> 01:30:33,520
So either that or they keep putting the holds further away and I can't reach them.
1010
01:30:33,520 --> 01:30:45,520
From a training point of view, I do struggle a lot more to live my life and be able to train to the degree I did back in 2017.
1011
01:30:45,520 --> 01:30:57,520
And then I have what I really like about paragliding is I think my youngest competitor was actually Rosalie in the Dutch Nationals in 2019.
1012
01:30:57,520 --> 01:31:00,520
She was like 15 years old or something.
1013
01:31:00,520 --> 01:31:04,520
And I was like, oh, my God. And she whooped me, absolutely whooped me.
1014
01:31:04,520 --> 01:31:09,520
And I was like, yeah, but you're at least 30 years older than I am.
1015
01:31:09,520 --> 01:31:13,520
You can't compare yourself against somebody who's younger than you.
1016
01:31:13,520 --> 01:31:17,520
So it's not really the age that impairs at paragliding.
1017
01:31:17,520 --> 01:31:20,520
It's the disability.
1018
01:31:20,520 --> 01:31:27,520
So personally, yeah, I think everybody will still be climbing at 50 if they choose to climb at 50 or more.
1019
01:31:27,520 --> 01:31:36,520
And from growing the sport and identifying more people, I think more people break themselves through health issues over and later in life.
1020
01:31:36,520 --> 01:31:44,520
It's only a good thing from my point of view because I don't think there's any other sport I can think of, although I've not researched them,
1021
01:31:44,520 --> 01:31:49,520
where we can all climb as well as each other.
1022
01:31:49,520 --> 01:31:56,520
And however we deal with our own impairment and the challenge of that route depends on how well we get up the wall.
1023
01:31:56,520 --> 01:32:01,520
Our age isn't really an issue because I don't know how you understand it, Chris,
1024
01:32:01,520 --> 01:32:06,520
but it's our strength and our ability to climb on the wall that keeps us there.
1025
01:32:06,520 --> 01:32:11,520
So yeah, I think kind of have some more 50 year olds piece.
1026
01:32:11,520 --> 01:32:20,520
But I think from going to competitions and getting involved and talking to people and being a chatterbox
1027
01:32:20,520 --> 01:32:25,520
and not caring about what people say is just life experience and being a lot older.
1028
01:32:25,520 --> 01:32:30,520
When I was in my 20s and 30s, I was shy. I wouldn't speak to anybody.
1029
01:32:30,520 --> 01:32:33,520
I found it really hard to communicate in large groups.
1030
01:32:33,520 --> 01:32:38,520
I'm still doing to this day, I'm a very one to one type person. I struggle with large groups.
1031
01:32:38,520 --> 01:32:46,520
But generally, I don't find it hard to talk to people nowadays.
1032
01:32:46,520 --> 01:32:56,520
I mean, it's inspiring to see. I think I'm still definitely younger, but I really am scared of getting older.
1033
01:32:56,520 --> 01:33:04,520
So it's nice to see people who can continue climbing as they age.
1034
01:33:04,520 --> 01:33:10,520
I think generally you just live your life. Physically, I feel as...
1035
01:33:10,520 --> 01:33:13,520
So there's a difference between your body itself and your brain.
1036
01:33:13,520 --> 01:33:18,520
Mentally, I feel exactly the same as when I was 20 and when I was 30 and when I was 40.
1037
01:33:18,520 --> 01:33:22,520
Physically wise, I don't feel any different.
1038
01:33:22,520 --> 01:33:29,520
Mental wise, I'm more mature in my head and I have more empathy and sympathy for people
1039
01:33:29,520 --> 01:33:34,520
because I've been through lots of experiences. I remember when I was like that.
1040
01:33:34,520 --> 01:33:42,520
And I think the only difference with getting older is how much you experience life and how much you can draw from it.
1041
01:33:42,520 --> 01:33:46,520
But physically, your brain will always think you're 20 years old and you're always as fit.
1042
01:33:46,520 --> 01:33:49,520
This is why I'm struggling over the last few years.
1043
01:33:49,520 --> 01:33:53,520
I used to be able to do this. Why can't I do it now? My body's changed.
1044
01:33:53,520 --> 01:34:01,520
I can't control what my body does. I can just utilise what it is at that point in that year.
1045
01:34:01,520 --> 01:34:05,520
And that's why power climbing is brilliant because we're all broken anyway.
1046
01:34:05,520 --> 01:34:09,520
We're just broken a bit more or less for one year to the next.
