Several of the Bow Valley’s best climbers are riding high after a successful provincial championships, and are now poised to take on the nation as Canmore will host the 2016 CEC Youth and Open National Difficulty Climbing Championships, May 28-29 at Elevation Place.
The Canmore Indoor Climbing Society placed six athletes on the podium at provincials at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, including Hunter McLaughlin, Alexa Vanier and Becca Frangos, who all finished with gold medals.
McLaughlin, 16, defeated teammate Alex Fricker in the final of the Youth A boys division competition in Edmonton. The result was so tight, judges had to rely on time as a tiebreaker.
“The toughest part was probably tying Alex and having it come down to time. That made it more of a speed competition than difficulty. I’m more of a slow climber,” McLaughlin said.
With the win, he’s ready to show the hometown crowd what he can do on the national stage. McLaughlin has won multiple national titles over his youth career, and believes he can finish in the top three on his home wall.
“I’ve definitely improved with my dynamic movement on the wall. I usually like to take my time with things,” McLaughlin said. “Nationals is going to be a lot of fun with all of the kids competing.”
Fricker was still happy with his result, finishing second behind McLaughlin and fourth in open men.
“There are definitely a few things to tweak before nationals, but provincials were a great event. I’m feeling really fit and at this point, it’s just maintaining before the big event,” Fricker said.
Difficulty Nationals (also known as rope nationals) will give Canmore a chance to show the community what high level climbing is all about, Fricker said, and attract more people to the sport. A strong performance will land him on the national team, which is his ultimate goal.
“I want to make the national team, and to do that I need to be top three in the competition. There is a coach’s pick for the fourth spot, but top three is my goal. That would be awesome,” Fricker said.
Simon Yamamoto finished second in the junior boys division, while Mia Gosselin was third in Youth C girls.
Both McLaughlin and Fricker said the sport has helped them forge strong friendships across the country. Each province can select eight athletes per age category and gender to compete at nationals. The top climbers are then selected to compete at the IFSC World Youth Climbing Championships Nov. 7-13 in Guangzhou, China.
There are also two world cup spots up for grabs at nationals, which will send athletes to Europe, Asia and world championships in Paris, France, Sept 14-18.
The competition will also be a farewell to two of the Bow Valley’s most decorated climbers – Sara and Becca Frangos. The climbing twins will wrap up their successful youth climbing careers in Canmore, having traveled the world with their sport, while winning many prestigious titles. As two of the Bow Valley’s best climbers, the Frangos sisters are an excellent example of how top calibre coaching and facilities can foster talent in Canmore.
Becca won the junior girls provincial title, while Sara was second in Edmonton, and they are looking forward to putting on a great show in Canmore later this month.
“It’s going to be amazing. My whole climbing career has evolved here. Ending my career at this amazing facility will be awesome,” Sara Frangos said. “The climbing community is just so rich in Canmore. The people I’ve been climbing with, the coaches, the community in general, has shaped me as a person and a climber.”
She will attend the University of Guelph in fall, and is interested in studying medicine in the future.
Winning two medals at provincials, Becca Frangos said her climbing is strong right now, and she’s ready to bid a bittersweet farewell to her youth career.
“It’s so cool to end it off at my home gym. There is a little bit of pressure because it is in front of a home crowd, but I’m used to it. I’ve been competing for a while,” she said. “I feel like it’s been quite a long journey, but a good one. I’m very lucky to have such fantastic teammates along the way.”
