|
The new millennium of sport climbing continues with the signs of news and
changes. The Rock Master changes, the most famous competition in the
world. New artificial wall, impressive, very beautiful and that cost about
a billion lire, new rules and competition formula. Fresh air in the
Climbing Stadium of Prabi, and may be something more. Let's try to
understand better why. First new thing. This year is the inauguration of
the new climbing wall that will host the 2000 sport climbing competitions.
Wonderful construction of steel, resin and policarbonate, which constitute
the main elements of the new wall. Final cost of the operation, about one
billion lire. Second new thing. To support Rock Master a week of events
related to the mountain and climbing world has been organized. The start
is on  September
2nd, with the Trophy "Baby Rock", a promotional kid climbing
event, that this year replaces the old "Topolino Trophy". It
continues with films and podium discussions about the vertical world. At
the end the champion competitions. Friday night is the time of bouldering.
Saturday, finally the Rock Master. Third new thing. Drastic change of the
competition rules. The competition, like always, shows a ranking based on
the sum of the performances on the on-sight and worked routes. This
ranking becomes definitive from the fifth place downwards. For the first
four best athletes the game isn't done yet. To increase interest, this is
at least what the organisers think, some direct comparisons are introduced
to define the top. Practically the third and the fourth of the provisional
ranking, based on the sum of the meters climbed of the on-sight and worked
route, compare themselves on two parallel and perfectly identical routes.
The winner (and in this case the third) is the one who finishes the route
or climbs higher. In case of ex-equo, the one who was faster. A
competition concept undoubtely original and that anyway makes the
spectators curious. This all, as declared by the organizing committee,
finalized to making the competition more spectacular, to find new space in
the important media. It's the time for the "Sint Rock Bouldering
Contest", a particular bouldering competition, to start the
competition weekend. The competition formula is new and it has nothing to
do with the normal bouldering competition. The athletes compare themselves
in a duel, on two identical bouldering routes, competing against each
other. The basic specialty concept changes, instead of  comparison
with the difficulty, that ends in a clear ranking, there is the direct
competition against a rival. To explain better, it goes from a competition
formula based on a quantifiable value of the performance, to a formula
like tennis or soccer, where who wins reaches the next round. The two
athletes have a boulder to climb, identical with the one of the competitor.
Each athletes has five minutes time and limitless attempts. The one who
climbs higher or, in case of ex-equo, the faster one, reaches the next
round. It is therefore bouldering, but with a strong component reserved to
the speed, to disadvantage of the difficulty. Anyway the concept is very
simple and immediate, particularly for the not specialized spectators, and
the show is fast and dynamic. After a series of confrontations the finals
are quickly reached. In the men's contest an almost unknown Polish guy,
Tomasz Oleksy, wins over the Hispaniac Daniel Andrada. In the women's
final victory for the Russian Natalia Novikova who beats the Swiss
Annatina Schultz. The next day is the time of difficulty, with the first
manche of the "Ennio Lattisi Trophy", contest that substantially
replaces what until last year was called "Rock Master". For the
2000 edition instead
the name "Rock Master" is bound to the final duel, the parallel
challenge between the best athletes, that defines the composition of the
final podium. Suturday morning starts with the on-sight routes. Thirty
athletes attending, 17 men and 14 women, who represent the best of the
world parterre. In the women's field outstanding performance of the
Slowenian Martina Cufar and of the reigning World Champion Liv Sansoz.
Both complete the route and let the others behind. Behind therefore also
the Belgian Muriel Sarkany, who only manages to touch the last holds. To
remark the optimum performance of the yung Jenny Lavarda, this year much
more sure in her progression. The 16-year -old from Vicenza finishes the
on-sight manche with an encouraging seventh place. The other Italian,
Luisa Iovane, follows in ninth position. Very interesting also the men's
contest. The hard awaited Legrand, local favourite, another time shows a
perfect climb. His friend Hirayama follows him, this year surely the
strongest and fittest climber. Unexpected instead the performance of the
German athlete Christian Bindhammer, who demonstrates an impressive
climbing confidence. We appreciated the confirmation of Dino Lagni, who
reached the chains, the modest reigning World Champion, who another time
underlines his presence at the international top. A little less exciting,  but
still effective, the performance of Brenna, who loses his power 80 cm from
the top and places provisionally seventh. The day ends with the parallel
speed climbing, the famous contest, on the part of the new wall designed
for the climbing dragsters. As always, besides a few exceptions (read
Godoffe and Florine), the podium is exclusively dominated by the Eastern
Countries athletes.
