MetroRock Climbing League: WINNERS ANNOUNCED!!!!

You heard it here, folks, finishing in second place in the first ever MetroRock Climbing League is none other than your hometown climbing team: MASSCLIMBERS!!! WHOOP!

I saw the announcement in the MetroRock newsletter:

New Adult Climbing League
Session2 starts starting March 10th and ending April 20th

Welcome to the MetroRock Adult Climbing League session II. This informal, casual league is a great way to add a little spice to your climbing, meet new people, overcome new challenges, improve your climbing and most of all have some fun! It is specifically designed for climbers of ALL abilities, so whether you've never tied into a rope before or are the next Chris Sharma come join and see what it's all about.

League session - is six weeks; starting Monday, March 10th and ending Sunday, April 20th

Challenge yourself to earn points each week. The harder you climb, the bigger your score - top teams win CASH!

CONGRATS TO THE TOP FINISHERS IN SESSION 1:
TEAM GEEZER AND MASS CLIMBERS

Detailed rules and requirements click HERE!

But what's even funnier is the ensuing conversation that went on after the announcement:

From Greg: So, uh, check out the bottom of the third story down!!!! WOOHOO!!!
From Gecko: HOLY GEBUS!!!!! We got 2nd place!!!??? MassClimbers RULES!!!! WOOHOO!!!!!! !!!!!
From Gammie: Congrats. I'm a little more interested in the sleep over thing mentioned at the bottom. Could be interesting ....
From Greg: Yeah, but I'd probably want drunken naked climbing or something. So I imagine I'm not invited.
From Gammie Brings new meaning to crack climbing. I definitely wouldn't want to belay a guy climbing the chimney. :)
From Greg: *ROLLING*

I'm sure I'm not the only one rolling right now. TMR has consistently requested that we not chat on the group so she doesn't have to recieve the e-mails. Well, whatever, we're boys (except for her) and we're having fun.

To quote "Gecko" again: MassClimbers RULES!!!

MetroRock Climbing League: Weeks 5 and 6 and Suggestions Going Forward

Well, after a couple of weeks without updates, Team MassClimbers learned it's fate today: solidly in fourth place but within spitting distance of third place. With a grand week in week six by us and a weak week by the third place team, we could have overcome them and finished one spot out of the money. Second was out of the question and, happily, fifth was also out reach.

But we know how its all going to finish. We're finishing in fourth because not all of our teammates got 100% of their climbs in this week. So a stellar week was not had. But that's OK, we're glad that its over and we can have fun for once.

A few critiques:
- Midgrades (a, b, c, and d) were not counted; so a 5.10d was worth the same as a 5.10a. This meant that I had to spend my past six weeks ensuring that I got my six 5.11s in. This also meant that I couldn't work on improving my leading in a grade that I was comfortable with. The next league, which I won't participate in because it happens in the spring when I'll be outside, will count these midgrades somehow. This will be, I believe, the single biggest improvement to the league.
- No idea what an acceptable score should be. This means that if I set my standards at getting 60 points each week, that meant I would rarely earn more than 60 points (because 5.11a/b is really my limit and 5.12 is too far out of reach). But if I had set my score to be 75 points then I would have called myself a 5.10 climber and climbed only three 5.11s each week just to get the bonus points. But I chose 60 points, not 75. Now, how many climbers like me also chose 60? That's the point. No one knew where they stood. I believe the next league will also take this into consideration. I guess it is just important to not give beneift to those folks who are at the cusp of a particular grade (i.e. - a 5.10c climber would get far more points than a 5.11a climber because that 5.10c climber would get a few 5.11s in, while the 5.11a would almost never expect to get a 5.12 in). By setting a standard, everyone would know where they stand and what to expect.
- The league supposedly ended on a Thursday when all other weeks leading up to the final week ended on a Sunday. This unfairly affected those people who went on vacation during one of the first five weeks, because they then had a short week to get all their climbs in. I'm not sure if this will be taken into consideration the next time around. I know this affected me because I have been counting on getting my hardest climbs done on Saturday when I have the most rest. I'm not sure if my Saturday's climbs will count (I think they will be because the staff has been very good at communicating that this league was a work-i- progress), but if they don't then I can say that it is my fault for not reading the rules properly.
- One other thought I had after my original post (this bullet is an addition to the first post): some folks thought the league was too long (I haven't decided if I'm one of them yet). I'm not sure if that is because everyone was trying to get at least the minimum and trying to get the same six climbs each week, thus making the experience stale at the end. It may be that adding the mid-grades to the scoring mix will help make it more interesting and less repetitive, but I also think more emphasis needs to be placed on regularly changing routes across the grade spectrum. This will keep folks from doing the same routes for all six weeks (two or three in a row is OK) and may make the league, thus, seem less long. But I say this thinking that the route setting probably needs to be even more proactive during the league than it normally is to alleviate this feeling of it being too long.

