With 186 competitors and the assembled throng of eager parents and spectators, the Westway was packed to the rafters on Saturday, for what was to be an action packed day of climbing competiton.
The day was kicked off by a group warm up led by members of the British Junior Climbing Team. The kids then went at the problems and routes with boundless energy. Each competitor had 3 problems and 3 routes to complete, and competitors had come from all corners of the UK, including Northern Ireland for the first time.
The atmosphere was fantastic with regular cheers from the spectators from all areas of the Westway climbing centre as a competitors topped a problem or a route.
After a full day of competition, everyone including the judges, the belayers, and competitors were starting to wilt slightly, but Mark Alderson, chief scorer was feverishly tapping away at his laptop adding up the scores. So detailed below is the top three from each category, in what was a fantastic conclusion to a fantastic competition series.
Girls 8-10
1st Emily Allen
2nd Rachel Tennant
3rd Gabriella Stewart
Boys 8-10
1st Jack Graham
2nd George Morris
3rd Dominic Vincent
Girls 11-13
1st Rachel Carr
2nd Eleanor Hopkins
3rd Nikki Addison
Boys 11-13
1st Randy Roby
=2nd Brendan Gallagher
=2nd Dylan Mackenzie
Girls 14-16
1st Suzie Zitter
2nd Charlotte Ellison
3rd Charlotte Garden
Boys 14-16
1st Nathan Phillips
2nd Sean Hopkins
3rd Morgan Preece
The North West secured the Team prize, over the second placed London & SE, and Scotland North came third.
A full set of results can be seen by clicking here, and pictures from the Final will be added to the website very soon.
The BMC would like to thank all the volunteers that helped out with the final, and the rounds during the entire series, without you guys this competition would not be possible, you all do a fantastic job.
Lets hope next year's is even more successful than this year. Keep checking the BMC website for updates.