In It To Wing It

2023 saw record lows in female participation across national competitions, with less than 50% participation in comparison to the male categories. The film takes the spotlight away from the winners and shows a different side to competitions, touching on why so many women might consider themselves unworthy of the big stage, and what they might have to gain from it. In It To Wing it was commissioned by the BMC and GB Climbing to encourage more women to take part in climbing competitions and to help spread a positive narrative about entering for the whole experience, even if you won't win. It was made by myself, Annie Martin, with production support from Niall Grimes. The project dropped in my lap about 14 days prior to the BBC's taking place, so it had to be a really fast turn around to find two athletes willing to let us into their experience. Dipika was a contact of mine who decided to enter the competition after I reached out to ask if she was going to compete, and we managed to find Ruth as she had taken part in previous years and was known locally in and around Manchester and Sheffield. We spent some time with each of them before and after the comp, hearing about their expectations and also their reactions to how it had gone. Both women were so different in their personalities but both were equally as inspiring, despite neither of them having the desired outcome from the competition. Their excitement at being able to compete, making moves & just being there is infectious and challenges the assumption that one has to be of a certain "level" to consider competing at all. For me as a climber, it's really meaningful to see women represented in a heartfelt and positive light who actually aren't the best/strongest/most epic athletes. It's easy to feel unworthy unless you can boast perfection, or a world record. But "In It To Wing It" hopefully adds a little more representation to the other side of the coin. Everyone is worthy of having a go and trying their best, and even small stories of success are worth sharing.