1047
01:34:09,520 --> 01:34:15,520
Yeah. In general, what I really like about power climbing is that you have to get really good in your strength.
1048
01:34:15,520 --> 01:34:21,520
You have to really lean into your strengths to sort of compensate maybe for your impairments.
1049
01:34:21,520 --> 01:34:26,520
And I think there are a lot of climbers who are almost a bit afraid to train what they're good at.
1050
01:34:26,520 --> 01:34:28,520
Everyone's like, oh, train your weakness.
1051
01:34:28,520 --> 01:34:33,520
But I think with power climbing, there are things that you're physically not able to do.
1052
01:34:33,520 --> 01:34:39,520
So you might as well be really good at your strong points to compensate for the rest of your body, basically.
1053
01:34:39,520 --> 01:34:41,520
So that's what I really like.
1054
01:34:41,520 --> 01:34:49,520
And people with really weak muscles might have incredible technique and people that miss a leg very cordially is insane.
1055
01:34:49,520 --> 01:34:51,520
And that's what makes it really cool to watch as well.
1056
01:34:51,520 --> 01:34:56,520
Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense. Cool. Yeah.
1057
01:34:56,520 --> 01:35:08,520
So I think looking forward to the future, I think we were hoping to hear back about the Paralympics in 2028, but they did not.
1058
01:35:08,520 --> 01:35:09,520
They pushed that back.
1059
01:35:09,520 --> 01:35:12,520
Yes, I think they've pushed it back to March now.
1060
01:35:12,520 --> 01:35:14,520
Well, yeah, I was hoping we would find out by now.
1061
01:35:14,520 --> 01:35:19,520
But okay, we'll have to check back in March.
1062
01:35:19,520 --> 01:35:28,520
I was going to say, I'm not sure even if they go in, I think, unfortunately, I'm not sure our category would be in.
1063
01:35:28,520 --> 01:35:30,520
But if they do, it'd be good to interview people.
1064
01:35:30,520 --> 01:35:31,520
I don't think so.
1065
01:35:31,520 --> 01:35:38,520
The biggest category with the most athletes in is the most obvious because you want as many athletes.
1066
01:35:38,520 --> 01:35:46,520
So when you think about Paralympics, what is the biggest category with the most athletes in that's visually disabled?
1067
01:35:46,520 --> 01:35:49,520
We can still compete at IFSC level, and I think I will.
1068
01:35:49,520 --> 01:35:55,520
But at least we don't have to worry about the Olympics in that sense.
1069
01:35:55,520 --> 01:36:00,520
No, if it becomes Paralympic, I don't think at least RP3 won't be in there.
1070
01:36:00,520 --> 01:36:08,520
That's what I think because the IPC, International Paralympic Committee, has expressed that they prefer visual impairments.
1071
01:36:08,520 --> 01:36:10,520
And that I mean impairments that you can see.
1072
01:36:10,520 --> 01:36:11,520
So you can see what someone has.
1073
01:36:11,520 --> 01:36:16,520
So it probably means people with an amputation or visual disabilities.
1074
01:36:16,520 --> 01:36:20,520
I'm not sure if RP will be in there.
1075
01:36:20,520 --> 01:36:24,520
But I do think we can be sure that they will not give us 10 medals for all the categories.
1076
01:36:24,520 --> 01:36:25,520
That won't happen.
1077
01:36:25,520 --> 01:36:27,520
So they have to make a decision somewhere.
1078
01:36:27,520 --> 01:36:28,520
We'll see.
1079
01:36:28,520 --> 01:36:30,520
We'll see how it goes.
1080
01:36:30,520 --> 01:36:38,520
Any like guess as to like which categories or like how many medals that they'll award?
1081
01:36:38,520 --> 01:36:42,520
It's I think we all are debating it.
1082
01:36:42,520 --> 01:36:47,520
I think what we can say is everybody has their own opinion.
1083
01:36:47,520 --> 01:36:55,520
But the only thing my logic says is it's got to have a lot of athletes.
1084
01:36:55,520 --> 01:37:10,520
And I would assume, I'm just assuming here, don't take me granted, that they have to have the male and female equivalent of that sports class to make it fair for a show event.
1085
01:37:10,520 --> 01:37:19,520
So now what sports class, we're called sports class, not categories, has a lot of male and females in it.
1086
01:37:19,520 --> 01:37:22,520
It's visually inspiring to watch as a show sport.
