I started climbing when I was 15 years old through the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. I began climbing at a small bouldering wall in Edinburgh known as Alien Rock 2! After a few months of pure bouldering, I was determined to start climbing higher, and so went to EICA: Ratho to learn to lead climb. After a few months here, I was invited to join the BRYCS club (a local climbing club for kids wanting to compete). It was here that I was introduced to competition climbing and the path to training…
I immediately began competing regularly in the British Lead Climbing Championships (BLCC’s) and training year round with my coaches and fellow competitors to become the best climber I could be! My first competition was the British Indoor Climbing Championships (BICC’s) in which I came 9th! Since then I have continued to compete nationally, even winning the British Junior Team Trials in 2008 and in 2009 I had my debut into the world of international climbing competitions!
I competed in Austria, Munich and Edinburgh as part of the European Youth Series as well as the World Championships in Valence, France! In 2006 (16 years old) I went on my first climbing trip to Kalymnos (Greece) where I onsighted my first 7c. In 2007, I went to both Ceuse and Kalymnos and continued my upward progression by onsighting 7c+, the year after I onsighted my first 8a. Taking a break from outdoor achievements, I have spent 2010 concentrating purely on increasing my physical performance by climbing and training indoors. My training is very intense, I climb four days week, train in the gym three days a week, have three core sessions, campus board twice a week and have several flexibility and cardio sessions thrown in as well!!! After all of this, I supplement it with Compex training (Electro-stimulation training) of which I receive sponsorship for by Currentbody.com.
Through the years of training, reading tonnes of literature, talking to climbers, coaches and sport scientists, I have learned a great deal about training for climbing. Every aspect of it intrigues me whether it is physical, technical or mental and I am always learning more and more about it. This interest is what brought me towards coaching climbing. I feel that my knowledge of the sport can be used to help others achieve great things in the sport and it gives me great satisfaction watching them succeed. Currently, I coach several members of the Junior British Team and quite a few aspiring members. As well as that I am also taking personal coaching sessions for anyone interested at EICA: Ratho.