Some good things that I've heard:
- Obviously utilizing the midgrades is a great idea.
- Possibly increasing points for leads is a great idea, too, but I hope they don't give a lot of points for leading. Four points would seem reasonable. Not everyone can lead, and one wouldn't want to exclude those folks.
- Capping the total points anyone can earn in any given week. This is a great idea because it keeps people from deliberately moving themselves into a lower grade just to get the bonus points for climbing harder (even though they should be climbing hard to begin with). However, people are still going to manipulate the system so that they shoot for the max each week. My suggestion here is that anyone who earns the top score more than the average top-score earners gets bumped up to the next category automatically and retroactively. In other words, if someone gets the top score four times, and, on average, people in the league get the top score only two times, then that person who earned the top score more than twice gets penalized for "cheating". This is a good system because people won't know what the average is until the league ends. This would essentially eliminate the opportunities for those who are trying to "time the market," so to speak.
- Offer more than cash for the top two teams. If there's nothing to compete for, then there's nothing to compete for. I don't know what to do, but maybe offer the third and fourth place teams their money back. Just a suggestion off the top of my head. Probably not a particularly good one.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting back to my routine: working grades that I'm comfortable with so that I can go into the outdoor season with a level of confidence on specific grades. From this time forward, it's all about not getting hurt and getting ready for outside. Whereever I am grade-wise is whereever I am. Go climb a rock!

MetroRock Climbing League: Week 4

Sorry folks, but there is nothing to report because the scores haven't been updated in about two weeks. Hopefully we've moved up with "TMR"'s mad dash into the 5.11s for the first time in a couple of years, but there's no way to say for sure. In any case, I'll be glad when it's over. I'm itching to start having fun again. I need to train, and not compete. Oh well, must be my pushover nature.

Metrorock Climbing League: Week 3

Well, as I sit here in the disparity of watching the Pats blow the chance at a perfect season, I can say that the difference between the MassClimbers climbing team and the leaders is 280 points; one great week's worth of climbing, and I'm not that worried about that gap.

You see, the season is six weeks long and, because folks go on vacation and the organizers of the league understand this, only the top four weeks count. We are only in week three at the moment, so all weeks count at this point. Once we get past week four, our lowest point total will get dropped. And it is for certain that our lowest week total has already been achieved: week two when both "Gecko" and "TMR" went away and didn't get any points (I was also sick and scored less than 60 points, which, by the way, is probably the standard point total for a team in any given week).

I'm not that worried about it because "Gecko" and "TMR" have each been pushing the envelope with "Gecko" leading most 5.11s in order to get the bonus points for leadings, and "TMR" is just starting to get back on to 5.11, thus getting her the bonus points for climbing about her division (5.10). I'm still chugging along at the standard 60 points because I won't be climbing a 5.12 clean any time soon nor will I be getting any 5.11s on lead anytime soon either. I'm not sure how "RRC" has been doing because he doesn't climb the same nights that we do, but that's OK. I know he's climbing and I know he's getting us some points.