1087
01:37:22,520 --> 01:37:25,520
Remember it's just a show sport for getting.
1088
01:37:25,520 --> 01:37:27,520
If you could have a guess, what would you say, Jimmy?
1089
01:37:27,520 --> 01:37:29,520
Put the owners back on you.
1090
01:37:29,520 --> 01:37:34,520
What do you know now and what has the biggest category, male and female?
1091
01:37:34,520 --> 01:37:41,520
Well, I mean, you mentioned that there's not many females in the amputee sports class.
1092
01:37:41,520 --> 01:37:43,520
Not when I first started.
1093
01:37:43,520 --> 01:37:44,520
It's changed now.
1094
01:37:44,520 --> 01:37:45,520
Not when I first started.
1095
01:37:45,520 --> 01:37:53,520
I would think that the showiest class would probably be like the amputee category.
1096
01:37:53,520 --> 01:37:55,520
I wouldn't be far off.
1097
01:37:55,520 --> 01:38:07,520
But then again, that's the great thing about doing this as well, is we've got, if they don't get into 2028 and they get into 2032, even if they did have my category, I'm not competing at 60, I don't think.
1098
01:38:07,520 --> 01:38:08,520
They won't have my category.
1099
01:38:08,520 --> 01:38:12,520
But it gives us so much more time to find more people to build.
1100
01:38:12,520 --> 01:38:16,520
And that's that having said that, that's quite strange, isn't it?
1101
01:38:16,520 --> 01:38:25,520
Are they going to pick a category in March based on the current level of athletes, especially since like the sport is still small and still growing so fast?
1102
01:38:25,520 --> 01:38:30,520
A lot changes in five, eight years.
1103
01:38:30,520 --> 01:38:32,520
Yeah, it's a long time.
1104
01:38:32,520 --> 01:38:33,520
Yeah.
1105
01:38:33,520 --> 01:38:39,520
How do you think inclusion in the Olympics would change Paraclimbing?
1106
01:38:39,520 --> 01:38:46,520
From what I know, we do have a transgender policy.
1107
01:38:46,520 --> 01:38:55,520
There is a policy in place that says how the LGBT community can be involved within the competition scene.
1108
01:38:55,520 --> 01:39:00,520
I know from a LGBT national's point of view, we have a policy as well.
1109
01:39:00,520 --> 01:39:08,520
So we have a system in place for non-binaries and transgenders.
1110
01:39:08,520 --> 01:39:15,520
The only thing I've seen lately is something the Americans were talking about.
1111
01:39:15,520 --> 01:39:19,520
I think they've changed their policy and that's created a bit of an uproar at the moment.
1112
01:39:19,520 --> 01:39:30,520
And without saying anything, I didn't know a transgender competed in Bern at our World Championships.
1113
01:39:30,520 --> 01:39:31,520
I think it's brilliant.
1114
01:39:31,520 --> 01:39:41,520
I think the fact that we can have anybody, any discipline, any transgender in our competitions, I think it's really good because it's for diversity and inclusivity.
1115
01:39:41,520 --> 01:39:50,520
It's showing that the sport is really young and we're still taking advantage of these issues around who can and can't compete.
1116
01:39:50,520 --> 01:39:51,520
Yeah, it's hard about Olympics.
1117
01:39:51,520 --> 01:39:53,520
I know it's hard to tell how it will change.
1118
01:39:53,520 --> 01:40:02,520
For sure, there will be a lot more exposure for the sport, but I don't know what the implications of that will be.
1119
01:40:02,520 --> 01:40:11,520
I mean, of course, you're hoping that all countries would get more funding and just to be even more equal to regular competition climbing.
1120
01:40:11,520 --> 01:40:12,520
But I don't know.
1121
01:40:12,520 --> 01:40:16,520
We'll see what happens if it happens.
1122
01:40:16,520 --> 01:40:23,520
But in 2028, I mean, I'll be 33 by then. Yeah, I can compete.
1123
01:40:23,520 --> 01:40:25,520
Yeah, she's actually young.
1124
01:40:25,520 --> 01:40:27,520
I hope it goes through.
1125
01:40:27,520 --> 01:40:31,520
I hope to see you compete, Chris, at least, maybe.
1126
01:40:31,520 --> 01:40:33,520
Thank you.
1127
01:40:33,520 --> 01:40:37,520
But I mean, yeah, hopefully it would all be positive things, right?
1128
01:40:37,520 --> 01:40:42,520
If it got included, maybe more funding, just more exposure in general.
