Squamish locals put on gripping performances at the Youth Boulder Nationals, with Team BC on Feb. 15 at the Hive on the North Shore.
Cedar Pidgeon managed to crack fourth place in the Youth B Girls division. Owen McJannet, who trains with the Ground Up team, pinched 25th place in the Youth B Boys.
The nationals showcase some of the top talent in the country, and Pidgeon’s placing has allowed her to qualify for the Climbing Escalade Canada Youth & Open Boulder National Team Selection Camp in Ottawa from March 5 to 8.
“I’m hoping to improve on that and try really hard,” she said.
The athletes who put on the best performances there will be able to qualify to represent Canada on the world stage.
When looking at the amount of climbing experience Pidgeon has, it’s little wonder she’s able to perform at the level she does.
“My mom would take me out to the boulders and she would climb when she was pregnant, so I’ve always kind of been climbing,” said the 13-year-old athlete.
“I liked the motion and I liked the whole aspect of it.”
Pidgeon she’s retained her love for the sport and added she enjoys the style of competition climbing — even the pressure that comes with it.
“I enjoy when I’m in a comp,” she said. “I get nervous and then I thrive off it when I’m climbing.”
In the future, she said she’s got her eye on the World Cup and hopes to travel and climb all over the world. If her skills reach the top level, she said she hopes to become a professional climber.
“It would be a cool career,” Pidgeon said.
