Planet Rock Team Crushes at Youth Nationals

LEAD/TR

Planet Rock had a strong showing in Lead and Top Rope. Nine athletes brought their best to the intimidating outdoor wall at the USAC Training Center, with several delivering standout performances and breakthrough moments.

In F15, Nicole was finally age-eligible to make her National Championship debut. She tackled technical, insecure routes set on the speed wall and embraced every moment of her first Nationals experience with an incredible attitude. With only 24 athletes advancing to the semifinals, Nicole narrowly missed the cut, finishing 35th in a field of nearly 70 competitors.

After the round, Nicole said, "I'm just as important as the people who did qualify. Because if you didn't have the people who didn't qualify, you wouldn't have the people who do."

I'm sure Nicole will continue to blow us away with her wisdom, resilience, and everything she brings to the wall for years to come.

Over in M17, Jack wore his signature beanie despite the Salt Lake City heat and climbed with the smooth, composed style we've come to know him for. His climbing earned him an impressive 26th-place finish, but left him just two spots shy of advancing to the semifinals—a heartbreaking result in an incredibly competitive field.

Nicole Chen 

Jack Winiger

In F17, we had five athletes representing the maroon and gold. Autumn and Claudia got to climb back-to-back, which had the Planet Rock cheering section on its feet.

Ari, like Jack, had a heartbreaking finish, missing the semifinals by just one spot. We even submitted an appeal in hopes of earning her the plus that would have made the difference, but the ruling stood. Despite the disappointment, Ari handled the moment with incredible maturity and grace. Rather than dwelling on the result, she spent the rest of the day with the team and was right back at the venue the next morning cheering on her teammates during the semifinals.

Claudia Wang
(@SenderPics)

Autumn George
(@SenderPics)

Ari Liu
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Macy Bolton
(@SenderPics)

Macy earned a personal-best finish, advancing to the semifinals for the first time! She stayed calm, composed, and laser-focused during the qualification round, advancing in 17th place. She then fought hard on a powerful semifinal route, ultimately finishing an impressive 22nd overall.

Lovisa proved once again that she is one of the best young climbers in the country. She looked strong and composed on the wall, cruising through both the qualification and semifinal rounds in 6th and 5th place to earn her third consecutive National Championship final. A beta error low on the route led to a frustrating end to her Lead competition, but she'll be back in action TOMORROW representing Sweden at the Youth World Championships in Arco, Italy!

Lovisa Nystrom
(@SenderPics)

Lovisa Nystrom
 (@thesketchybeta)

Day two brought our M19 athletes to the wall. Alex was making his National Championship debut as a senior and certainly got the full Nationals experience. His second route was delayed first by lightning in the area and then again by high winds that sent dust blowing into the climbers' eyes. Alex was a trooper through it all, rewarming multiple times and staying ready whenever competition resumed. 

The Planet Rock cheering section also toughed out the long day, outlasting nearly everyone else in the venue to cheer him on as he battled through his second route of the day.

Nate made his seventh straight National Championship appearance in the Lead/Top Rope discipline, adding another impressive milestone to an already remarkable career. He fought hard throughout the day and finished 34th in a deep and competitive field.

Alex Smith
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Jack Winiger
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Lovisa Nystrom
(@SenderPics)

Next up were our U19 athletes, Nate and Retta. Retta made her Bouldering Nationals debut and couldn't have been more excited. After patiently waiting for her turn to compete throughout Nationals week, she showed up to warm-ups with more excitement and energy than we've ever seen. It was so much fun to watch her finally get her chance to climb on the big stage.

Nate was coming off an incredible performance last year that earned him a spot on the National Team. Unfortunately, this year's round didn't go the way he had hoped, but he still managed to flash his final boulder and get the crowd on its feet. More importantly, he continued to be the supportive teammate and competitor we've come to expect. It was a great reminder that how our athletes carry themselves and treat those around them is infinitely more important than any result.

Retta Ritter
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Nate Emery
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Speed at Nationals is always electric—and this year was no exception. While each age group competed on a different day, often overlapping with bouldering rounds, that didn't stop the Planet Rock cheering squad from sprinting back and forth across the dirt lot to make sure every athlete felt the support.

The U17s kicked off the speed competition and got the momentum rolling for Planet Rock. In F17, Brooke competed in her first-ever Nationals and finished 29th. Frustrated that she wasn't able to put up her best runs during the competition, she headed to one of the Salt Lake City climbing gyms afterward and promptly set a new personal record!

Ari and Sanna, despite not getting much time on the speed wall throughout the season, brought their competitive spirit on competition day and finished 25th and 27th, respectively. I have it on good authority that Ari will be attending at least eight speed practices this upcoming season. (She picked the number, made the promise, and we'll be holding her to it!)

In M17, the boys came to play.

