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The town of Turin has hosted again, after a few years, the single event of
the Italian Championship. The Palavela welcomes again with pleasure the
best sportclimbers, competing for the national title. This year also big
novelties have been introduced in the important meeting. First of all the
new competition formula. Beside the traditional difficulty and speed
competition this is the first year for Bouldering. Further a "Combination"
has been introduced; a ranking that rewards the most polyvalent athlete in
difficulty, speed, and bouldering. This year, in short, they have tried to
make great things, included the promotion. And the results didn't lack.
Remarkable, as a matter of fact, the number of spectators and the media,
with RAI 1 and RAI 3, to follow the important parts of the competition.
The competition begins on Friday 24th, with the difficulty event. Route
setters Attilio Munari and Tito Pozzoli. The routes are made on the
recently built new overhanging walls of Sint Rock of Arco. In the women's
field we notice with pleasure the come back of Luisa Iovane, motivated to
regain the title that has been hers 8 times of sixteen editions.
Nevertheless since two years ago the champion from Venice has to surrender
to the young Jenny Lavarda, always stronger and more protagonist. Very
clear the performance difference between the two athletes and the others.
Iovane and Lavarda, another time, go to the superfinal. At the end of the
games prevails, for the third consecutive time, the sixteen-year-old
Lavarda. Behind her the season of the old guard continues, with Iovane,
Mirella Frati and Laura Ferrero in the listed order. To see new faces we
must go down to the fifth position, where finally, we find two young hopes
of the national climbing, from Emilia, Valentina Garavini and Cinzia
Donati. Different story instead in the men's field, where the powers on
the field are more balanced. Great bagarre since the qualification, where
Lella from Pinerolo, Gnerro from Biella and Cristian Brenna complete the
route. Unfortunately the things don't work equally well during the final,
where a route setting problem compromises irreparably the success of the
event. As a matter of fact, at about three-quarter of the route, a
committing boulder move stops almost all the finalists on the same hold.
Spectators and athletes definitely dumbfounded by the offered show. The
title has been given considering the centimeters and interpretation of the
rules and not instead, as it should have been logical, on the basis of
clear sports performance, that rewards the athlete who climbs higher than
the others. What a pity. At the end on top of the ranking results "Canon"
Zardini from Cortina, who at this point becomes also the most titled
Italian athlete. In fact the athlete of the sport group of the Carabinieri
can pride himself on four national titles. In the golden register follow,
with three titles each, Gnerro and Brenna. It is a question of an end that
leaves bitterness, because compromised by a final that wasn't sportily
satisfactory, and that in the opinion of many, should have been done again.
In a climbing competition, in fact, is good to assign the victory to the
best one.  Here
instead everybody has fallen, more or less, in the same spot, rejected by
a move not homogeneous with the rest of the route. Here is therefore clear
the responsibility of the route setters, who must be always professional
in the quality of their technical work. In this case it is clear the
mistake in the setting of the final route. A thing that today, fifteen
years after the start of the competitions, shouldn't really happen anymore,
in a serious competition. And instead it happens. It is clear then that
competition rules exist, that have been created to be followed, and that
the athletes accept them unconditionally, when they enter the competition.
And the judges, to solve the question and define a ranking have considered
exactly these rules. The competition, in short, worked in this way. It has
finished in a strange way, and also a little sad, with the people who walk
away without having understood who won. At one point, in a case like this,
we ask ourselves if it shouldn't have been good to invalidate the event
and repeat it, better organized, the next day. This also only as a form of
respect to the sport, the athletes and the spectators. We know what we are
speaking about, because, regarding this issue, there is a precedent. 1991,
in Clusone, in the Bergamo province. That time it regarded men's final. A
competitor had climbed past, while all the others had been rejected by the
same hold. The final was annulled and made again shortly afterward, on
another route and everything worked fine, with general satisfaction. It
wasn't may be the case to act in the same way
also this time? After all, to make mistake is human and to make a show
with the competition is the only guarantee for the future of sport
climbing, beside the ethic-moral implications of the technical issues. The
spectators would have appreciated it. Sadly closed the issue Difficulty,
let's go on with the novelty of the meeting: the Bouldering competition.
Two competition days. The first reserved to a qualification of the not
ranked athletes, penalized by the too small number of national bouldering
competitions. The best of the qualified participate to the actual
competition, the one on Sunday. Saturday night it's the turn of the Speed,
where a group of very fast climbers compete, to the last second, on easy
climbing routes. The "rocket" Riccardo Scarian, from the region
of Trento, and the diabolic Jenny Lavarda obtain the victory. On Sunday
the event closes with the bouldering final. Many spectators enjoy the show
around the artificial boulders built in the middle of the racetrack. A lot
of uncertainty and balance on the field. In the women's field the first
surprise. Giulia Gianmarco from Turin gets the victory: she doesn't make
any mistake and climbs all boulders first try, on sight. Partial
disappointment for the polyhedric Jenny Lavarda, who sees the grand slam
vanish for a breath, or better, for a missed dyno. Even more uncertain the
men's event. Desperate fight to the last hold. A strong Flavio Crespi
manages to be better of all others. Honor position for the efficient
Riccardo Scarian and third place for Lucio Giudici, Only fourth the winner
of the Bouldering World Cup 1999 Christian Core. Great success of
bouldering, therefore, a small satisfaction after the defaillance of
Friday in the Difficulty. At the end of the games general satisfaction,
smiles, hand shakes and hugs for the winners of the categories, included
the ones of the "combination". Another victory for Jenny Lavarda,
while Riccardo Scarian wins the men's "combination". So is the
sport climbing competition season 2000 definitely closed. But don't worry:
in less than a month another big game begins, the Ice Climbing World Cup
2001. New and strong emotions arriving.
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