07 Apr
Wednesday, March 13 was the EBOC Final (EBOC stands for ESAC Boulder Competition). This event took place in the boulder hall of the SSC. This concept was new to me since I have not been a member of the ESAC for very long. 3 Weeks before the final was the EBOC itself where every ESAC member could climb the specially made boulder routes and tick them off; those with the most climbed routes were allowed to go to the final where they competed for the title of best boulderer of the ESAC.
I was informed about the activity by the boulderwall-committee of which I have recently become a member. However, because I could not help building, I was allowed to participate in the competition. In the end I became 8th in the selection and was therefore unfortunately not allowed to advance to the final. However, in the afternoon I got a message from Isabelle that the number 4 could not come and that I could take this place. Pleasantly surprised, I decided to participate in my first Boulder final.
The final was divided into 3 competitions; the women's class, the beginner's class and the advanced men's class. I participated in the advanced class because I have been climbing a little longer than one year. The competition was tough and some boulderaars have been climbing much longer than me. After not having made it to the start of the first two routes, I started to give up. However, I got on well with the last route and I flashed it (achieved in one go). Because of this I ended up 2nd in this competition. I also attribute this to luck as I have not been climbing for too long and the 3rd on the podium is, to my knowledge, a better climber. There are also many good climbers at the ESAC who have not actively participated. Still, I was happy with the special beer that I won.
All in all I thought it was a fun activity and I was happy to see that many people enjoyed a fun competition with exciting Boulders. I would like to thank everyone who helped with building and organizing and everyone who did their best in the competition for a great competition!