G Force 2022

saturday 5th & Sunday 6th March 2021

G Force is all over for another year! It was a fantastic weekend of climbing and all the better because it was so great to reconnect with all our climbers- there were a lot of faces we hadn’t seen since G force 2020!

We were treated to 30 qualification problems on Saturday in a round that was characterized by problems that were not desperately hard, but very easy to fall off. There was a lot of technical climbing and lets just say that all the dual texture footholds were in use.

The semi-final kicked off on Sunday morning with a good crowd of spectators in to watch the action. In the Female round there was not much change from qualification order- all 3 of the top ranked climbers having flashed 3 problems and with all 4 zones in 7 attempts. Competition was fierce for the remaining 3 spots in the final, with 4 competitors on 2 tops and 3 zones, only split on attempts. Rhyna Conroy, Anna David and Ciara Burgoyne took the 3 places, with Faith Blaney very narrowly missing out.

In the Mens Semi-final, there were more changes to the ranking. Tommy Myles, who had qualified in joint first with 300 points lost his final spot, along with Eoin Acton, while Dom Burns and Mark Scanlon moved up into the top 6.

It was an exciting round and we all needed a sit down and some lunch afterwards. Luckily Gravity staff member Sara (formerly a pro chef!) had been slaving away in the kitchen and had come up with a feast for us all to enjoy. Spectators and semi-finalists who hadn’t made the top 6 could relax and enjoy a beer, (thanks to our neighbors Rascals) but for our finalists, there was yet more climbing to be done.

At around 4pm, with all our finalists in isolation and a large crowd starting to gather, the wall was re-set with the final problems…

The Final round kicked off with a slabby, technical corner involving some truly precarious volume climbing for the Men. Dom and Michael really excelled on this one, both flashing it in excellent style.

The Female round had a slightly easier start with 5 tops on the first problem, but this gentle introduction didn’t last long. Problem 2 involved some fierce crimping and only Caelan and Jess topped it, securing their podium spots.

Mens 2 also had a big impact in the results, and Dom’s flash of this one put him ahead of Michael and Ciaran, who also topped, but dropped attempts on either the blocked top holds or the complex starting moves.

Mens 3 involved some heinous crimping and Ciaran excelled here with a flash. Michael also had a quick top, but Dom cut it very fine, with a successful top only on his 5th try and right in the nick of time! Women’s 3 was a little easier, though the spectacular jump was a real crowd pleaser.

It was all still to play for going into the final problems and much too close to call- everyone who wanted a top spot on the podium would be under pressure for a quick top.

Jess set the bar for the Women, with a top on her 3rd attempt, but Victoria upped it with a flash of the last problem. Caelan managed it second try, ending up with all 4 tops, in 6 attempts and securing the top spot.

Ciaran set the bar with a flash on the M4, finishing with with 4 tops in 8 attempts. Dom and Michael would both have to flash to stay in the running… and flash they did! This left the top 3 men all with 4 tops in 8 attempts; it would be down to attempts on the zones… time for some frantic counting! Michael’s early slips on problem’s 2 and 3 pushed him down into 3rd, with 8 attempts on the zone, to Ciaran and Dom’s 6 attempts and the tp 2 could only be separated by countback to Semi-Final, giving Dom the top spot once again!

Huge Thank-You’s to everyone who helped out over the weekend and to all the Gravity staff team, with special mentions for….

Percy Bishton, Rob Napier all the way from Sheffield to set the problems, ably assisted by Gravity Setters Brian Hall, Angela Carlin, Terry O’Connor, Eva Veres & Ricky Young

Sara Vodopija for the amazing food

Chief Judge Damian O’Sullivan and Niamh, Richard and Matthew who judged the final and all volunteers who helped judge the semi-final.

Ciaran Mulhall on the mic and the tunes.

Tommy Myles- T shirt design

Rascals Brewery & Red Bull for their generous sponsorship

Finally, we’d like to add that we raised over €600 for the International Red Cross Ukraine appeal through selling the comp T Shirts over the weekend.

Final Results

Semi Final Results

Qualification Results