well what can i say.... an amazing weekend with amazing people!!
After a bit of a slow start on Thursday setting up, the rest of the weekend actually ran on time, despite the occasional rain shower.
Friday was a full filled day with the 3 long events taking place ( workclimb, throwline and rescueclimb). Running parallel to the climbing events there were a number of workshops to attend, visual tree assessment, transplanting of mature trees and growing sites for trees in the city with tree soil and bearing constructions. Also Tree Climbing Europe presented a felling and rigging workshop with the focus on static and dynamic forces in rigging situations.
All in all there was a lot to see.
Saturday was again a exiting day with the 2 speed events ( tandem footlock, speedclimb), which flowed over into the masters challenge for the men, followed by the women.
With about 500-600 spectators it was one of the biggest crowds I’ve seen at a master’s. The sun broke through the clouds long enough that all master’s competitors had a dry run, the atmosphere in the public was just as warm!!!!
A big congratulations to all who took part in the competition, and of coarse to the winners!!
A weekend I’ll never forget!
Results and a letter from the champion
Results of the Masters' Challenge:
1 Man: Mark Bridge from Zwitserland
Ladies: Camill De Muynck from France
2 Man: Wouter van den Dungen from Holland
Ladies: Anja Ueberschär from Germany
3 Man: Michi Hansch from Germany
4 Man: Walter Hak from Holland
Basel, 14th of June 2004
Just back from Maastricht with the first day of work behind me – just! - I’d like to share a couple of thoughts with you all, while it’s still fresh in my mind.
I’d like to start of by thanking some people who weren’t mentioned during the festvities:
Obviously, organising an event on such a scale is a major undertaking, I was at the Dutch Nationals three weeks ago in Assen, and things have been moved forwards a lot since then. You guys on the ground, sorting out all the details, solving the last minute panics and takling unforseen problems: you did an awesome job!
The people working on the scoring had the scores up on Friday evening and the moment the competition was over the scores where out there! That’s quite an achievement, knowing how the scoring program works – or rather doesn’t - so a big thank you goes out to you, too.
All of the people helping, teching on the events and judging... a lot of time and effort invested and not a lot comes back, but it doesn’t go unnoticed. Without you, this event couldn’t have taken place! So: thanks to all of you too.
The guys from Treeclimbing Europe for putting together the rigging workshop and missing the competition on Friday in order to make it happen. You gave it large!
The climbers who took part... Winning in such a field of amazing climbers isn’t easy, but yet it really takes guts to take part if you’re maybe not quite such a strong climber... if you might be last. Anybody competing in this field of competitors can be proud of his- or herself! What an amazing bunch of people, whenever I get doubts about working in treecare, meeting with people like this makes me realize why I want to be doing exactly what I’m doing right now.
The spectators made the atmosphere of the event so special: 600 people watching masters’ isn’t something that happens very often. People were fair and incredibly supportive of the climbers, here too a „thank you“ is certainly in order.
ETCC 2004 in Maastrich is something I’ll never forget... I had moments today, when I felt I’d wake up and realise I’d been dreaming.
For this I’d like to thank you all!
with kind regards and hoping to see you in Copenhagen
Mark Bridge
from me also a big thanks to everyone that helped make this all happen...... the bomb!!
climb safe, Jelte
After a bit of a slow start on Thursday setting up, the rest of the weekend actually ran on time, despite the occasional rain shower.
Friday was a full filled day with the 3 long events taking place ( workclimb, throwline and rescueclimb). Running parallel to the climbing events there were a number of workshops to attend, visual tree assessment, transplanting of mature trees and growing sites for trees in the city with tree soil and bearing constructions. Also Tree Climbing Europe presented a felling and rigging workshop with the focus on static and dynamic forces in rigging situations.
All in all there was a lot to see.
Saturday was again a exiting day with the 2 speed events ( tandem footlock, speedclimb), which flowed over into the masters challenge for the men, followed by the women.
With about 500-600 spectators it was one of the biggest crowds I’ve seen at a master’s. The sun broke through the clouds long enough that all master’s competitors had a dry run, the atmosphere in the public was just as warm!!!!
A big congratulations to all who took part in the competition, and of coarse to the winners!!
A weekend I’ll never forget!
Results and a letter from the champion
Results of the Masters' Challenge:
1 Man: Mark Bridge from Zwitserland
Ladies: Camill De Muynck from France
2 Man: Wouter van den Dungen from Holland
Ladies: Anja Ueberschär from Germany
3 Man: Michi Hansch from Germany
4 Man: Walter Hak from Holland
Basel, 14th of June 2004
Just back from Maastricht with the first day of work behind me – just! - I’d like to share a couple of thoughts with you all, while it’s still fresh in my mind.
I’d like to start of by thanking some people who weren’t mentioned during the festvities:
Obviously, organising an event on such a scale is a major undertaking, I was at the Dutch Nationals three weeks ago in Assen, and things have been moved forwards a lot since then. You guys on the ground, sorting out all the details, solving the last minute panics and takling unforseen problems: you did an awesome job!
The people working on the scoring had the scores up on Friday evening and the moment the competition was over the scores where out there! That’s quite an achievement, knowing how the scoring program works – or rather doesn’t - so a big thank you goes out to you, too.
All of the people helping, teching on the events and judging... a lot of time and effort invested and not a lot comes back, but it doesn’t go unnoticed. Without you, this event couldn’t have taken place! So: thanks to all of you too.
The guys from Treeclimbing Europe for putting together the rigging workshop and missing the competition on Friday in order to make it happen. You gave it large!
The climbers who took part... Winning in such a field of amazing climbers isn’t easy, but yet it really takes guts to take part if you’re maybe not quite such a strong climber... if you might be last. Anybody competing in this field of competitors can be proud of his- or herself! What an amazing bunch of people, whenever I get doubts about working in treecare, meeting with people like this makes me realize why I want to be doing exactly what I’m doing right now.
The spectators made the atmosphere of the event so special: 600 people watching masters’ isn’t something that happens very often. People were fair and incredibly supportive of the climbers, here too a „thank you“ is certainly in order.
ETCC 2004 in Maastrich is something I’ll never forget... I had moments today, when I felt I’d wake up and realise I’d been dreaming.
For this I’d like to thank you all!
with kind regards and hoping to see you in Copenhagen
Mark Bridge
from me also a big thanks to everyone that helped make this all happen...... the bomb!!
climb safe, Jelte
