David + Robert discussing their route

The outstanding facility that is EICA:Ratho didn't even exist, and was merely a seed about to be borne in the minds of its creators. I'm not in any means attempting to play down my early years, as I believe they were a great education in both my climbing life and life in general, but I have to admit that a young me would be very envious of the emerging youth scene here in Scotland. Envious isn’t the word now, however, as I am excited by so much potential and proud to see it developing on home turf. There is definitely a feeling in the air that something big is about to happen in climbing, brought about not only by the news of the 2020 Olympic Lead Climbing bid (which is fantastic, don't get me wrong!) but rather a sensation that something a bit closer to home at grass-roots level is gradually working its way upwards, past the crux and about to reach the top...Calum Forsyth demoing

I arrived at EICA:Ratho bright and early on Saturday morning, but unfortunately not early enough to accommodate for the numerous excitable kids and parents who welcomed me as I was rushed over to warm up for demonstrations. That was something I made a mental note of - none of the kids seemed particularly anxious or pent up with nerves. Boys were running around chasing each other, girls were gossiping, and parents were chatting amongst themselves amidst the hustle and bustle of their children.

Jodie Brown confidently leading her final routeThese differing approaches to competitions fascinate me, and I think the ability to be having fun with your friends one minute and then the next be putting on a straight(ish) face the next as you are faced with a gutsy few minutes of climbing is a very admirable quality. Bleary-eyed and certainly not bushy-tailed, I put on the straightest face one can muster at tooearly o’clock in the morning and completed my demos, a straight face broken only by Calum’s mischievous whispers of “Do it for Stoats Nat! And Scarpa! And Petzl! And Blurr!” I apparently managed to make the routes look deceptively easier than they felt for me and even found a (rather unnecessary but novelty) kneebar on one of the routes! I filled the rest of my day after demos with judging, taking photos, giving out Stoats bars, encouraging the kids and being inspired by lots of amazing performances.

David Miedzybrodksi on his final routeThroughout the qualifiers there were some very spirited performances from the younger kids in the competition. I watched as 11 year old Connor Moore breezed his way up the black 6c+ that I had demoed, making it look all too easy until a tricky dynamic move just shy of the top. Fresh from climbing his first 7b project just a few days ago, Connor was looking on top form and would be hard to beat in the finals. He topped his second route with ease and showed great focus throughout the day despite having to pose for this portrait with his younger sister Katie!

Katie + Connor eating tic tacs :PKatie takes after her big brother both in nature and in climbing – she is dynamic, strong and determined, and always bubbling over with excitement to be climbing in a big competition. Katie topped her first qualifier and did very well on her second which put her through to the final – Team Moore had had a successful morning! The Harland-Sendra brothers Sam and Leo had also proved themselves worthy competitors in reaching the finals, and were one of many sibling duos taking on the walls at this competition. The Miedzybrodskis, The Bosis , The Freireichs, The Davidsons…climbing must be in their genes!

Perhaps the award for Most Tenacious Climber of the Morning should go to 8 year old Stephanie Millar, who refused to give up on her second route and hung in there until her arms eventually gave in. These younger climbers very rarely seem to need any lessons on determination, something which really inspires me to try harder when I am climbing!

Kirsten Taylor on her final routeMy protégées Kirsten Taylor and Jodie Brown did themselves proud in the qualifiers. Despite her recent ankle sprain Kirsten did very well in persisting with climbing as best she could, but understandably she was a bit distracted and more cautious than normal with the pain in her foot. I have no doubt that she will get back up and climbing again soon as she always has done after a setback – her willingness to do her best  and take part alongside her friends is certainly something to be admired. Rebecca Kinghorn, Emma Powell and Kirsten Gray were leading this category and it was particularly exciting to see Kirsten returning from injury looking so strong on the wall.

Eilidh Vas Payne battling it out for glory on her final route!Jodie was her usual gutsy and resilient self and showed how far her leading has progressed in recent months, onsighting 6cs now and putting her Dad to shame!  Just kidding Dave!  Her routes were those that I had demoed, so I had a rough idea as to how she would fare on them. As usual and as is particularly evident when climbing in a competition, Jodie surpassed my expectations. On the tricky, techy green 7a+ she moved past the first crux and fought hard on the tough upper section before succumbing to the pump. On the black route the slopey pinches caused her more difficulty but I was proud of her attempt nonetheless.

YUMMY STOATS GOODIES!!!!A few more Stoats bars and photographs later and I was watching the older boys and girls on their second routes. William “4^th in the World!” Bosi,  Angus “I’ve grown almost as tall as Nat :O” Davidson easily topped both routes alongside Irish bouldering legend Dom Burns, causing everyone to hedge their bets on an exciting final! Equally as close-run is the Youth A girls category, with Rachel Carr, Eleanor Hopkins and Rebekah Drummond, who have all been climbing at a very similar level recently, so I was expecting a neck and neck, (or neck, neck and neck?) situation all the way through. I hope these girls continue to pursue their competitive climbing career through the next few difficult years of school and life in general, which seem to result in a high drop-out rate for girls in particular. Stick with it is what I’d advise, but when academia comes along it is difficult to concentrate on one thing when your mind is on two, three, four, five or maybe 20 things at once!

Rory Cargill winning his category (Youth C Boys)In the oldest categories Calum Forsyth miraculously transformed from EICA worker to competitor and back throughout the day and still managed to give it his all on the wall! Who could miss his bright orange/pink/now yellowish stripe on top of his head and bright orange t-shirt to match? Juggling Jess McCaskey performed well on some tricky routes and kept the ever-waning Junior Female flame burning – where did all the girls go? Please come back!

