In the age of the superhero blockbuster, the Bow Valley has unveiled its own Fantastic Four – climbers, that is.
Becca and Sara Frangos, along with Hunter McLaughlin and Simon Yamamoto, all placed top four in their respective age category at the Canadian National Youth Climbing Championship in Montreal, May 18, to qualify for the world youth championships in New Caledonia, a French collectivity located 1,200 kilometres off the coast of Australia.
The results clinched spots for the foursome on the Canadian Youth National Team, and invitations to the World Youth Championships and Pan-Am climbing championships in Mexico. At nationals, each of the local climbers had to put together four strong climbs and reach the top four to become a national team member.
McLaughlin will lead the way for Team Canada after his first -place finish in the 14-15 year old boys category at nationals, where he topped some very tough competition. Known for his skills on small holds and static movements, this will be his first trip to the world championships, although he’s no slouch to climbing internationally. McLaughlin has experience scaling walls in Chile and he knows he’s got a lot of hard work ahead to prepare for worlds. The shy climber lets his results speak for themselves, and his coaches believe this won’t be his last appearance on Team Canada.
Yamamoto hasn’t decided if he’ll tmake the trip to world championships (flights alone cost $5,000 to the remote island), but he’s thrilled to be a member of Team Canada and does plan to compete at the Pan-Am championships. He finished fourth in Montreal in a tough field, and said he had “the right climb at the right moment” to earn a spot on the team.
“It’s really unique. Not a lot of people can make the team. The sport keeps growing and the competition keeps getting stronger,” Yamamoto said.
This is Becca Frango’s fourth time on the youth team and Sara’s second. The sisters have long pushed one another to succeed at the highest level, which has served them well, as their list of accomplishments is ridiculously long. Becca finished second in Montreal, while Sara finished fourth, and they had praise for one another after the competition.
“Sara’s strength is definitely lock-offs. She can sit there and chill forever,” Becca said.
“For Becca, it’s the really small crimps. She can hold those for ages,” Sara said.
The pair have decided to focus on school instead of attending world championships, but both want strong performances in Mexico.
“To represent your country at an international event is amazing. Not many people can say they’ve gotten to do that, and you meet athletes from other countries, which is a great experience,” said Becca said.
“The travelling part is really cool. It’s great to meet people with a common interest in climbing. Even if you don’t speak the same language, it’s still fun,” Sara said.
“Our team has a lot of age differences on it – kids aged nine to 18. We’ve known each other for seven years. We feed off one another and that’s helpful,” said Becca.
The depth of the Bow Valley climbers was on display at nationals, as eight climbers reached the semi-finals.
Manon Mackasey of Banff barely missed a spot on the national team, as she finished fifth in the 12-13 year old girls category. Alex Fricker was sixth in the 14-15 year old boys category, Dexter Bateman was also fifth in the 18-19 year old boys category, while Patrick Gibeau finished 14th in the 16-17 year old boys category.
