55: Mo Beck, AU2 Paralympic Hopeful

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i've tried to be strong and like not tape and

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see if i could just toughen it up and i just

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it bleeds everywhere and it's awful so tips for

00:00:07.820 --> 00:00:09.939
getting sponsored is tough because i had already

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won two world championships before i even got

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a free bag of chalk um so it's it's the the barrier

00:00:16.579 --> 00:00:21.420
to entry is high it's funny um you know it's

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a real sport when all of a sudden there's like

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beef between athletes and like so there's some

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petty drama and it sucks for those people, but

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I'm in the background being like, guys, we're

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a real sport now. Like, this is great. Welcome

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to another episode of the That's Not Real Climbing

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podcast. I'm your host, Jinni, and I'm excited

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to introduce my guest for today, Mo Beck. Mo

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is a paraclimber in the AU2 class, and she's

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trying to qualify for the 2028 Paralympics. She's

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been climbing for over 22 years and had actually

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retired from competing until hearing about the

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Paralympics. In this episode, we'll learn more

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about what it's like climbing with a stump, whether

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outdoor, indoor, or comp setting is most friendly

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to her impairment. And we'll talk about petty

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drama in the community and what sports shopping

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is in the Paralympics. I hope you enjoy this

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episode with Mo. Please pardon this brief intermission,

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but I'm excited to talk about Madrock's newest

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Now back to the show. How are you doing today?

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I'm great. Did you do training? I had a training

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session in the morning, but puppies were also

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there. So it wasn't a very focused training session

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because I kept stopping to go, aww. Oh yeah,

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that's hard. And came home, took a nap. and now

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i'm here pretty much do you have like super long

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training sessions or is it like right now i do

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um i don't have nationals for another month so

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i probably have another two weeks of double like

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today was only one session um probably three

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days a week i'll do climb in the morning come

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home a couple hours and then go lift i got a

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membership to one of those broey gyms and i actually

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really love it okay um but yeah like a non -climbing

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gym or yeah okay And it's huge. It's like

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treadmills and 14 squat racks. And it's full

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of like the kind of worded out guys that have

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their boobs hanging out of those really deep

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cut tank tops. But I love it because everyone

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at the climbing gym is so nice that we end up

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talking and it takes forever. And no one talks

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to me at all at like the big box gym. So I could

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see that. But it does make for long days. And

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I get I'm focusing more on lifting now than I

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ever have. And I am tired all the time. What's

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the reason for that? Um, just a change. It's

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something I've read more about, like, especially

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now that I'm older, a little older, um, good

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for general health. I'm kind of more focused

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on power, um, than anything, um, you know, strong

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over skinny. And so I'm just, I'm kind of just

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mixing it all up this go around kind of like

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flipping a lot of the training that I have done

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in the past on Ted. Okay, cool. Well, I definitely

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want to get a little bit more into training and

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your plans for training and nationals a little

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bit later. But just so people have a good idea

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of who you are. What is your impairment? And

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what sports class do you compete in? Sure. So

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my name is my back. I'm a professional climber

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first, probably para climber second. And I was

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born without my left hand above the wrist below

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the elbow. So kind of more towards the wrist,

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my stumps a little longer. And that places me

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in the AU2 class for IFSC competitions. And it

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stands for amputee upper level two based on where

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my amputation is. And I guess like what are the

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classification differences between one, two and

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three? Yeah, so one. doesn't quite exist anymore.

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It got folded into another one. Maybe it'll change

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one day as numbers grow, but they don't have

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an elbow. So they're kind of like more of a truly

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one armed or that's how they climb is using only

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one arm. We have some folks who have an arm,

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but maybe they had like a brachial plexus injury.

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So it kind of just flops around like a fish.

