Mandurah Catholic College siblings Harry and Exton Menzies have successfully clambered their way to securing a spot in a national rock climbing competition.
Both boys secured second placings in the WA State Lead Titles held in Perth earlier this month, and thus qualified for the national competition, which will be held in Sydney in May.
Exton (year 10), climbed in the youth A division and Harry (year 7), in the youth C.
The avid climbers have been associated with the Mandurah Indoor Rock Climbing Centre for the past eight months, with Exton now part of their Youth Squad and Harry a member of the Climb Club.
More rock climbing:
They climb three-to-four times per week for approximately 90 minutes.
The duo recently embarked on some outdoor climbs at Wellington Dam, Pinjarra and Margaret River with their family, who are all avid rock climbers.
“It's a physical and mental workout,” Exton said.
“Because you have to carefully plan out your climb to achieve the best result. Holding on to very small rocks and plotting your next move can be tricky.”
For Harry, the most difficult aspect is deciding whether he can actually reach the next hold.
“If I don't think I can reach it I then have to try and jump to the next rock,” he said.
Rock climbing is not merely an exercise in trying to reach new heights.
While the final height is a consideration in judging, the path taken is also worth points.
Climbers must adhere to a certain colour of rock and work against the clock to score extra points.
The number of holds (which carry different points) used and the final height reached before the climber loses hold and “falls” to the ground are also considered by judges when allocating the final score.