1129
01:40:42,520 --> 01:40:53,520
I think it triggers a lot more federation funding and a lot more, I think, visibility wise, it'd be good to get us more on social media and live streams.
1130
01:40:53,520 --> 01:41:02,520
I think at the moment being trapped into the YouTube system means we don't get as much publicity as the seniors do.
1131
01:41:02,520 --> 01:41:05,520
So it can only get a lot better.
1132
01:41:05,520 --> 01:41:11,520
The fact that we're even being considered as amazing compared to all the other sports.
1133
01:41:11,520 --> 01:41:15,520
They don't show it on Eurosport, the Paraclimbing portion.
1134
01:41:15,520 --> 01:41:18,520
So if you missed a few live streams, what's Paraclimbing?
1135
01:41:18,520 --> 01:41:22,520
Yes, it's all on YouTube, IFC. Just type in Paraclimbing, you can see everything.
1136
01:41:22,520 --> 01:41:29,520
OK. Any final thoughts before we go into some quick Discord questions from the audience?
1137
01:41:29,520 --> 01:41:32,520
Actually, I think we covered most things.
1138
01:41:32,520 --> 01:41:35,520
Yeah, we'll just get into a few of these questions then.
1139
01:41:35,520 --> 01:41:39,520
So the first one was, are there any para athletes who do speed?
1140
01:41:39,520 --> 01:41:46,520
There are no speed competitions as far as I know. I think everyone, when you find the speed, well, somewhere we just tried it out.
1141
01:41:46,520 --> 01:41:53,520
I had a friendly speed competition, someone from my sports class in Bern, but there are no competitions.
1142
01:41:53,520 --> 01:41:55,520
I don't know of any either.
1143
01:41:55,520 --> 01:41:59,520
So have either of you tried it? So you've tried it. Anita, have you tried it?
1144
01:41:59,520 --> 01:42:03,520
I think I have. 42 seconds or something.
1145
01:42:03,520 --> 01:42:06,520
Honestly, I think I tried it.
1146
01:42:06,520 --> 01:42:12,520
I think I tried it 2017 or 2018 and it was about 47 seconds.
1147
01:42:12,520 --> 01:42:19,520
But I'm only five foot three. That's my excuse. The holds are too far away.
1148
01:42:19,520 --> 01:42:24,520
I have a teammate that did, I think, 18 or 19 seconds. Seems quite fast.
1149
01:42:24,520 --> 01:42:31,520
I mean, don't feel bad for that time. I think I did a similar time and I have no excuses.
1150
01:42:31,520 --> 01:42:34,520
Well, it's an excuse. It's just climbing. You just climb.
1151
01:42:34,520 --> 01:42:39,520
I think it was like cardio halfway. I was just tired.
1152
01:42:39,520 --> 01:42:51,520
I was toying with the idea that my world has invented a paraclimbing speed hold that caters for the impairment.
1153
01:42:51,520 --> 01:42:59,520
And therefore they give us a speed climb where it's got four sections from left to right.
1154
01:42:59,520 --> 01:43:04,520
They tweaked the hold. I reckon it'd be possible, but not with the current hold.
1155
01:43:04,520 --> 01:43:09,520
Oh, so it's an issue with the hold, not like a safety concern.
1156
01:43:09,520 --> 01:43:16,520
It's like anything, isn't it? We are trying speed climbing on the able-bodied hold designed for the seniors.
1157
01:43:16,520 --> 01:43:23,520
And in my head, I want a smiley face smile of footholds and handholds above it.
1158
01:43:23,520 --> 01:43:29,520
So the impairment that's missing has got something to stand on and put a foot on.
1159
01:43:29,520 --> 01:43:35,520
But that's just adapting it for us. We can do it. I'm sure we can do it.
1160
01:43:35,520 --> 01:43:39,520
It's just whether people want to try competition for us.
1161
01:43:39,520 --> 01:43:46,520
OK. Next question. There are comparatively few Paraclimbing World Cups per season.
1162
01:43:46,520 --> 01:43:48,520
Would you like to see more?
1163
01:43:48,520 --> 01:43:53,520
Yes, absolutely. But I do think we have to be careful that enough people can attend.
1164
01:43:53,520 --> 01:43:58,520
As we talked about, some people it's really hard to travel to the competitions.
1165
01:43:58,520 --> 01:44:04,520
So I think if there were six or seven World Cups next year with the more regular circuit,
1166
01:44:04,520 --> 01:44:10,520
I'm not sure that all of them would be attended with the same number.