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And so they climb using one arm. AU2 is me. You

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have an elbow, but no wrist. And then once you

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have a wrist, you're in the AU3 category. There

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is a minimum. impairment for that one like sorry

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tommy caldwell but the half digit isn't going

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to get you into the paralympics but um but yeah

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those folks generally have the risk so it's kind

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of about your joint count um for upper amputees

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okay cool good to know and i just want to like

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make sure that you do just like call it a stump

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or is there like another word for it yeah i mean

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when I was a little kid it was my little hand

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and like cute nicknames but yeah stump is generally

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what most people are gonna call it um you know

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there's a more medical term but that's just like

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very cold and dry so it's just a stump okay cool

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I will continue calling it a stump then um I

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noticed like in photos you like wrap it um is

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there like a reasoning behind that or like how

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much feeling do you have in it so I have I would

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say all the feeling roughly. Because I was born

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with my amputation, I'm a congenital amputee.

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I don't have like scar tissue or raw bone like

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you see in a lot of, especially leg amputees.

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Most upper limb amputees, at least in the climbing

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competition circuit are. congenital and most

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lower limb amputees have had some sort of traumatic

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accident. And so if you've lost a limb, you have

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scar tissue and it can really hurt to grab things.

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But for me, I can beat on it pretty well. But

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the skin that I have there, it's like forearm

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skin. It's not designed to callus. And I've tried,

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I've tried to be strong and like not tape and

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see if I could just toughen it up. And I just,

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it bleeds everywhere and it's awful. There are

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some folks like me who don't tape. I don't know

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how. And so for me, the tape protects my skin,

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but it's still thin enough. Like some people

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wonder why I don't use a big, thick rubber sleeve.

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And that's because I couldn't feel the holds

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through that. Yeah, makes sense. So the tape

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allows me to still have that dexterity and feel

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what I'm grabbing while protecting my skin. Okay,

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interesting. noticed now that i guess my forums

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don't get calloused because i mean you'll like

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sometimes hurt it on the wall or something and

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then i never thought about it like when i climb

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outside a lot the red river gorge which is big

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buckets sometimes and like above my tape line

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i will get like gabby and gross like a turn screen

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it's really nasty but it never heals into a callus

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like it just like the scab heals off and then

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it's just it is so um I do have sort of a subdermal

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callus, I call it, on the part of my stump that

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grabs the holds the most. Like the skin on top

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is still soft, but there's this lump underneath

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it. And that has to be from climbing. I mean,

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I'm sure there's no medical term for it, but

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yeah, that's a new thing. I certainly, I haven't

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had a new prosthetic in a long time, but I certainly

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can't fit any of them from 10 years ago or

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years ago before I was climbing a lot. Everything's

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changed. Okay, interesting. But then the skin

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on top is still like soft, so it can like break

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and bleed. Yeah, yeah. Good to know. So then,

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yeah, it sounds like you've been climbing a long

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time and then also competing for a while. So

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how did you get started climbing and then competing

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eventually? Yeah, I started climbing in my first

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climbing experience. I was 12 and it was outside

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on a really cool grant boulder. I went to an

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awesome Girl Scout camp in northern middle of

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nowhere, Maine. And they had these big house

00:08:02.720 --> 00:08:05.459
-sized glacial erratic boulders. Um, so it was

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just some 30 foot top rope. I don't think I even

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made it to the top, but something about climbing.

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Um, I just, I loved it because I couldn't fake

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my way through it. A lot of other sports, like

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I played soccer, but like you use your feet or

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like in archery, I could still use my prosthetic,

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but in rock climbing, it was just like, I couldn't

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fake it. I had to just do it. Um, and there,

00:08:24.600 --> 00:08:27.839
I had to make up my own things, but it was just

00:08:27.839 --> 00:08:29.639
a way, it's a really honest sport. It's really

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pure, like your body and this rock sport. Um,

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And I also liked it because when you're up there,

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it's just you and the rock. And I always say

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the rock doesn't care that I have a disability

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or that I was a girl or whatever. It's just like

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you and this rock and the rock doesn't care.