Now, being 280 points behind is tough. I mean, we get 250-260 on a regular basis (due to "Gecko"'s and "TMR"'s bonus points), so 280 is doable if we all have a stellar week at some point. Also, if any of the leading group's members go on vacation (school vacation is coming up), then they will lose points that way. However, if they don't go on vacation, then they can continue to search for their highest four-week total. Either way, we have work to do. I guess I need to step up and get some more points in the coming weeks and hope that we can close the gap slowly over time.

Of course, gaining on the top team means nothing if the five teams in between us and the leaders don't falter either. Gulp!

MetroRock Climbing League: Week 2

Not going to say much except that we plummeted in the standings. "TMR" was trying to jump out of planes in 44mph winds in Florida for the week while "Gecko" was playing "too-dumb-to-know-that-I'm-snowboarding-with-killer-trees" in Utah at the same time. I was sick and thus scored a less-than-stellar 45 points (60 points per week is the goal - at least). I don't know how "RRC" scored, but he e-mailed me earlier this week complaining about our score (see! the infighting has begun). But all four of us are back this week, and because "TMR" pushed her limits last night to score 65 points, we came up with a song to commemorate her performance:

"TMR"
is our super-star
she climbed the hard-est
by far

No, we didn't steal it from a certain Andrew Llyod Webber rock opera (tongue-in-cheek).

MetroRock Climbing League: Week 1

I wish I could give you an update on the entire rankings, but I can only say that MassClimbers is situated nicely in third place, about 15 points behind the second place team, which, I think must have graded itself in a lower category than it should have. But hey, no one's bitter or anything.

We did manage to get a clarification from the powers that be on the rule controversy I noted in the previous post: climbers can climb and record scores on multiple days, as opposed to having to climb all climbs on one day. They changed the rule the day(s) before the the league started. That's a real bummer, too, because I'm really climbing at only a 5.10 level right now, and I'm sicker than a dog - cough, cough, sneeze. So that means my score will be incredibly low this week, as I'll have to register at 5.11 (thanks to all those who complained, really, thanks).

Anyhoo...

Controversy in the Climbing League

Due to the snow storm that never stormed, I didn't get a chance to hit them gym on Monday to see how my team did for the first week of the MetroRock Climbing League. Actually, after reading the rules, I've realized that the scores are posted on Tuesdays. Oh well. In any case, the season has not started without some confusion regarding the handicap and when climbs can be climbed during the week.

The rules do not state how or when an individual's climbs for the week can be climbed other than they must be clean, and by clean - even that is left up to the individual. But the biggest contention surrounds my handicap choice (5.10 - folks seem to think I should be in the 5.11 range) and whether or not all of the climbs in a week have to be done in the same week. I know I'm not making this very clear, so let me lay this out a bit more:
- I chose 5.10 as my group, but folks think I should be at 5.11
- I was told by the owner of the gym that all climbs have to be done in one night, but the rules don't say that
- I feel that I can't do six 5.11s in one night / day, but that may be irrelevant if climbs don't need to be climbed all in one night / day
- If I could have spread them out, I would have chosen 5.11 as my category
- It is unclear whether I will be bumped up (and thus lose points) or if others will lose points because they chose a higher level that they now have to climb all at once (which they weren't planning on doing)