1167
01:44:10,520 --> 01:44:13,520
I think that's something to be careful.
1168
01:44:13,520 --> 01:44:19,520
I think the last thing I learned is if we had five World Cups like the seniors do,
1169
01:44:19,520 --> 01:44:24,520
I think the top four would be counted and that would give you a yearly ranking.
1170
01:44:24,520 --> 01:44:28,520
The fact that we only have three at the moment means until we hit five,
1171
01:44:28,520 --> 01:44:33,520
we don't trip into actually getting that yearly ranking,
1172
01:44:33,520 --> 01:44:40,520
which is why we all want to go to the World Championships because that gives us our overall ranking.
1173
01:44:40,520 --> 01:44:46,520
And it's financial. It's not cheap. Like Zoe said, it's not cheap at all to run an event.
1174
01:44:46,520 --> 01:44:53,520
So I think it's to do with continents as well. It's which continents those World Cups would be held on.
1175
01:44:53,520 --> 01:45:00,520
So that's why we've got China, Europe for the seniors. They have continents within there.
1176
01:45:00,520 --> 01:45:06,520
But yeah, if they had back-to-back weekends, I wouldn't be able to do it.
1177
01:45:06,520 --> 01:45:07,520
I need at least when I finish...
1178
01:45:07,520 --> 01:45:09,520
I would just run out of vacation days.
1179
01:45:09,520 --> 01:45:12,520
Yeah, there is that as well. Yeah, definitely.
1180
01:45:12,520 --> 01:45:18,520
But after every World Cup, it takes me two weeks to physically recover before I can go to another World Cup.
1181
01:45:18,520 --> 01:45:20,520
But yeah, I'm sure it's going to grow.
1182
01:45:20,520 --> 01:45:27,520
I think if it gets funding, the countries that get funding are the ones that can hold the competitions.
1183
01:45:27,520 --> 01:45:32,520
That's why it's probably France and Austria at the moment.
1184
01:45:32,520 --> 01:45:38,520
Maybe Switzerland. Well, Switzerland's a bit ours, isn't it? So that's three. And then America.
1185
01:45:38,520 --> 01:45:44,520
Yeah, I think that kind of can lead into the next question about future areas of growth.
1186
01:45:44,520 --> 01:45:48,520
What are the potential futures of growth for paragliding?
1187
01:45:48,520 --> 01:45:51,520
Could we see more again, paraspeed climbing?
1188
01:45:51,520 --> 01:45:54,520
I guess people really want to see that.
1189
01:45:54,520 --> 01:45:56,520
And para ice climbing.
1190
01:45:56,520 --> 01:46:01,520
I don't think so. Everyone wants to see disabled people try and go fast. It's interesting.
1191
01:46:01,520 --> 01:46:06,520
I think the way I see it, the biggest development would be in terms of rad setting.
1192
01:46:06,520 --> 01:46:09,520
They're already trying to push the level a little bit.
1193
01:46:09,520 --> 01:46:14,520
But if I look at myself, the routes could still be a lot harder.
1194
01:46:14,520 --> 01:46:23,520
I personally feel like the top level of our pace theory, we cannot always show what we train for and what we can do,
1195
01:46:23,520 --> 01:46:28,520
because we have to, of course, combine the routes with other sports classes.
1196
01:46:28,520 --> 01:46:34,520
So I think, yeah, there's a lot of because we always train on regular climbing routes.
1197
01:46:34,520 --> 01:46:39,520
And then they make, yeah, I know it's kind of hard to describe, but I think it would be a lot more interesting.
1198
01:46:39,520 --> 01:46:41,520
And this could be harder as well.
1199
01:46:41,520 --> 01:46:48,520
Yeah. And I'm thinking maybe I should retire because you make many harder and I won't be able to climb.
1200
01:46:48,520 --> 01:46:56,520
No, as I mentioned earlier, the first time in August, we're going to have a European Continental Championships.
1201
01:46:56,520 --> 01:47:00,520
It's the first ever brand new event coming next year.
1202
01:47:00,520 --> 01:47:12,520
The emphasis is on European. So unfortunately, it knocks anybody out of our sports class that's not in Europe.
1203
01:47:12,520 --> 01:47:18,520
But at least it's progression for us in Europe. We're getting another competition.
1204
01:47:18,520 --> 01:47:23,520
Future, there's discussions and it might take a long time yet,
1205
01:47:23,520 --> 01:47:31,520
but we, the athletes, really want to have the ability to showcase lead climbing.