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Versus all the other sports I had done. But when

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you're 12, you don't have a lot of agency to

00:08:47.330 --> 00:08:48.950
like go rock climbing if you're not from a rock

00:08:48.950 --> 00:08:51.750
climbing family. So in high school, I started

00:08:51.750 --> 00:08:53.730
saving my babysitting money to hire a guy. I

00:08:53.730 --> 00:08:55.210
grew up outside of Acadia National Park, which

00:08:55.210 --> 00:08:57.809
has incredible climbing. So I would save up my

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babysitting money to hire a guide with a girlfriend

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here and there. And then in college, I, promptly

00:09:03.000 --> 00:09:04.960
joined the outing club and climbing club and

00:09:04.960 --> 00:09:06.840
that was kind of the beginning of the end but

00:09:06.840 --> 00:09:09.820
that was 20 years ago now was college did they

00:09:09.820 --> 00:09:12.799
kind of like treat you differently like when

00:09:12.799 --> 00:09:16.059
you were trying to climb or was it um yeah kind

00:09:16.059 --> 00:09:18.159
of chill just like everyone else i definitely

00:09:18.159 --> 00:09:20.899
did the fake it till you make it thing um i rolled

00:09:20.899 --> 00:09:22.759
in my freshman year and i was just like i've

00:09:22.759 --> 00:09:25.120
read freedom of the hills seventh edition and

00:09:25.120 --> 00:09:27.399
i know everything there is about climbing and

00:09:27.399 --> 00:09:31.100
people are like yeah okay sure Um, but I definitely,

00:09:31.259 --> 00:09:33.539
you know, there wasn't really, you couldn't just

00:09:33.539 --> 00:09:36.100
Google how to be a disabled climber or how to

00:09:36.100 --> 00:09:38.220
belay with one. In fact, it didn't exist. Uh,

00:09:38.320 --> 00:09:40.460
so I spent those years just thinking I was, I

00:09:40.460 --> 00:09:42.299
was the only person like me in the world. Like

00:09:42.299 --> 00:09:44.960
I must be the only amputee upper limit PT rock

00:09:44.960 --> 00:09:47.279
climbing. So it was a lot of trial and error.

00:09:47.419 --> 00:09:49.779
Um, and it was a lot of, a lot of pressure on

00:09:49.779 --> 00:09:55.200
myself to be better and like beat expectations.

00:09:55.980 --> 00:09:59.940
Um, And I definitely had some doubts on whether

00:09:59.940 --> 00:10:02.720
people would want to climb with me because I

00:10:02.720 --> 00:10:05.419
just, I acted like I had confidence, but I definitely

00:10:05.419 --> 00:10:07.019
didn't. I was just like, no one's going to climb

00:10:07.019 --> 00:10:09.220
with me. I'm not going to ever climb hard. I'll

00:10:09.220 --> 00:10:11.820
never be able to lead climb. So I kind of just

00:10:11.820 --> 00:10:14.980
muddled through for a very long time. And it

00:10:14.980 --> 00:10:19.679
wasn't until I moved to Colorado in 2012 that

00:10:19.679 --> 00:10:22.500
I really met other, started climbing a lot with

00:10:22.500 --> 00:10:24.860
other disabled athletes. But it wasn't until

00:10:24.860 --> 00:10:27.580
2009 is when I had my first ever event I did

00:10:27.580 --> 00:10:29.179
with Parallel Sports. It was ice climbing, actually.

00:10:29.580 --> 00:10:31.600
And that was my first time climbing with other

00:10:31.600 --> 00:10:34.980
disabled people. So I was 22. I had spent two

00:10:34.980 --> 00:10:37.259
decades thinking I was the only person like me

00:10:37.259 --> 00:10:40.419
or not hanging out with people like me. So that

00:10:40.419 --> 00:10:42.480
was pretty mind -blowing. And then eventually,

00:10:42.600 --> 00:10:45.320
how did you get into competition climbing? That

00:10:45.320 --> 00:10:47.200
was kind of a whim. So I've been living in Colorado

00:10:47.200 --> 00:10:50.830
for a bit, climbing a lot. Three days a week

00:10:50.830 --> 00:10:52.750
after work, one weekend day, hitting the gym

00:10:52.750 --> 00:10:55.950
whenever I could, just really bit it. And in

00:10:55.950 --> 00:10:59.250
2013, the Bouldering National Championships were

00:10:59.250 --> 00:11:01.029
in Colorado Springs. And a friend of mine said,

00:11:01.129 --> 00:11:02.750
hey, they're doing a para category if you want

00:11:02.750 --> 00:11:04.909
to come down. So I went and I did that and it

00:11:04.909 --> 00:11:07.909
didn't suck. I didn't really get climbing comps,

00:11:07.909 --> 00:11:10.330
but I was like, that was fun. And then 2014 was

00:11:10.330 --> 00:11:12.649
the first ever para climbing nationals for USA

00:11:12.649 --> 00:11:16.269
Climbing. And I went on a whim, last minute flight.

