The Johannesburg Section of the Mountain Club of South Africa actively fosters and facilitates mountaineering. This incorporates climbing, trekking, mountain walking and related activities, and promoting fellowship between people with these interests who are committed to the conservation of mountain areas.
MCSA Member Login
| Gauteng Schools Climbing League 24 Sept |
 |
 |
 |
|
Gauteng Schools Climbing League HIGH SCHOOL BOULDERING COMPETITION 24 SEP The Gauteng Schools Climbing League or the GSCL has been busy again. Many High Schools in Gauteng offer climbing but to date no high school competition league exists. In order to get the ball rolling, the GSCL committee decided to launch a Bouldering competition. We formed an organising team; Andrew Pedley, Steve Bretherick, Patrick Black, Don Botha, Tam , and myself and we set to work. First we set a date which did not clash with existing sporting commitments. (This was the biggest challenge considering the crammed school itinerary) We then sent out invitations, scrubbed grips, repaired mats, set routes, arranged grand stands, prizes and goody bags (thanks to Drifters and Ram Mountaineering), and finally we were ready. Competitors started streaming in from 8 am, overloading the data capture team. High schools from all over Gauteng took part with 52 competitors in total. There was a feverish excitement in the air as they all carefully studied the problems to be climbed. Everything ran super smoothly and by 9.05 everybody was ready to compete. At the same time as Don put the first boerewors on the braai, the first climber stepped onto the wall. To our embarrassment we had set two routes labelled number 8, and so we had to ditch one of them. For the qualifying rounds, the girls climbed routes 1 to 12, and guys climbed routes 4 to 15. Each had 4 attempts on each route, getting fewer points with each attempt. The standard was surprisingly high and we were worried that we had not set hard enough problems. But Steve’s masterpiece; the over-hanging arête with sloping grips which demanded a controlled body swing set the cat amongst the pigeons. Time was running out and the competitors had to push their limp arms for those last few points. During their half hour break the competitors enjoyed boerewors rolls whilst the final routes were set. Tension mounted as each competitor gave their best on all of their three attempts. Ever move was cheered by parents and fellow pupils alike. The competition was running so desperately close in some categories, that a super final was climbed in order to obtain a result. The final results were as follows:
Junior Girls
Senior girls
Junior Boys 1. Gert Pieterson 2. Sheldon Crabtree 3. Gareth Cottrell Senior Boys
                |
