Lynnwood climber takes second at Junior Nationals

Published 9:37 am Friday, February 22, 2008

Like many teen-agers, Ellen French could be best described as a bundle of energy.

The 13-year-old Lynnwood resident is a singer in a jazz choir, a budding actress and a violin player.

But the activity that takes up most of French’s time and the one the incoming College Place Middle School eighth-grader is most passionate about is competitive climbing.

French recently returned from the 2002 United States Competitive Climbing Association Junior Nationals, where she finished second in the 12-13-year-old speed division July 5-7 in Tigard, Ore.

Competitive climbing takes place indoors on specially designed courses. There are two different types of competitions — difficulty and speed — for 10 age groups.

In difficulty, each hole is worth a number of points and the higher climbers go, the more points they earn. In speed, the focus is on the climber’s elapsed time.

French’s second-place finish would have earned her a spot on the U.S. Junior Climbing team and a trip to France for the international championships but she was ineligible due to her age. Instead, French was named an honorary member of the team.

“I’m OK not being able to go,” said French, who still may get to participate in some competitions in Canada and Mexico.

French was surprised she did so well in the speed competition since her focus has been more on difficulty.

“I just thought I was going to do it for fun,” French said. “I didn’t understand that people got onto the national team. I was just going to try it.”

French completed the roughly 50-foot route in 17.63 seconds, just behind the winner Alexandra Johnson, who finished in 14.26.

French’s time now likely would be significantly faster.

“I’ve got it way down,” French said. “I’ve been practicing. I can do 20 feet in seven seconds.”

French had a tough first day in the difficulty event and did not advance to the second round. She ended up 21st overall. The top four placers earn spots on the junior national squad.

French has two fifth-place finishes in difficulty in previous national competitions.

“I usually do well in difficulty,” she said.

The sport of competitive climbing has grown tremendous in recent years, especially among young people.

When French started climbing at the age of 7, there were only about 100 other competitive youth climbers in the nation. Today an estimated 3,000 young people are active participants in the sport.

Ellen’s father Robin introduced her to competitive climbing. The Frenchs scaled the wall at the Lynnwood REI before she headed off to the Cascade Crags club. For the last five years, Ellen has been climbing at Vertical World in Seattle.

French showed promise early on, taking third place in her first club competition.

The skills needed to be a good climbing are both physical and mental.

“You have to have good technique,” French said. “You need to have some strength. You need to be willing to jump places and not be afraid to fall.”

Figuring out the fastest way to scale the wall is similar to solving a puzzle.

The feeling of accomplishment French has after completing a course is one of the best parts of the sport.

“I really like it when I get to the end of a route and get lowered down,” French said. “It feels so great when you’re done. More and more I like jumping around.”

Most climbers are tethered to a rope throughout their ascent.

French has experienced her share of bumps and bruises and has broken her wrist as a result of a fall. But the fear of falling is something she has overcome.

“The biggest challenge is probably knowing to go for something and not being afraid that something is going to go wrong,” French said.

While French has all the physical skills, it’s her mental game that makes her such a good climber, according to coach Adam Pessel.

“She’s very, very determined and she definitely works hard at it,” said Pessel, the director of instruction at Vertical World and one of the team coaches. “She loves climbing. She is very competitive. She’s got natural talent. What it comes down to is her being really dedicated to it.”