1206
01:47:31,520 --> 01:47:35,520
And we have, and I think it's the first time in the last couple of years,
1207
01:47:35,520 --> 01:47:42,520
our routes have kind of shared the able-bodied routes, which is not overlap.
1208
01:47:42,520 --> 01:47:45,520
We're getting so good that rather than them set routes for ourselves,
1209
01:47:45,520 --> 01:47:51,520
they're starting to borrow the senior qualifications and adapting them so we can climb them
1210
01:47:51,520 --> 01:47:55,520
because we're now getting to that level.
1211
01:47:55,520 --> 01:47:59,520
I think everybody wants bouldering, just who's currently in.
1212
01:47:59,520 --> 01:48:03,520
We would love to even try all bouldering.
1213
01:48:03,520 --> 01:48:10,520
I personally, I would love to see an AL1, a leg amputee, an arm amputee,
1214
01:48:10,520 --> 01:48:16,520
like the best of the best in para climbing, all climb one route and see who is the best.
1215
01:48:16,520 --> 01:48:19,520
It'd be set for the impairment to be able to climb it.
1216
01:48:19,520 --> 01:48:24,520
I would just love to see a camperser climb off against a legless and an armless
1217
01:48:24,520 --> 01:48:28,520
and just overlap the route because we already climbed the same route,
1218
01:48:28,520 --> 01:48:35,520
but just have a one-off sort of crazy, can we still beat Angelino and he's,
1219
01:48:35,520 --> 01:48:38,520
and he compass the route, like challenge would be good.
1220
01:48:38,520 --> 01:48:40,520
Yeah, I would love to see it.
1221
01:48:40,520 --> 01:48:43,520
Have either of you tried ice climbing?
1222
01:48:43,520 --> 01:48:45,520
I want to. I so want to.
1223
01:48:45,520 --> 01:48:47,520
Yeah, same. Haven't tried it, little us two.
1224
01:48:47,520 --> 01:48:49,520
You've got the best team out there as well.
1225
01:48:49,520 --> 01:48:55,520
Yeah, I'll probably go try two things. There's a small wall where you can try it.
1226
01:48:55,520 --> 01:48:59,520
Yeah, I've been speaking to the Dutch couple ice climbing team,
1227
01:48:59,520 --> 01:49:04,520
and they seem to do a lot of coaching and training and showing you in their little thing,
1228
01:49:04,520 --> 01:49:07,520
in their little built up cake, raising awareness.
1229
01:49:07,520 --> 01:49:15,520
And the person I spoke to basically told me, I think there's three people with impairments
1230
01:49:15,520 --> 01:49:21,520
that currently climb in the UIAA ice climbing able bodies,
1231
01:49:21,520 --> 01:49:24,520
but there are people with impairments that still climb the access.
1232
01:49:24,520 --> 01:49:29,520
So the reason I overlap, it's just not very well advertised at the moment.
1233
01:49:29,520 --> 01:49:35,520
And last question I have here, how does the path to becoming a high level paraclimber
1234
01:49:35,520 --> 01:49:42,520
differ from that of a typical able-bodied comp climber, or is it pretty similar?
1235
01:49:42,520 --> 01:49:47,520
I would say in Paraclime, well, now we have new events, European championships,
1236
01:49:47,520 --> 01:49:52,520
but before that, there were only the World Cups and all championships,
1237
01:49:52,520 --> 01:49:54,520
and if you're lucky nationals.
1238
01:49:54,520 --> 01:49:58,520
So you cannot do the national competition circuit in your country
1239
01:49:58,520 --> 01:50:04,520
and then maybe do the European Cup and then maybe larger events and then go to World Cups.
1240
01:50:04,520 --> 01:50:08,520
It's either you climb a World Cup or you don't climb a competition at all.
1241
01:50:08,520 --> 01:50:15,520
So I think the level at the World Cups is like the mighty people and it's their first competition ever.
1242
01:50:15,520 --> 01:50:16,520
It's a shame for me.
1243
01:50:16,520 --> 01:50:21,520
I had never even done like a local Bollary competition or something, my first competition ever.
1244
01:50:21,520 --> 01:50:22,520
It was a World Cup.
1245
01:50:22,520 --> 01:50:24,520
Terrifying.
1246
01:50:24,520 --> 01:50:26,520
Yes, it was.
1247
01:50:26,520 --> 01:50:27,520
But it's really fun.
