thoughts from arco 2011

i write this as if i was actually in trentino. but then, thanks to the amazing technology of our times, it makes me forget the fact that Italy is over 10,000 miles away...what with the streaming videos and real-time information that we got! i know i may sound lame, but the technology blows me away.

other than the freaking wonder of the internet, staying tuned to the world championships awakened my dormant emotions to the breathtaking beauty of competitive climbing. (if you don't fancy superlatives, i suggest you stop reading this entry now because there will be more to come). what other sport do you know where competitors are friends and share strategies and tips on how to get to the top? what other sport do you know where athletes with different body types have equal chances of winning? what other sport do you know where you can fail to get to the finish line, but still you go home satisfied?

i know these statements may come off totally biased, and without scientific data to back them up. they may also simply be self-serving and distorted conclusions of a climbing addict such as myself. but i can't help but be proud of the grounded nature of wall-, er, sport climbing.

case in point: watch any observation period of a climbing competition. i also saw it again in arco. when the competitors are reading their routes, they would read in huddles and compare notes. competitors share tactics with each other! yes, one ulterior motive for sharing is also to receive tips in return, but the fact that there is that kind of interaction between competitors shows just how friendly the competition is. admittedly, too, i see this happen more commonly with female competitors, but men definitely practice it too. and even in the lead qualifications of arco, it was my first time to see a lead climbing competiton where competitors were allowed to watch others tackle the routes, which further highlights how the competiton is about finding your own way to the top. it's about finding the way that is best suited for your body, for your strengths, for your style, and most importantly, executing it -- and not about "beating" another person.

as for the results, i couldn't be any more happier that angela eiter and ramonet received the top awards in the lead category. yes, i am biased, because these are two athletes who i've personally seen with my own eyes (may papicture-picture pa). they (we) were much younger then, when i saw them. they were not yet as popular. but over the years they've pushed the standards of the sport, becoming world #1's and climbing celebrities in their own right. but what is also amazing is their body types. angela is so skinny!!!  46kg (101.41lbs) and 154cm (5'1") in height, according to this website. then ramon juliane pigblanque, who stands only 159cm (5'3") -- surely much lower than your average European male, and the shortest of all the lead finalists! and yet, there they were, showing us that it's not about how big or small you are. and, over the years, you would see that climbing's top athletes would vary in body profile. (it would be nice to conduct or read research about this some time). really gives you a boost, knowing that it truly can be anyone's game.

lastly, it was very moving for me to watch angela eiter's lead finals climb because i saw her fight her way to the top. true, she didn't finish the route, which is always the objective of each climb. but what made me emotional was seeing her reaction when she fell. she wasn't frustrated or angry. she was disappointed, yes, but she was smiling. Smiling. and my guess is, she was smiling because she was satisfied that she fought up there; that she made it past a section of the climb that seemed un-passable at first, but she was able to conquer with great strength and willpower -- and even move some more!; that even if she didn't reach the top, at least she knew she gave it a good go, and was able to display what years and years of experience has brought her. 

and that's one of the best things about climbing. even if you don't win, or you don't get external recognition, you can still exit a competition feeling totally psyched about your performance, for as long as you gave it all you've got. 

and winning? it becomes a cherry on top.

DAtE: Global Architectural Design Competition

Design Against the Elements is a global architectural design competition meant to find a solution to the problems presented by climate change. Spurred by the devastation wreaked in the Philippines by tropical storm Ondoy (Ketsana) and driven by a powerhouse multidisciplinary group of organizations from the private, institutional, and government sectors, the project aims to draw together the most innovative minds in the fields of architecture, design, and urban planning to develop sustainable and disaster-resistant housing for communities in tropical urban settings.

The winning design will be built as a prototype disaster-resistant and livable eco-village in Taguig City, Metro Manila. The village will be the first green and disaster-resistant community in the country. It will provide a model that can be studied and replicated in similar areas. The finished project will house a marginalized community living in an environmental danger zone, giving them a sense of security, ownership, and awareness of sustainability that can be practiced at all levels in their everyday lives.

The project also aims to present a definitive green building solution in a truly local context. Too often, home-owners, architects, and policy-makers think of sustainable building as a luxury that only privileged landowners and advanced countries can afford. Design Against the Elements considers green architecture as essential to survival; it has the ability to reduce the frequency and impact of environmental disasters and lessen the cycle of poverty.