It was time for the finals and after preparing the prize hampers which were kindly donated by Stoats I was ready to sit  down (with camera and iPad in hand) and watch the best young climbers in Scotland battle it out for the podium positions. Passing through isolation assured me that the mood was just as hyperactive and energetic as it was in the morning, and I was looking forward to a good show. The youngest were the first to emerge from the loony bin/isolation and seemed tiny in comparison with the 20+ metre “Justice” wall. Matthew Fall, victor of Youth D BoysWhat they lacked in stature they more than made up for in spirit as they tackled the 7a+ route. Little Leo climbed well through the first groove until a tricky section on pockets caused him some trouble. Ben Freireich powered his way up towards the top to clinch Gold and Leo placed 3^rd after a strong young climber from Durham. Katie Moore fought past some big moves and also took bronze – a strong category for the Scotland South Team!  Katie’s brother Connor walked out calmly from isolation and topped the route with the poise and control of a climber who is capable of doing a lot more. Watch this space! The supremely talented Matthew Fall also topped out and due to his faster climbing style took Gold - it was 1^st and 2^nd and 3^rd Place for EICA: Ratho climbers, with Euan Farmer taking Bronze. Rory Whyte from Glasgow put in a stellar performance but unfortunately injured his finger whilst on the route - GET WELL SOON RORY!!!

On the same route Rhiannon Freireich took Gold once more (her trophy cabinet must be at breaking point just now!) and EICA’s Holly Davis took a worthy 2^nd place on what seemed to be a very long and technical route. Rebecca Kinghorn placing 2nd in Youth C GirlsGirls Youth C is a category which makes me wonder what these girls will be capable of when they enter Youth B and potentially start competing abroad in European and World events. Emma Powell, Rebecca Kinghorn and Kirsten Gray are all very promising young climbers who were up against a crimpy 7b route on the “Justice” wall. Rebecca climbed smoothly and in control up towards the top and lowered to rapturous applause. Kirsten Gray climbed to a shouldery press move, struggling to find the power to overcome it. Emma Powell climbed quickly and efficiently up to the crux and made it look frighteningly easy – she even dyno’ed for the last hold and caught it! Emma is a fellow Lyon Equipment team member, so it was great to be able to support her at this event.

Boys Youth C is an equally intriguing category, with the up and coming Sam Harland Sendra, David Miedzybrodski and Rory Cargill being the top climbers in Scotland (and some of the best in Britain) for their age group and showing bags of promise. On the day Rory fought through to the slopey crux of the route shared with the two older girls categories – which looked about 7c/+ - to victory, closely followed by David and Carson Carnduff from Team Ireland, another incredibly strong climber who can frequently be seen training at Ratho. Sam unfortunately didn’t make the podium, but it won’t be long until he is up there again soon, no doubt about it!

Boys Youth C Podium (Rory Cargill 1st, David Miedzybrodksi 2nd, Carson 3rd)

Then it was on to Boys Youth B – a very exciting group to watch, including 4^th in the World William Bosi, multiple British Champ Angus Davidson, European Youth Bouldering Champion Dom Burns and fellow strong Irishman Jamie Rankin. With each boy getting gradually higher in succession it made for a nailbiting final, and William proved himself worthy of his new world status with an impeccably smooth top-out of a filthy technical masterpiece! Girls Youth B was dominated once more by the ever-smiling Eilidh Vass Payne and followed by Megan Saunders and Emily Eadie. A well-deserved win from Eilidh, even if she did steal my shoes!

Youth B Boys Podium (William Bosi 1st, Angus Davidson 2nd, Dominic Burns 3rd)

By now our necks were sore from looking up but spirits were high in the arena as Youth A entered. In the girls Rachel Carr pipped Eleanor Hopkins and Rebekkah Drummond to 1^st place, putting her bouldering power to good use on a particularly bouldery route.  GB Team member Connor Byrne came up from England to take gold in the male category, followed by Scott Keir and Jack Gomersall (in his fantastically Orange Edelrid trousers) on the horrific green route shared with Youth B boys. 

Youth C Girls Podium (Emma Powell 1st, Rebecca Kinghorn 2nd, Kirsten Gray 3rd)

Finally, the Juniors – all 4 of them across the male and female categories – put themselves to the test. Jessica McCaskey had a comfortable win, matching the efforts of the younger girls in the A Category and falling in the top slopey section.  Calum also won by a good margin despite finding a loose hold on the Boys B and A route – the combined strength of these boys was obviously too much for the T-Nut to handle!

Youth B Girls Podium (Eilidh Vas Payne 1st, Megan Saunders 2nd, Christie Macleod 3rd)

The Speed climbing provided a great spectacle, with fastest climber of the day being the unbeatable Alexander Bosi, who looks set to achieve some sub-13 second times very soon!

The awards ceremony followed and the kids were still full of energy, in contrast to some weary-looking parents and coaches! Our 1st placers were very keen on their Stoats hampers, and I doubt they would be willing to share it out with friends…or maybe that’s just me and Robbie? Joking aside, a big thank you must go to Stoats for providing us with the hampers and samples which were given out throughout the day. One of the funniest moments of the day must have been when David Miedzybrodski attempted to jump onto the podium and just missed it, stumbling and falling over! I think Robbie needs to give him some podium-climbing training!

Youth E Boys Podium (Ben Freireich 1st, Joseph 2nd, Leo Harland-Sendra 3rd)

Yet another well-organised and well-attended youth event run by the MCofS and EICA:Ratho – congratulations to all of the kids who took part and hopefully learned something about their climbing or perhaps a little life lesson to carry with them along the way. If not, at least they had fun doing something they love. If lead climbing does win the Olympic 2020 bid, then Scotland’s ever growing hotspot of youth climbing will have something even bigger to aspire towards…

Geek: Do you need a brush Busby?