Sidney was later in the running order for Qualifiers so I was able to watch her best friends and teammates (Melina, Cierra & Makenna) climb. What I noticed in watching them climb was that the routesetting was extremely tough this year. They were taking no prisoners! Sidney came out and flashed Qualifier # 1 but barely half of her group made the route which shows how hard they were setting right out of the gate.
Sidney was one of only 3 girls, the others being Melina and Cierra, to make Qualifier # 2 and they all flashed it. If you watch the video of this climb on our youTube channel, Chasesidney13, you'll be amazed at how effortless she climbs the route. She makes it look much easier than it is.
Sidney and Melina were the only girls to make Qualifier # 3 with Sid flashing it and MC making it on her 2nd attempt. Cierra almost flashed it but made a sequencing error that caused her to fall at the top and she couldn't make it on her 2nd attempt.
Going into Finals, Makenna was in 7th with 1 Top and 36 points. Cierra was in 3rd with 2 Tops, 46 points and 2 flashes. Melina was in 2nd with 3 Tops, 49 points and 2 flashes. Sidney was 1st with 3 flashes. To illustrate how hard the setting was for Qualifiers, going into Finals for all 10 categories, there was the possibility of only 1 Superfinal. That is called separation!
Sidney flashed Final # 1 but it was a toughie as only 4 (Sid, MC, Cierra & Miriam) of the 12 finalists made the problem and they were all flashes. The sequencing was very specific with a couple of strength moves thrown in so I could see how some of the girls would have problems with it.
More girls found success on Final # 2 as half of the Finalists made the route with Sidney, Melina and Cierra being the only ones to flash it. It was a short but sweet route that had one big move. The key was to be able to make a big crossover with your right hand near the top of the route.
Being as Sidney was right after Melina in the climbing order, she knew what Melina would have gotten on each climb before she was to climb. It makes her a little nervous but she deals with it well. On Final # 3, Cierra fell 3 times at the crux and did not make the route. Because of that bobble, Cierra finished in 4th place with Miriam squeaking by her for 3rd. That's the nature of the new scoring changes as you can climb better than someone else for most of the comp but if you make one mistake, it can cost you placings. Melina looked strong and easily flashed Final # 3 which put some pressure on Sidney as she would have to flash the route, too, in order to finish in 1st place. Sidney looked just as strong as MC and flashed the route. In fact, she finished with a flourish by skipping the 2nd to last hold and going for the finish in typical Sidney fashion. Only Sidney and Melina made Final # 3.
In the end, Makenna qualified in the 8th and final spot for invites to Divisionals (Great job!). Cierra finished in 4th place. She was pretty bummed about her placing but it was a great learning experience for her nonetheless. Miriam, an up and coming first year C girl climbed very strong and finished in 3rd place. Melina was in 2nd place and Sidney finished in 1st place. Sidney was one of only 2 climbers (the other was Gavin Dixon) for the entire comp that flashed all 6 routes. Melina was right there by climbing all 6 routes with 1 fall. That's all that separated Sidney from her, 1 fall! Close. Divisionals is in two weeks and like I've said before, the FYC competition is going to be a doozy. I can't wait!!
