Southern Chapter TCC

Likewise Mahk. Hopefully my car won't blow up on the way this year. Has anyone received the rules and score sheet packet yet? Is the site the same as the last Birmingham conference?
 
i just recieved the packet today. And no it is not at the same location as the last Birmingham TCC. This year it is being held at the Aldridge Gardens. I checked their website and it looks very beautiful. This is going to be a great TCC. Look forward to seeing you there.
 
Anyone who left the comp on Sunday and drove back east towards Atlanta got caught in the road construction. I was going zero to no more than 10 MPH for an hour. My flight home left at 9:45 and I lost my lead time. When I got the the airport I missed the baggage check in by ONE MINUTE! See, it isn't just in the comps that timing is important. No matter how much I pleaded my bags weren't going on the plane. I barely had a seat but got in my bed at about 1 am Mountain time.

It was fun to drop in and get asked to judge. Meeting so many of the TB gang was great! Now I have to remember screen names, real names and faces :)

Take a look at this:

http://www.al.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news/1144056136202050.xml?birminghamnews?nstate&coll=2

Arborists take to the trees
Tree-climbing competition marks start of arboriculture conference
Monday, April 03, 2006
THOMAS SPENCER
News staff writer
Carefully and gracefully, the helmeted and harnessed climber swung and
scampered through the topmost branches of the massive black oak tree,
reaching out to clang cowbells hung in tree's farthest reaches.

"It's not so much physical. It's a mental and strategic challenge," said
Odis Sisk, who was back on the ground at Hoover's Aldridge Gardens after
competing in the master's challenge, the final competition in a day of
tree-climbing events held by the Southern Chapter of the International
Society of Arboriculture.

The master's competition was the climax of a day's worth of events that drew
arborists and tree care professionals from throughout the Southeast and
marked the beginning of the society's 64th annual conference being held this
week at the Wynfrey Hotel and Convention Center.

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The master's competitors were the top finishers in morning events that
included a simulated rescue of a dummy placed in a treetop, rope and saddle
climbing competitions and a rope throwing contest in which the competitors
on the ground launched guide ropes 50 feet up in the air.

No tree-climbing spikes in this group. Care is taken not to damage the
trees. Southeastern chapter president-elect Carl Absher of Chattanooga said
the arborists gathered in Birmingham are the professionals who are
interested for trees not for the timber they produce, but for their shade
and beauty. Though most make some portion of their living cutting down or
pruning trees, they're primarily concerned with keeping trees alive and
healthy.

"These guys are here to take care of trees," Absher said. "When you hire
someone, you want to make sure the firm has a certified arborist on staff."

The conference allows the arborists to exchange the latest information on
pest management, tree biology and safe climbing and cutting techniques.

The exchange of information and technique had already started at Sunday's
competition. For example, in the master's competition, though there was a
time limit for the climb, the climbers were judged for their grace and
poise, their economy of movement, their attention to safety.

"It takes balance and upper body strength," Absher said. "It takes logical
reasoning to map out your route."

Sunday night, Absher's son, B.J., was named the winner of the master's
competition. That qualifies Absher, also from Chattanooga, to compete in the
international championship this August in Minneapolis.

E-mail: tspencer@bhamnews.com
 
man what a day, by far one on the tightest piont spread comps I have seen. in the preliminary events the difference between 1st and 5th was something like 2.5 points. the bubble which was between 4th and 5th was .032 of a point. well the masters all i can say is HOW IN THE @!#$. the difference between 1st and 4th was only 6pts. but somehow... well fist this is hard for me to describe because i might be bias since i was one of the competitors and did not see any of the other climbers climb so my accounts are second hand. so what i do know at this time is: 1st BJ Absher , 2nd Odis Sisk, 3rd Matt Hodges, 4th Ary Fun. i will leave the rest up for discussion.........well just recieved a phone call from a friend who had reviewed score sheets and all is on the up and up and those are final ranks. still waiting for scores. it seems that here in the south good ole boy basic, no tree assessing , no friction saver, modified body thrusting scores higher that some more modern technigues like hazard assessing, false crotch climbing with a really neat self ratcheting pulley(from what i heard), or the super modern footlocking technigue and friction saver(that was remote retrieved). it brings the question up on how the masters is scored and should some change be in order.......sorry for the venting.
 
Although I was also sequestered for BJ's and Odis' climbs, everyone I spoke with said that Ary had the best climb and appeared to be the clear winner. At the ceremony, some of us were really surprised when they announced him 4th. BJ's a great climber and I know he will do well at International. Odis did a great job too, see you next year.

One last thing is that the Aerial Rescue scenario was not in accordance with the new 2006 rules, which caused me problems. I have a clear understanding of the new rules, and competetors work very hard to comply with updates to rules. We expect the same from the judges. The new rules state that the climber WILL CONTACT 911 upon entering the event. The event was run under the old scenario with the EMT already en route.

Also, I was not allowed to leave the ground in the AR because I didn't have half hitches tied in the tails of my blake's backed Kong (weapon) setup. A climber from another group left the ground without the half hitches, same setup, no problem.
 
