Highlights from 9 competitions I attended in 2011
2011 was full of competitions for me. Instead of recounting the details of the 9 events I attended, I have decided to take a different approach by highlighting 4 things from each event: 1. Location 2. Memorable Moment 3. Favorite Eats 4. My placement
1. ABS Nationals (February)
Location: Random warehouse in Boulder, CO
Memorable moment: Watching Ashima Shiraishi crush her finals problem in the Youth Finals
Favorite eats: Walnut A Go Go provided delicious food outside the venue
Placed: 5th
2. Canadian Nationals (April)
Location: Climber’s Rock; Burlington, Ontario
Memorable moment: Seeing Niagara Falls
Favorite eats: Tim Hortons (coffee & donuts), QB Sports Grill (gigantic bacon cheeseburger)
Placed: 1st
3. River Rock (May)
Location: Brown’s Island, Richmond, VA
Memorable moment: Getting a personal tour of historic Richmond courtesy of Taylor Lorraine Lightninghorse Nystrom
Favorite eats: Cross Roads Coffee & Ice Cream (http://crossroadsrva.com/)
Placed: 2nd
4. World Cup Canmore (May)
Location: Canmore, Alberta
Memorable moment: Getting snowed on in May while watching finals
Favorite eats: Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company (http://www.rockymountainflatbread.ca/)
Placed: 11th
5. World Cup Vail (June)
Location: Vail, CO
Memorable moment: Doing the double dyno on women’s final 2 after the crowd started chanting “USA”, definitely the most enthusiastic crowd I have ever climbed in front of
Favorite eats: Joe’s Deli (lunch, gelato), Covered Bridge Coffee (bacon, egg and cheese breakfast bagel & coffee)
Placed: 6th
6. Central Park NYC Comp (June)
Location: Central Park, NYC
Memorable moment: Getting stuck at a train station with Emily Harrington after midnight and having to go to the nearby gay bar to have them call us a cab
Favorite eats: Home-made dinner at Matthey Barney’s house (world-renowned artist and friend of Emily) with an amazing view of the city (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Barney)
Placed: 1st
7. World Championships (July)
Location: Arco, Italy
Memorable moment: Swimming and goofing around at Lake Garda with many members of the American Team
Favorite eats: Saiwa Oro Ciok Cookies! (http://nutrizione.saiwa.it/oro/)
Placed: 17th
8. Adidas Rockstars (July)
Location: Area 47, Oetztal Valley, Austria (http://www.adidas-rockstars.com/en/general-info/area-47/)
Memorable moment: Missing my train on the Italy-Austria border and getting stuck in the tiny town of Brenner
Favorite eats: Amazing catered meals provided by Adidas
Placed: 13th
9. Nor’Easter (September)
Location: Burlington, VT
Memorable moment: Paddle boarding with Alex Johson, Isabelle Faus, Lizzie Asher and crew
Favorite eats: The Skinny Pancake in Burlington, Café Rustica in Boston,
Butter Girl Baking in Boston (amazing cookies!) (http://buttergirlbaking.com/)
Placed: 1st