USA Comps: Coleman and Puccio Take Southern Grit
The biggest competition for USA Climbing to take place so far this year was Southern Grit on Jan. 6 at High Point Climbing Birmingham.
As USA Climbing reported: It came down to the final boulder again and Nathaniel Coleman pulled off the win. What a wild final.
Southern crusher and well known youth competitor Zach Galla came out first and made a big statement, finishing the first three boulders in a handful of tries and being only a couple holds from finishing the last.
Nicholas Milburn was next and flashed the first two, couldn’t do the third, but then finished the final problem, taking the lead on points. Tension was high as everyone else came out and battled. Nicholas held onto 1st throughout, until Nathaniel had his chance on the fourth and final boulder and walked away with a clean sweep.. four golds in a row.
The women’s was just as intense with the top four qualifiers, Alex, Margo, Kyra and Brooke, fighting on every problem. The third and fourth problems were tough. Margo was closest on the third and Kyra made an impressive top of the fourth, both securing podium positions. And just like Nathaniel, Alex had to make it happen on the fourth problem.
After one fall on the tricky jump to start, she powered her way through pinches and took 1st place, beating Kyra by just one attempt. Congratulations to all the athletes, and that’s a wrap for the second season of National Cup Series. But… stay tuned, as there’s still the biggest competition of the season just around the corner.
All Open athletes, look out next week for information about invitations and registration for the Bouldering Open National Championship!
Finals Female/Male
1. Alex Puccio / Nathaniel Coleman
2. Kyra Condie / Nick Milburn
3. Margo Hayes / Zach Galla
4. Brooke Raboutou / Ben Hanna
5. Maya Madere / Matt Fultz
6. Audrey Miller / Carlo Traversi
7. Megan Lynch / Daniel Woods
8. Emily Herdic / Austin Geiman
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