What could be better than setting personal records on both of your qualifying runs at Nationals—especially after returning from a finger injury that sidelined you for almost the entire season? The Planet Rock cheering section erupted as Jake (aka JDP) threw down the two fastest runs of his career in qualifying, earning a 29th-place finish.

Jack came into Speed Nationals with one goal: break the 10-second barrier in a comp. On his second run, he did exactly that, clocking his first-ever sub-10 and finishing 26th.

Lee and Sawyer lucked out and got to race each other in the qualification round, pushing one another to fast times as they advanced to the knockout bracket in 5th and 9th, respectively.

In finals, Lee laid down a competition-best 6.97-second run to edge out his opponent by just 0.1 seconds. That victory secured him an 8th-place finish and a spot on the US National Development Team.

Back in the winter, Sawyer asked his uncle for a passport for Christmas because he said he was going to Italy for the Youth World Championships. Only the top three finishers at Nationals earn an invitation, but Sawyer never wavered in believing he could get there. His confidence, relentless determination, and countless hours of work paid off with a spot on the podium—and a ticket to Youth Worlds next week.

Lee Anderson
(@gajdaphotography)

Next up was U20 with our lone competitor, Hayden! In his final year of the youth series, Hayden made his National Championship debut. Although the field was small, the competition was fierce, and Hayden held his own by putting together two clean runs near his personal-best pace to finish an impressive 12th.

It was then time for the U15s. Nicole, Karl, and Evan looked like seasoned competitors on the speed wall despite being our youngest athletes at Nationals. All three advanced to the knockout bracket!

Karl laid down some fast qualifying runs but had a slip in the opening knockout round, finishing 11th. We're confident he'll be back with a vengeance next season as one of the older athletes in the U15 age group.

Evan put together an outstanding day, setting multiple personal records, including one that won him his first knockout race by just 0.05 seconds. That victory secured an 8th-place finish and a spot on the US National Development Team.

Nicole smiled her way through the entire competition. Every time she stepped onto the stage, she was beaming and genuinely soaking in the experience. She climbed fast and consistently all day, but what stood out even more was her mindset.

Before her semifinal race, she told me, "I really want to win this race because I really want to go up against Paulina [the number one qualifier], because I want to know what it feels like to race the best."

While many competitors might hope the faster athletes are eliminated early, Nicole embraced the challenge. She didn't quite get the matchup she was hoping for in the big final, but she and Paulina ultimately faced off in the small final to determine third and fourth place. Nicole stayed focused on her own race, and although Paulina held the lead for most of the run, she slipped near the top. Nicole never let up, finishing her run before Paulina could recover to earn a spot on the podium—and a place on the Youth National Team.

The final day of Speed Nationals brought the U19s—our biggest speed day of the week!

On the M19 side, Peter and Taydin both made their National Championship debuts. Taydin, much like Brooke, was frustrated after slipping on both of his runs. Instead of dwelling on it, he headed to the gym afterward and didn't leave until he set a new personal record. 

Peter put together one of his best runs of the season, finishing near his PR pace despite having to significantly reduce his training because of ongoing back pain. 

Nate took home the unofficial "Outfit of the Day" award, rocking Autumn's hot pink spandex shorts in an effort to propel himself up the wall.

No pics of Taydin speed climbing available at this time.

In F19, Ana, Aviva, Sherry, Liv, Retta, and Libby represented Planet Rock! 

Aviva earned her best-ever Nationals finish, placing 19th. Sherry, while not eligible to compete in the knockout finals as an EA athlete, posted a qualifying time that would have earned a finals berth for the second straight year.

No pics of Ana speed climbing available at this time.

After finishing in the dreaded 17th spot—just one place shy of the finals—last season, Retta broke through this year and advanced to the knockout finals for the first time. Joining her there were Liv and Libby.

In the opening round of the knockout finals, Retta and Libby had to race each other. The buildup to the race, and the race itself, was full of emotion as the two longtime teammates and friends knew only one of them could advance. Libby delivered a clean, fast run to secure her place in the top eight, earning a Nationals medal and accomplishing a longtime goal. As the two walked off the stage, they shared a hug that perfectly captured what makes this team so special and how much this community means to all of us.

Liv saved her fastest run of the competition for the opening knockout round, locking in a 7th-place finish and earning a spot on the US National Development Team.

In the quarterfinals, Libby won a tightly contested race to clinch a place in the top four. Although she fell in the semifinals, she came down the wall celebrating after recording her first-ever sub-eight-second competition run—another major milestone checked off her list. 

In her final competition with Planet Rock before heading to Boulder, Colorado, for college this fall, Libby finished an incredible 4th in the nation, and we couldn't have been prouder to watch her put on her USA National Team jacket.

No pics of Retta speed climbing available at this time.