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CAS Project Day 30 - LO1

Today is the last day of my CAS project. I went to the climbing gym as usual and started with several easier warm-up climbs. I then went to a new V5 climb that I had started yesterday with my sister. This route was newly set last week so there were many people crowding around it. I watched a few people try it from afar and even tried it myself once but there were so many people then that I didn't get a real shot at it. I came alone and really early in the morning so I was very happy to find that the wall was open for me to climb. Because the start of this climb is so high up, I have to prop my right feet on the hold almost at my shoulder height and slowly push upwards and into the wall to straighten my leg without accidentally pushing off the wall. This climb requires a lot of slow and controlled movements and also a lot of trust in your feet for the finish. The sticking point on this climb for me was the big reach from the hold on the far left to the hold on the far right. To get to where I needed to be, I had to shift both my right foot and right arm over but the footholds were so small and slippery that I couldn't get a strong enough hold if I didn't place my foot just right. It was also difficult for me to gauge where to put my foot next when I was on the wall and because I was climbing alone today, no one could help me. I was able to set up a video using my phone that I then replayed to see where I was going wrong and why. With the video, I noticed that my foothold was a lot farther out but that if I managed to get a foot on it, it could be a better hold to get to the next hold which was a much better hand hold. Through this process of analyzing my movements and figuring out new techniques, and testing them I was able to send this V5 too. Over the course of my CAS project, I have really challenged myself and demonstrated my ability to commit to climbing more challenging walls and not dismiss them after a few unsuccessful attempts. I have learned more about controlling movements and that bouldering is not about speed and I am still working to remind myself of these tops as I climb.

V5 in red

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