One way to make the competition better next year is to take the time to give feedback to the chapter TCC committee. Don't make it a 'dump' Give constructive, professional criticism and compliments.

Was the scenario for AR covered during the walk through? That would have been the time to clarify the new rules.
 
This is very good guys, I agree with Tom, as a Chapter Chairmen, I would like to hear constructive comments about the local TCC.
You should pass on your thoughts, and any problems that you may have had as a competitor. As Tom states, it the only way to improve the event for next year.

I will be checking to see if I can use any of your comments.

FCTCC Chairmen.
 
i am very sorry if it seemed like i was complaining. i feel that the southern chapters tcc is one of the most professional, well organized, and fun to be a part of. we all have a chance to complain, change, stress issues the night before at the contestant meeting. and in years past many changes have been agreed upon there. my question is more for future itcc climbs, is to look at the master score cards and see if it is time to revise to adapt to our newer developing tree industry. it seems like as an industry we strive to show safer, more efficient techniques but yet in our industry showcase for ideas, it is very possible to be top in your league using practices that we strive so hard to break away from. this past comp was very hard to judge as all 4 climbers were smooth, confident, and masters at what they do. and i do not know the resolution that is why i thought to throw it out for discussion...
 
I had a great time and will be back! Hope you will be too, Tom!

I agree that it was my fault for not paying more attention to the scenario and the back-ups. They did ask if there were any questions about the scenario and the back-ups at both the meeting and the walkthrough and I did not ask any because I did so well at the AR in local comps (this year) under the new rules and had a great understanding. No hard feelings, just confused at what happened, I guess.
 
hey i watched all of the masters climbers (yes i was in 5th place by .032 of a point!!!!!!!) and i think that the judges had it completely bass akwards!

you should have points taken off for damaging the tree! why no friction saver? this should be a requirement for the masters...... why would we let our climbers damage these trees? i don't do it at work, so we sure shouldent do it when we play!
lets talk to sombody that can make this into a rule!

also, what is up with not doing a risk assesment? this should be the most important part of our setup prior to ascending

oh well.... i feel for you Ary


Rob

p.s. when is the South Carolina TCC?
 
I really enjoyed watching the competition, every year the participants get better. Lots of very nice guys competing (for the most part). The place was nice, but the trees were pretty dinky and limited what people could do and how they could do it. There are limitations in every setup, I think the people who set it up did pretty good considering what they had to work with. I gotta say the belayed speed climb had about 15 feet of body-thrusting to start with, which seems kind of silly, but what do I know? It seems like they could have at least marled a bull rope for people to climb.
I was surprised by the results as well. While B.J. is a very good climber- he was smooth and took his time, picked a great route- I'm also not sure why he won over Ary, who did the same and included some really nice techniques. Hopefully B.J. can pick up some more techniques and get comfortable with them before the international, because he'll need them to compete there. I'm sure he'll do a great job. All four really were close, I'm not surprised by the close spread.
Maybe at some point, score cards could be shared (with no judges names included) so people can get an idea of what was appreciated or not. I assume that the scoring differences came down to the more subjective "confident posture" and "control of movement" type scorings as well as discretionary points. I can't imagine how hard it would be to be a judge. But maybe it would help competitors if they could see specifically how they were judged.
Anyway, good job everybody.
 
Well,
Thanks to all the planners and organizers of the event. What most of us "Dirt Bag Climbers" don't recognize is the effort and sacrifice judges and volunteers give us for a totally supported event. Props, to you BJ. You better start training to run with the big boys, but whatever happens in Minn. you will improve and that what it's all about. Maybe quit working, and devote all your time to climbing. It would be nice would'nt it? You did great!!! Poise!!!
I had a load of fun despite nearly destroying myself in the "Belayed Speed Climb", which I have renamed"Belayed Speed Grobble". I recognize I did not train one bit for this ancient technique. Granted I use some body thrusting while climbing, I certainly try some other climbing style if at all possible. I know some folks still choose this method, but why???? And honestly, it is energy draining, possibly slightly painful.
Having been shut out of a win by just a couple of points, I know it's easy to make assumptions. As a competitor I would greatly appreciate the oppurtunity to review, Not Contest, the score sheets. What is done is done. As a judge, I'm sure it is easy to get defensive about your scores. No one really means to blame, but rather improve. Besides, did anyone deduct points from me for the molten tenex in the areial rescue. Sorry for burning up your sh*t Mr. Prophet! A pulley in the Dummy's system sure heats things up a bit.
Overall I had a great time(not the best finish-8th), and lost very little skin. The best part of these events is meeting new people, stealing new ideas and swilling free beer in the hospitality rooms!! Sorry Tom you had to fly back so quick. Next time maybe we can swap EPIC tales.
Oh Well, on to my next TREE-athalon. Hike, run, climb, flail, and of course swill beer! Judges let thier hair down after a visit to the hospitality room.(what little they have). Maybe we should set up a hospitality room for them before the comp, just kidding.
Yo, Matt, where did you get that spin/static pulley? Get-R-Done.
 
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