GRAVICAL

Qualifiers for Gravical 2010 was quite a surprise really. I mean, besides the completely new FLASH format we had to deal with, the routes' difficulty was pretty interesting.

First route shown in the pic (yellow volume) was flash-able, but i kinda followed Jac's sequence (and failed unlike her cos i didn't have that pulling strength). 2nd route, i completed but it wasn't counted cos i jumped and got n the last tile about a split second after the 19minute whistle was blown=( 3rd flashed(unexpectedly), 4th completely didn't try and 6th flashed, 5th was a wasted route too. Videos will be out on FB soon(:

TJCCC girls owned the qualifiers and shocked crowds as 7 TJCians qualified for today's competition. After the results were posted, i was contented being in 11th place. (not qualified for finals...) but upon further inspection, Bernice was 3rd! And she's an intermediate climber hence she couldn't compete in the novice finals! ;D

I was overjoyed and brimming with smiles, I couldn't wait to share the news with everyone... My heart was literally somersaulting...

Staying on to support the Novice Men wasn't the best decision, because i got scolded for it afterward by my parents. Yes, it was an irresponsible decision driven by my pumped heart. That night though, i wondered if Mom was being way too strict. She talked about my piano and school and how Climbing seemed to take precedence over it all.

"What does she want from me?" That thought troubled me as i cried myself to sleep, doubting if she would let me compete for Gravical Finals. My facebook status summarised how i felt about the whole bittersweet day "What's the point of doing well if there's no one to share the joy with."

Thankfully, korkor managed to talk them around(:

And hence, i competed today for my NW Finals. The on-site format was more comforting and the fact that i was amongst my team mates kinda took away some of the pressure. It was fantastic, too, that i had supporters (Mommy, Daddy, Sam Yee and korkor plus Mr Kao, Philip, some J3s and the TJCCC guys(: ) who kept cheering me on.

The routes weren't easy. I barely flashed the first route. 2nd route was wasted with a mere tap on the last tile. It drained a lot of my energy, leaving me completely unable to reach the bonus tiles on routes 3 and 4. Rushing off after my finals, i couldn't stay to hear what Philip had to say about the moves.

Congrats to those who made it to the top 3 - Lynette, Jac and Gwen. You girls are just awesome(: Share the prize! XD Those who didn't make it, remember what Mr Kao said about us already doing our best and getting through to the finals. We've also shown the climbing community in Singapore that TJCCC is not to be trifled with! (Gravical DJ called us WAR MACHINES ;D ) To Jo, Raihan and Lala, the competition was a great experience and with the upcoming boulder comps, I'm sure there will be greater opportunities for ya'll to SHINE!

with love, ash

NW 402 and NW001