Oh my God! What is to come of this? To be clear, I was not cheating nor being dishonest when choosing 5.10. Honestly, six 5.11s in one night is tough for me. My homerun grade is 5.10c. I can flash any 5.10c in the gym, most 5.10ds, some 5.11as, but rarely a 5.11b. I have to work 5.11a to get it clean most of the time. That, and, my body goes through tremendous swings of strength and energy that doctors still can't explain (no, it's not fibromyalgia or Lyme Disease, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist). I go through these periods when I feel as if I can scale glass, and then other periods when I can barely walk up the stairs without feeling gassed or tired. Right now, I'm in an energy-low period. My muscles are stale, my energy low and my overall, daily body soreness is high. So when I say I can't get six 5.11s in one night, I really mean that six 5.10s are hard right now, too. But even if someone does get 60 points, that doesn't mean anything either. I know two people who really struggled to get 60 points. I'd be lucky to pick up 30, but this has more to do with counting 5.10a the same as 5.10d (which isn't so bad when you think about it, because it ultimately gives a greater advantage to weaker climbers. This is because of the exponential difference between grades as the grades get harder. In other words, a 5.9 climber is more likely to get 15 points for climbing a 5.10 than a 5.11 climber is to get 15 points for climbing 5.12, so that oversight may be fair after all because it strategically gets weaker climbers more involved in climbing and, ultimately better secures their business. And, let's not forget that the grading in the gym within grades varies a bit).

But enough of the sympathy card, I should say that the rules don't say what the expected points per person per week should be. If one climbs six climbs in one's grade, then one gets 60 points (or ten points per climb). What did the creators of this league have in mind when they devised this league? They actually didn't have anything in mind. And let's be fair; they didn't start this league to have the perfect competitive atmosphere. It was probably devised over a drunken poker game when one guy said, "I bet if I put four of my friends together that we'd kick your four friends asses." It was created to have fun, but this hasn't stopped the worry-warts such as myself (and those pointing fingers are me) from openly discussing what could be done better for next year's league. Knowing these guys, I expect them to learn from this and to make it that much better next year.

I should get a clarification, anyway. Let me see if I can get two folks who should be in the know to weigh in. Check back for comments later...

Climbing League - Part One

We've all seen The Big Lebowski and heard of bowling leagues, right? Well, the local gym in my area has started a climbing league, and I joined with three of my friends from my MassClimbers Yahoo climbing group (see the link to the right): "The Mad Russian" (otherwise now known as "TMR"), "Gecko" and "Red Rocks Casino" (otherwise now known as "RRC"). I'll fill in a bit more later on where these names came from, but for now, let's assume we've assembled a pretty bad-ass group of climbers. We may not be the best in the gym, but we can all hold our own on stiff 10s, 11s and easy 12s. That, and, we're pretty edgy, we get agitated with each other often, we all want the attention to be focused on ourselves, and we won't stop talking about that fact (without, of course, not actually saying it - because that would arrogant). Mess with us on an individual level and we'll rip you to shreds. Just imagine what we're like as a team (or to each other as teammates - GULP!).

But before we get into how this bowli...err...climbing league works, let's start off with an inspiring moment in bowling history (courtesy of IMDB):
The Dude: Fuckin' Quintana... that creep can roll, man.
Walter Sobchak: Yeah, but he's a pervert, Dude.
The Dude: Yeah.
Walter Sobchak: No, he's a sex offender. With a record. He served 6 months in Chino for exposing himself to an eight year old.
The Dude: Oh!
Walter Sobchak: When he moved to Hollywood he had to go door to door to tell everyone he was a pederast.
Donny: What's a... pederast, Walter?
Walter Sobchak: Shut the fuck up, Donny.

OK, so the league works based on four components: a grading handicap, weekly scores, total weekly scores over a six-week period and a throw-out of the two weakest weeks that an individual climbs over the course of the league. One gets to climb whenever one wants, decides if a route was climbed cleanly or not and does not have to be judged by anyone. In essence, it's easier than a bowling league. I guess it's more like an honest-driven golf league. Well, I think climbers are less likely to lie about climbing a route cleanly, but that's another debate.