TIMELINES

March 5, 2010 - Competition launch

July 31, 2010 - Deadline of Registration

August 14, 2010 - Deadline for submission of questions

August 28, 2010 - Deadline to dispatch answers to questions

September 25, 2010 - Deadline for submission of entries

October 4-9 2010 - Judging

October 13, 2010 - Announcement of winners

November 19, 2010 - Awarding

For full details, please visit the DAtE website: http://www.designagainsttheelements.org/home.htm

Event: Climbing with Chris Lindner (and the National Team!)

Sanuk, in cooperation with Power Up Climbing Gyms' 14th Anniversary, SCAPI and ROX has brought Chris Lindner to Manila for an up close and personal Boulder Day at Serendra, the Fort, Taguig City on October 5, Sunday.
 
It will be a fun day of bouldering for all levels of climbers, check out the schedule:

 
OCTOBER 5 - Chris climbs in ROX
 
2:30 pm.- 5:00 pm.  - Clinic
 
Open Boulder clinic with problems set by Chris with coaching and assistance by the National Climbing Team and the Power Up staff.  Set up at Serendra: 3boulder walls with varying difficulties and a vertical top rope line for those who haven't tried climbing yet.  
 
Be you a hard core climber, beggining novice, kiddo climber, or just someone who wants a shot at getting vertical :) Come over for this chance to get coached by one of the world's best climbers and our country's National Team!

 5:00 - 7:00 pm  Invitational Competition: Beat Chris!

Watch the country's top climbers bat it out on the boulder wall in an attempt to beat the world's best!  Invited climbers will be the National Team players and the local gyms' hard climbers who've been showing great potential in the boulder scene.
 
 7:00 - 8:00 pm - film viewing/cocktails
 
Catch Chris Lindner's newest film "Spray" and hopefully free DVD's of the film.  Consequently, he's in Asia collecting raw material for his next climbing video.

8:00 pm.  Awarding and Closing ceremonies
 

OCTOBER 6-8.  Chris goes climbing in Cantabaco, Cebu
 
All are welcome to join up on this trip if you want to meet and climb with him :)
 

So see you at the Fort on October 5! 

china competition

I just want to share my pics from China. For those who don't know, I went there last week for an invitational competition sponsored by the China Mountaineering Federation. Yup, sagot nila lahat, from airfare to lodging to food. Isa akong sineswerteng nilalang.
Mahirap i-describe kung gaanong kaganda yung experience dahil nagmamadali ako sa pagsulat ng post na 'to, kaya para sa ngayon, ito muna, dalawang litrato:

Para sa non-climbers: Dito kami dinala sa last day namin para magsightseeing. They say it's one of the top tourist places in China. They contained a body of water to make into this "stream" (at sa dulo, isa siyang malaking dam). Mala-Jurassic Park ang dating. For picture-taking purposes talaga!


Para sa climbers: Ito ang competition venue. SOBRANG BONGGA ng event. Yung opening ceremonies lang parang 3 hours, kumpleto, may mga artista at variety show! Yung actual climbing wall ay nasa bandang kanan pa niyang mga red balloons. Isang sandstone face na 60 meters high. Or 196 feet.

At walang katapusan ang cliffs na nakita at nadaanan namin. Sobrang fresh ng hangin at atmosphere, peaceful! Parang Baguio ang lamig, pero walang sinabi ang Baguio sa katahimikan. Ang pagkain, puro Chinese food na hindi pamilyar sa atin, kaya't nakakabagot at nakakasawan (sorry). So hindi ako masyado happy sa food...Pero syempre, overall, ayus pa din.

Please go here to visit my whole photo album: http://picasaweb.google.com/inaflores/ChinaInvitationalCompetition2007

i never thought of it that way

it always feels great to get a fresh take on something you've been doing for so long. it's amazing how a different perspective can turn your world around (o sige, kahit 180 degrees lang), and make you approach a certain thing in a whole new way just because you heard something new about it.

here's what i recently read about competing or joining competitions:

"Competition places the athlete on center stage. Anytime you attempt to succeed publicly, where others can judge you, you risk failing. Over time, competing is a willingness to chance failure. Giving your best is what athletics is all about."