Everett, Marysville climbers to compete in world championships

Published 1:30 am Friday, August 11, 2017

Sidney Trinidad and Laili Couper have been passionate about indoor climbing ever since they started training as elementary-schoolers. They’ve competed in many local, regional and national events during the past several years, winning championships along the way. They’re part of the climbing team at Vertical World, a climbing gymnasium based in Seattle. They hope to continue to climb after high school, possibly joining the USA Climbing: Collegiate series.

Trinidad, a Marysville resident, and Couper, from Everett, have another thing in common: They’ll represent their country at the 2017 International Federation of Sport Climbing Youth World Championships, to be held from Aug. 30-Sept. 10 in Innsbruck Triol, Austria.

This will be Trinidad’s fourth world championship appearance and Couper’s first. There are three main events in competitive indoor climbing — bouldering, in which competitors attempt to complete the most routes, or “problems,” by scaling artificial boulders with no ropes or harnesses; speed, in which competitors try to reach the top of a climbing wall in the fastest time possible; and sport, in which competitors traverse relatively short, rated routes with the aid of preplaced bolts, ropes and harnesses.

Couper will be competing in bouldering, while Trinidad qualified in all three events.

“I’m nervous because the best in the world will be there, which is intimidating, but I’m more excited than nervous,” said Couper, who will be a junior at Everett High School this fall. “I want to enjoy the experience, but I am competitive, so I’d like to make it past the qualifying round and hopefully to the semifinal or final. I think if I climb well I can probably make the semifinal, although I’m not sure how good the other people will be.”

“Right now I’m in an interesting transition because I didn’t train as hard as I normally would’ve for nationals, and my result wasn’t as good,” said Trinidad, who graduated from Arlington High School earlier this year and plans to attend Everett Community College in the fall. “(That result) has propelled me and inspired me to train harder, and I’m looking forward to this more than other world championships that I’ve done. This is the first time I’ll do all three events at worlds.”

Couper: ‘Natural problem solver’

Couper started climbing when she was 7, at the behest of her parents, Skeet and Rebekah, who climbed when they were younger. They enrolled their daughter in a class at Vertical World and watched as her interest took hold as her abilities developed.

“Lots of people say they love (climbing) right away, but I didn’t love it right away,” Couper said. “But I didn’t hate it right away, either. I stuck with it and it grew on me.

“I love climbing so much because even though every day isn’t great, you can have random training days that are really amazing because you’re with people who you like, who enjoy climbing, and you enjoy the company. The community of fellow climbers is amazingly supportive. And it’s really satisfying to make the route or make it to the top.”

“Climbing takes a lot of thinking about what’s the best way to solve a problem,” Rebekah Couper said. “Laili is a natural problem solver. She enjoys the mental and physical aspect, and she likes the workout. She’s always been a naturally active child.”

Couper qualified for the world championships by finishing sixth in the Female Youth A division at the USA Climbing 2017 Bouldering Youth National Championship, held Feb. 10 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

“Going into nationals, I thought I could (qualify for worlds) if I had a good event,” Couper said. “I have improved my mental game a lot. I have more confidence, and I’m not worrying about competitions — I’m just doing them. And I’m way stronger — there’s not even a comparison from when I joined the (Vertical World team) and now.”

Trinidad: Making up for lost time

Trinidad, who started climbing when she was 8, has put together an impressive climbing resume during the last 10 years. She’s a 27-time Team USA qualifier and has won 11 national championships. She participated in the world championships in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

“In my first year climbing, I barely made nationals in the lowest age category, and to my surprise I took third. Ever since then I’ve been holding myself up to that standard, (wanting) to get a similar result,” she said. “I love the competition aspect. I’ve done other sports — softball, track and field, cross country. For me, the competition (in rock climbing) is so different — it’s such a friendly atmosphere.”

Trinidad didn’t train in the spring in order to focus on her goal of winning a state track and field championship for Arlington. She achieved that goal, placing first in the 100-meter hurdles event at the 3A state meet in late May.

But when she returned to the climbing gym in June, she felt the affects of the missed time. She wasn’t thrilled with her performance at the national events; competing in the female junior division, she finished 10th in bouldering in February in Utah, then placed sixth in speed and 10th in sport at the USA Climbing 2017 Sport & Speed Youth Nationals, held July 13-16 in Kennesaw, Georgia.

But she’s worked hard since then to make up for the lost time, and feels good heading into the world championships.

“You have to know how to work with your body, and for me, I’m a sprinter, and I have sprinter’s legs, which is odd for climbers,” she said. “Other climbers rely on their arms and don’t get their legs involved, but I’m able to use my legs to power me up the wall more than my arms. I used to rely on my strength, but since I’ve gotten older and prioritized other things, I haven’t had the opportunity to train as much, so I’ve had to improve my mental game for sure.”