The handicap system works as such: you choose the grade that you most often climb clean. If you choose 5.10 (and there are no differences among the letter grades - so 10d is worth the same as 10a) then you get 10 points for each 5.10 that you climbed cleanly, 5 points for each 5.9, and 15 points for each 5.11. One can add 2 points for leads that are climbed cleanly for each grade, too. Naturally, you can make the same adjustments for folks who are 5.9 climbers (i.e. - for them, a 5.9 climb is worth 10 points). As you may notice, because the letter grades don't factor into the score, harder climbers are penalized because the exponential differences between 5.10 and 5.11 versus the distance between 5.11 and 5.12. But that's OK. It's about having fun and getting everyone involved. And Involved we are.

Now, let's meet the team:
- "The Mad Russian" or "TMR": The very first member of MassClimbers (after I created it, of course) and born in southern Siberia. She's just getting back into climbing after jumping out of a plane and breaking her femur over a year ago. She was a fantastic climber before the injury, and is just getting back into climbing shape now. She has gracefully moved from 5.8s and 5.9s the past couple of months into the solid 5.10 climbing category as of last night. And climbing is just her hobby among hobbies. When she isn't climbing she's skydiving. And when she isn't skydiving, she's jetsetting to stylish parties. And when she isn't jetsetting...it's impossible to go on.
- "Gecko": He got this name because we were joking about how he felt his arm was going to fall off after a dynamic move to a steep crimper. We both agreed that all would be OK because he'd just grow another arm (hey, I didn't say all the nicknames were great ones. So long as they stick, I'm OK). Anyway, he's an ex-boulderer who has little or no climbing experience. But hey, who the hell cares about that when you can go from 5.8 to 5.12 in a matter of three months...with a hole in the toe of his right climbing shoe. I should have called him "HGH". Probably too late for that. Just as an FYI - he was climbing 5.12 before he even learned how to lead. I'm not saying that he's stupid, but I think he doesn't realize that his rise isn't supposed to happen. Anyway, he signed up for the 5.11 category.
- "Red Rocks Casino" or "RRC": There's no running away from this nickname. When I was planning my trip to Red Rocks this past autumn I received feedback from several friends on where to stay. Most friends noted cheap hotels and casinos. "RRC" mentioned the Red Rocks Casino. He said it was the closest one can get to Red Rocks Canyon, and it was a nice place to stay. I then looked up the prices: $400 per night was the cheapest room. Yeah, that's my price range. Anyway, he's been in the group for a long time, dating back to when "Tattoo" and "JoJo" were regular members. He took a hiatus for about a year to live in California, but now he's back and climbing in the 5.10 category.
- Greg (no nickname needed, though I'm sure some people have nicknames that they've muttered under their breaths from time to time): I could probably jump into the 5.11 category, but I can't do six 5.11s in one day right now. I can get up probably three, but not six. So I'm in the 5.10 category until they move me up. As it is, I'm struggling on 5.10s lately. I've got a bum knee, a severe lack of sleep slowing me down and a cranky bloating problem. Gravity is not my friend these days.

One other note: what's to keep a 5.11 climber from climbing in the 5.10 category only to get 15 points for climbs he / she should have been climbing for 10 points? Well, nothing, at first. But the keepers of the league will be on the look out for this. If anyone is caught cheating (well, maybe cheating is too strong of a word), then they will be bumped up into the next category.

The league started this week and I think Team MassClimbers got off to a good start. "Gecko" scored six 5.11s, "TMR" scored six 5.10s and "RRC" scored four 5.10s and two 5.11s (I think). My day is on Saturday. I'm not climbing well right now, so we'll see how things go. But hey, it's all about fun right?

Jesus Quintana: You ready to be fucked, man? I see you rolled your way into the semis. Dios mio, man. Liam and me, we're gonna fuck you up.
The Dude: Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
Jesus Quintana: Let me tell you something, pendejo. You pull any of your crazy shit with us, you flash a piece out on the lanes, I'll take it away from you, stick it up your ass and pull the fucking trigger 'til it goes "click."
The Dude: Jesus.
Jesus Quintana: You said it, man. Nobody fucks with the Jesus.
Walter Sobchak: Eight-year-olds, Dude.