Michaela Tracy: psyched

Getting psyched can be the most elusive of all the ingredients for climbing. But what is it, and just how do you get it? We interview British Bouldering Championship winner Michaela Tracy to find out the secret to her psyche.

A good dose of psyche and you’re up for anything: dominating, crushing, mad-for-it. You can’t get enough for the rock. Yet lose it? You might as well stay in bed.

But what exactly is it? Anyone watching the recent British Bouldering Championships will know the answer. With British number one Shauna Coxsey competing in the bouldering World Cup in China last weekend, the women’s category, on paper, looked wide open.

But on the finals day, one climber looked like she’d parachuted in on a stealth mission to crank hard. She looked more focussed, more up for it and more confident than the rest of field – and that’s saying something.

Her name is Michaela Tracy, and she’s just won the British Bouldering Championships, beating Charlotte Garden, Tara Hayes and two-times former British Champion Leah Crane to first place.

We found out what makes her tick:

So, your first time winning the British Bouldering Championships. How did that feel?
I’d say it’s my proudest competition moment. It’s really fantastic. I’m really chuffed.

Have you been training a lot in preparation?
Damn right I have, it’s been hell. Mark Pretty, or Zippy, has been coaching me and that has made a big difference. It’s all about pushing harder and harder – suffering basically – the sort of stuff you wouldn’t do unless there’s someone there telling you to do it. I’ve done lots on the campus board, training contact strength, being able to pull hard on a hold instantaneously. Also lots of Tabata exercises, a kind of interval training. This is four minutes of utter pain, there’s no other way to describe it.

What about mental training?
I don’t feel that I’ve done a lot of mental training, but the main thing I get is confidence from having trained really hard. I don’t need to get intimidated by problems. There’s that feeling you get sometimes where you’re climbing really well, and you think you can win. But having trained and pushed and worked so hard in preparation, it’s almost like you don’t need to have that feeling of climbing well just to do well; your base is already so high.

Was the BBCs a high-stress situation then, having worked so hard for it?
Yes, but no. I mean, I was psyched but still, you know it’s not life or death. You know it’s just a competition and it’s fun and, win or lose, it doesn’t make you who you are.

So, do you actually enjoy the events?
Oh yes, very much so. You’re going out there in front of a crowd to climb your best. Normally in comps, I get possessed by psyche, maybe too much. Punching the wall and that sort of thing. This time I managed to keep the levels a bit more manageable, more a steady bubble of psyche. A big steady bubble of psyche. It’s hard to put across how much I love it. In fact, as soon as a comp is over it always feels like a big downer, and I’m left with a feeling of Oh! So now what?

WATCH: our great little clip of Michaela warming up and psyching up:

What was going through your head before trying a problem?
Techno. Sam Whittaker, who was DJing at the BBCs, was great and played techno for me when I was trying a problem. It’s the repetitive, hypnotic aggressive sound gets inside my head and makes me feel all AAAARRRRRGHHH!

How did it feel just after you won? Celebration time?
I was stunned, really. I was just, like, Oh! That’s nice. I couldn’t take it in. Afterwards, I tried to do that Champagne popping thing that they do, but with Prosecco. It didn't really work. I think there's a knack which I don't have and it just came out in this pathetic little fountain, most of it went all over the ground.

Any goals for the future?
I want to get better at the World Cup events. These are terrifying and I don’t feel I’ve done well enough in them yet. They’re a lot of pressure, often travelling huge distances, hanging out in hotel rooms or airports, losing sleep, being away from home, just to do four problems. They’re like the worst holiday you could imagine. Shauna does well in these; she’s good, like really good, but I’d like to get good enough to provide her with some competition.

I’ve also always aimed at having biceps as big as Sam Whittaker’s. Reality has hit me lately on that score and I’ve had to revise that ambition. Now I want to have biceps as big as Alex Puccio’s.

Michaela is sponsored by Scarpa.