The Russian Alexei Gadeev wins in front of his compatriote Iakov
Soubbotinerus. To notice the speed record, 12"10, obtained during the
qualification, of the Polish Oleksy, the same who won the bouldering on
Friday night. And finally we arrive to the conclusive day, where the games
are decided. Another time thousands of people enter the Stadium, supported
also by a wonderful late summer day. The men's worked route is hard from
the very beginning, also if the day before the athletes had may be
underestimated it. This explains in part the bad performance of Legrand,
who started perhaps too self-confident and fell in the first hard moves,
compromising the optimum result obtained on the on-sight route. Similar
fate for Dino Lagni, who unfortunately has to forget the dream of winning
a competition which until now no Italian was able to win. Very good
instead the Russian Eugueni Ovtchinnikov, who
 completes
the route, as well as Yuji Hirayama. Optimum the recover of Brenna, who
improves his position from 7th to third in the provisional ranking, thanks
to the good performance on the worked routes, which he almost manages to
finish. The result of the athlete of Milan, together with the bad
performances of his direct rivals, also Bindhammer isn't able to perform
very well, gives the Italian the possibility to take part to the long
awaited final duel. Further back the other Italians in the ranking. The
unlucky Dino Lagni must be satisfied with the eight position. Fifteen
instead Luca "Canon" Zardini of Cortina. Great show also among
the girls. Optimum Liv Sansoz, the only one among the girls who completed
both qualifying routes. Behind her, also if ex-equo on the worked route,
the Belgian Sarkany, who in this way recovered the second place and
particularly the possibility to contend the final win with the French
rival. Behind the two champions follow the Slowenian Cufar and the German
Uhden. Regarding the Italian colors, good also the worked performance of
Jenny Lavarda, that allows her to confirm the seventh place in the general
rankig and particularly to demonstrate an international level near the
best sport climbers of the world. The other Italian, veteran Luisa Iovane,
closes at the ninth place. In this way the climbers for the duel were
designed. Challenge for the win between the first and the second of the
provisional ranking, for the silver medal challange between third and
fourth.
 At
this point some organisation problems come out. First of all the time
needed by the route setters to prepare the routes: about one and half hour
waiting before the women's duel. After the conclusion of the female
competition it was necessary to wait some more time for the men's
challenge. Objectively the waiting times for the spectators seem
exagerated, particularly for the people who were loyal to the Arco event
and arrived at 9 AM for the beginning of the worked route. The competition
ends at 19.00. All this leaving out of consideration the quality and sport
content of the provided show. First of all we must notice that with the
duel the results of the competition changed completely. First of all the
name of the winners of Rock Master 2000 isn't the one of Liv Sansoz and
Yuji Hirayama, the only two able to complete both on-sight and worked
routes of what until yesterday was Rock Master and today is called Trophy
Ennio Lattisi. In the women's field both ompetitors complete the route,
but Sarkany is faster than the French rival and conquers in this way the
final victory. In the men's field instead Hirayama sprints on the route,
doesn't stop to rest under the final roof and falls on the last holds.
This doesn't happen to the Russian Ovtchnnikov, who therefore repeats his
sucess of last year. Same thing for the "small" final, for the
bronze medal, where Brenna climbs very fast to finish his fuel too soon a
few meters from the top. That doesn't happen to his rival Bindhammer. What
to say about all this? Nothing to say about the professionality of the
organisation, perfect like always. The only criticism can be made to the
designers of the event. It is clear for everybody that an official Body
that spends about a billion lire for a fix climbing wall needs to see and
realize concretely the benefits brought by this type of investement.
Television is undoubtedly the main vehicle to give a great image return.
We all know that the climbing competitions are a product hard to sell to
the media, particularly because they are long and, in some cases, almost
boring. There would be the need of a dynamic and captivating product, that
lasts at most half an hour. The reading key of this year Rock Master must
be exacly this.  The
good will and the intention to propose something new, for the good and the
future of show-climbing. But there are different ways to suggest novelties.
Nobody is against making a show of climbing, on the contrary. I would say
that it is logical to think that for a private competition this is the
only way to follow. On the other side we must pay attention not to
misrepresent the sport climbing rules that today constitute its
unreplaceble historical identity. The spectators, particularly the
climbers, didn't like the end of Rock Master 2000. Downright a good 30% of
the spectators left the Climbing Stadium before the men's final, tired of
waiting for the preparation of a show that they didn't appreciate anyway.
On the other side we must admit that very often novelties have a hard time
at the beginning. And so it can happen that to suggest a new technical
image of a winning and consolidated product like the old Rock Master of
yesterday can become a dangerous boomerang. To distort the important
concepts of the sport we love, to exclusive advantage of the show, isn't
always winning. The spectators haven't appreciated it a lot, and the
athletes have the same opinion. Particularly for an ethical issue. To make
an example, wouldn't have been better to make the usual Rock Master and
afterwards to oblige the best four athletes of the two categories to
challenge in a duel, for the conquest of the Trophy "Ennio Lattisi",
may be with appealing prize money, to motivate further the partecipants?
May be yes. And further, wouldn't have been more useful to entertain the
numerous (paying) spectators with a fast, and overall real, bouldering
competition, with the hardest fight to reach the smallest hold of the
world? The thing would have been possible of course. The bouldering walls
were built, and the bouldering route setters are different from the
difficulty ones, they were present and inactive. In this way the seven
thousand spectators wouldn't have had to wait so long, because they would
have been offered a different show, but always about climbing. The Rock
Master organizing committee, represented by Angelo Seneci, admits a few
problems in the offered show, but rightly demonstrates the necessity to
propose new formulas of show-climbing, to make our sport more interesting
and visible also outside the specialized media. It's a question of an
interesting challenge, that until now nobody was able to win, but possible.
The spectators are waiting confidently for the fifteenth edition, the 2001
one, that without doubt will offer us, another time, the most beautiful
competition of the world.
|
