ARLINGTON — When she was younger, Sidney Trinidad would climb like a monkey on the equipment at any playground. She was fearless, her dad said.
At age 8, she climbed to the top of a rock-climbing wall at an Auburn shopping mall. After that her folks decided to get her into a climbing class.
Recently, Sidney, now 10, placed first in a national rock-climbing competition in Salt Lake City.
The Eagle Creek Elementary School fifth-grader took top honors in the age 11-and-younger category for sport climbing and also came home with a second place trophy in the speed competition, which had her racing straight up a 50-foot wall.
Sidney, the daughter of Lisa Trinidad of Arlington and Chris Trinidad of Seattle, is a member of the Everett Vertical World climbing team. She also is an accomplished inline skater and enjoys climbing in the North Cascades range near Mazama.
“It was fun to meet kids from all over the country at nationals,” Sidney said. “It felt really good to win.”
To get to the national competition, where she climbed against about 30 other children, Sidney had to win some tough local, regional and divisional competitions.
“We are very proud of our daughter,” Lisa Trinidad said. “She’s very active and competitive.”
Climbing outdoors is something that Sidney looks forward to as she grows older.
“It’s fun to be outside, too,” she said.
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.
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