1248
01:50:27,520 --> 01:50:30,520
I mean, the community is amazing and everyone knows the experience.
1249
01:50:30,520 --> 01:50:34,520
Everyone's been there at their first competition.
1250
01:50:34,520 --> 01:50:40,520
So I think there aren't many steps in between.
1251
01:50:40,520 --> 01:50:45,520
You can become a World Cup climber quite quickly, I guess.
1252
01:50:45,520 --> 01:50:50,520
And I would say in terms of age, it's a little bit different as well because normally, I mean, I'm 28.
1253
01:50:50,520 --> 01:50:54,520
I'm not old at all, but I started competing when I was 25.
1254
01:50:54,520 --> 01:50:58,520
On the regular circuit, I don't think that would happen.
1255
01:50:58,520 --> 01:51:01,520
So the community is a bit more diverse.
1256
01:51:01,520 --> 01:51:03,520
But yeah, what's the path?
1257
01:51:03,520 --> 01:51:08,520
I don't know, just send an email to your federation or I'll send you a message on Instagram.
1258
01:51:08,520 --> 01:51:10,520
I'd love to help out.
1259
01:51:10,520 --> 01:51:15,520
And then if you can make it to the competition, get classified and then hopefully you can compete.
1260
01:51:15,520 --> 01:51:18,520
I don't think there's a very specific path to follow.
1261
01:51:18,520 --> 01:51:20,520
What do you think, Anisa?
1262
01:51:20,520 --> 01:51:31,520
Okay, so the simple answer is if your country doesn't have a power climbing team or isn't actually even on the awareness,
1263
01:51:31,520 --> 01:51:36,520
contact your federation and make them aware that you would be interested in getting involved in power climbing.
1264
01:51:36,520 --> 01:51:44,520
That would then give them the opportunity to find out what they need to do to bring your country into climbing if there's no nationals.
1265
01:51:44,520 --> 01:51:54,520
I don't know what Christmas is like, but I was just doing local bouldering competitions as a compete against a normal able-bodied person.
1266
01:51:54,520 --> 01:52:02,520
And then because we ran a national to select the team, I think we were quite small at the time.
1267
01:52:02,520 --> 01:52:07,520
Those that hit the podium were given a place on the team because there wasn't a person in that disability.
1268
01:52:07,520 --> 01:52:15,520
So it's just a case of making them aware, the federation, and then you can bring another country in.
1269
01:52:15,520 --> 01:52:19,520
Once the country grows, you might get some nationals.
1270
01:52:19,520 --> 01:52:26,520
And like Chris says, if there's no nationals, they'll probably take you straight into World Cup levels.
1271
01:52:26,520 --> 01:52:28,520
And we work backwards.
1272
01:52:28,520 --> 01:52:32,520
Once we've done World Cups, we trigger nationals.
1273
01:52:32,520 --> 01:52:38,520
Once the nationals have triggered competitions, we find more people.
1274
01:52:38,520 --> 01:52:41,520
But we don't even have regionals at the moment.
1275
01:52:41,520 --> 01:52:42,520
We don't have it in the UK.
1276
01:52:42,520 --> 01:52:50,520
We just put it, just go, I want to join. What do I need to do to join? And where do I go to join?
1277
01:52:50,520 --> 01:52:59,520
And so if you don't have nationals or regionals for selection and you kind of just start out at the international level,
1278
01:52:59,520 --> 01:53:07,520
how do you know if your ability is comparable to the other international competitors?
1279
01:53:07,520 --> 01:53:12,520
Well, of the two countries I'm thinking about, they both had a visual impairment.
1280
01:53:12,520 --> 01:53:18,520
They were both missing some kind of physical, and they therefore could just say, yes, you're going to get classified.
1281
01:53:18,520 --> 01:53:20,520
It's just RP.
1282
01:53:20,520 --> 01:53:27,520
I do think there is a guideline somewhere about the level that the rewards will be more or less safe.
1283
01:53:27,520 --> 01:53:30,520
If you have the level to climb the World Cups.
1284
01:53:30,520 --> 01:53:32,520
But in general, I mean, the community is so nice.
1285
01:53:32,520 --> 01:53:37,520
You can always find a power climber on Instagram that sends them a message.
1286
01:53:37,520 --> 01:53:39,520
We'll figure it out.
1287
01:53:39,520 --> 01:53:44,520
Do you know what level, grade, routes might be?
