Notes from the Frontline #2 - Sarah Matthews

17/09/2007

Messaging Sarah Matthews recently, one of the keenest climbers we have and one of the most psyched to compete, I asked for an update on her climbing life as she had made some big moves over the last few years....

A nice shot of Sarah, on 'Devils Child' V4 Satans Crag Sydney....

Hey Rich,
I guess not that much has changed on the actual climbing CV, except I am now 2 years older but feel 10 years younger. I am also becoming less and less of a professional equine vet and more and more of a laid back climbing bum!

Since the initial posting and sponsorship deal I have taken up bouldering to try and increase some power and have tended to do more bouldering outdoors in Sydney than routes recently. The boudering is very accessible in Sydney as opposed to the climbing which requires a 2-3 hour drive to get to either the Blue Mountains or Sydney.

I am also proud of my competition results recently with my highest World Cup ranking to date being in Kuala Lumpar in 2006 - 14th.
I became the 2006/7 Oceania champion and came 2nd (1st placed Aussie - pipped at the post by an Austrian) in the 2007 Escalade Festival (Australias most famous climbing festival) in April.

I have been invited to represent Australia twice this year in International competitions in China. I came 11th in the first one and have yet to compete in the 2nd one. The latter event is to be held in September and is an outdoor competition - with the climbers competing on REAL ROCK! on an 80m cliff face.

From there I will go on to Spain to compete in the World Championships as the only Australian to have qualified. Then to top off an exciting trip, I will compete in World Cups in Belgium and Japan on the way home. In Japan, I have lined up an outdoor bouldering trip to Ogawayama (Japans answer to Font apparently).

Finally the exciting news (unless you are my parent / worried relative) is that I am unemployed as a vet as of 2 weeks time. I take on my first shift in a climbing gym on Sunday and am "modelling" Intertrek clothing next week. After my forthcoming overseas jaunt, my aim is to pay off my credit card but then spend as much of the next year as possible living eating sleeping climbing. With the odd bit of work to survive...

My dream is to do the whole world cup circuit next year and I have been told that a TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) course is a great way for climbers to work their way around Europe. I am also sucking up to climbers of every nationality that I meet at the gym, hoping my kindness will be repaid with a bit of floor space in far flung corners of the globe next year!

Hope that helps, and see you in Spain(?) Sarah....

Thanks Sarah, and great to see you're still as keen as ever, and yes since the World Cup is in Aviles, Spain (about an hour from my house) I'm sure we'll catch up!!!

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