1288
01:53:44,520 --> 01:53:54,520
We have a document on IC climbing under power climbing documents or resources.
1289
01:53:54,520 --> 01:54:08,520
It's a guideline. But to make your National Federation team doesn't have to be that level of grades.
1290
01:54:08,520 --> 01:54:13,520
First of all, you've got to actually saying, well, I'm the only athlete can I join?
1291
01:54:13,520 --> 01:54:19,520
And I've now joined and I can afford to go to the venue.
1292
01:54:19,520 --> 01:54:22,520
Oh, shit. I now know how good I need to be.
1293
01:54:22,520 --> 01:54:25,520
So I'll go away, train and try again.
1294
01:54:25,520 --> 01:54:27,520
It works backwards because if you don't.
1295
01:54:27,520 --> 01:54:37,520
Yeah, work of level women are three around seven B or something in finals for the men, seven C, eight A.
1296
01:54:37,520 --> 01:54:44,520
But as RP three and like amputees, probably to the sort of the highest levels there.
1297
01:54:44,520 --> 01:54:47,520
Like Chris says, it's not a full seven A.
1298
01:54:47,520 --> 01:54:52,520
It could start at six A six B six C and then check us off.
1299
01:54:52,520 --> 01:54:56,520
So it's different to reading it in a gym.
1300
01:54:56,520 --> 01:55:04,520
Yeah, that's interesting to know, because I mean, they kind of refuse to say a grade for the able bodied climb.
1301
01:55:04,520 --> 01:55:10,520
So it's good to know that they have something, some info out there for pair climbing.
1302
01:55:10,520 --> 01:55:13,520
Well, I think that is all the questions I had.
1303
01:55:13,520 --> 01:55:16,520
Thank you guys so much for joining me.
1304
01:55:16,520 --> 01:55:22,520
Is there anything else that you want to shout out or let people know where they can find you or reach out to you?
1305
01:55:22,520 --> 01:55:25,520
Yeah, sure. I mean, you can find me on Instagram.
1306
01:55:25,520 --> 01:55:31,520
My name is Christiana, Christiana, my name basically with underscore.
1307
01:55:31,520 --> 01:55:35,520
I don't know. I'll type it somewhere.
1308
01:55:35,520 --> 01:55:38,520
Yeah, I'll leave it. I'll leave all the information below as well.
1309
01:55:38,520 --> 01:55:40,520
But I would love it if people reached out.
1310
01:55:40,520 --> 01:55:42,520
I mean, I love something like pair climbing.
1311
01:55:42,520 --> 01:55:46,520
I mean, you know, climbers or just regular climbers.
1312
01:55:46,520 --> 01:55:55,520
And yeah, and I want to say that I just found myself so lucky that I can compete in these pair climbing competitions and meet all these amazing people.
1313
01:55:55,520 --> 01:55:59,520
And you know, it's super happy to be here.
1314
01:55:59,520 --> 01:56:01,520
Thanks so much for your time today. It was lovely.
1315
01:56:01,520 --> 01:56:03,520
Yeah, thank you.
1316
01:56:03,520 --> 01:56:06,520
Anya, do you want to do you have anything?
1317
01:56:06,520 --> 01:56:12,520
Yeah, no, please do contact me through Instagram, dazzle underscore UK.
1318
01:56:12,520 --> 01:56:18,520
I'm certainly up for helping people as much as I can get into climbing.
1319
01:56:18,520 --> 01:56:23,520
Or you can email me Anita UK at Gmail.
1320
01:56:23,520 --> 01:56:34,520
Even if it's not GB related, I can certainly point you in the right direction of where to start and who to contact for your country.
1321
01:56:34,520 --> 01:56:37,520
But yeah, just bug us on social media. It's the best way.
1322
01:56:37,520 --> 01:56:40,520
All right. Awesome. Well, thank you guys so much for joining the podcast.
1323
01:56:40,520 --> 01:56:43,520
Yeah, thanks for having us. Thanks very much for having us.
1324
01:56:43,520 --> 01:56:46,520
Thank you so much for making it to the end of the podcast.
1325
01:56:46,520 --> 01:56:52,520
Don't forget to like and subscribe if you enjoyed. Otherwise, you are a super fake climber.
1326
01:56:52,520 --> 01:57:03,520
If you're listening on a podcasting platform, I'd appreciate if you rate it five stars and you can continue the discussion on the free competition climbing discord linked in the description.
1327
01:57:03,520 --> 01:57:12,520
Thanks again for listening.