00:11:16.830 --> 00:11:19.409
It was in Atlanta, Georgia in July. So it was

00:11:19.409 --> 00:11:24.289
pretty miserable. But I won out of one person

00:11:24.289 --> 00:11:27.370
in my class. And it counts. I have the medal

00:11:27.370 --> 00:11:31.769
right behind me. And that's when the coaches

00:11:31.769 --> 00:11:33.509
and directors said, like, well, if you want,

00:11:33.549 --> 00:11:35.350
you had a spot on the team where the world championships

00:11:35.350 --> 00:11:38.450
in Spain this fall. Do you want to go? And I

00:11:38.450 --> 00:11:41.669
had never been abroad. Always wanted to travel,

00:11:41.769 --> 00:11:43.850
but was always a little needed that push. And

00:11:43.850 --> 00:11:48.070
here's the push. And so I went and I won there

00:11:48.070 --> 00:11:50.769
out of three, which is better. Yeah. Um, but

00:11:50.769 --> 00:11:53.230
that was kind of, that was my, my second level

00:11:53.230 --> 00:11:55.190
of like beginning of the end of this new life

00:11:55.190 --> 00:11:56.870
was I came home and like, well, I want to do

00:11:56.870 --> 00:11:58.529
better and I know it's going to grow and it's

00:11:58.529 --> 00:12:02.509
going to be popular. Um, and it's grown immensely.

00:12:02.570 --> 00:12:05.129
That first nationals Atlanta was maybe 30 athletes

00:12:05.129 --> 00:12:08.649
and next month in Houston where I am expecting

00:12:08.649 --> 00:12:11.470
well over 200. Wow. Yeah. And the world's championships

00:12:11.470 --> 00:12:14.559
to my first year, I won out of three. And last

00:12:14.559 --> 00:12:16.000
year's World Championships, which I didn't go

00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:18.039
to, there probably was at least 20 girls in my

00:12:18.039 --> 00:12:19.799
category, which is insane to me that there are

00:12:19.799 --> 00:12:23.179
20 one -armed female climbers who love climbing

00:12:23.179 --> 00:12:25.779
enough to like spend the money, spend the time,

00:12:25.899 --> 00:12:29.860
do this. But I think that speaks to how a para

00:12:29.860 --> 00:12:32.139
climbing competition is more than just the climbing

00:12:32.139 --> 00:12:34.220
competition, like the community within para.

00:12:34.639 --> 00:12:37.080
You know, where else can I talk to other people

00:12:37.080 --> 00:12:38.879
about how they tape their stump or what they

00:12:38.879 --> 00:12:41.139
do? So it's just there's a deeper layer to it

00:12:41.139 --> 00:12:43.580
than just a competition for all of us. yeah it's

00:12:43.580 --> 00:12:46.279
really cool how much it's grown but also there's

00:12:46.279 --> 00:12:49.480
nothing wrong with being winning out of one person

00:12:49.480 --> 00:12:51.840
i always feel like that has like happened to

00:12:51.840 --> 00:12:54.220
me in the past and it's always just like well

00:12:54.220 --> 00:12:56.360
if people wanted to then they also could have

00:12:56.360 --> 00:12:58.720
done it but i mean and for a lot of those smaller

00:12:58.720 --> 00:13:01.419
comps or any comp at all like showing up to your

00:13:01.419 --> 00:13:03.399
first one especially is the hardest part yeah

00:13:03.399 --> 00:13:05.970
that's the crux Yeah. There's like difficulty

00:13:05.970 --> 00:13:07.929
in just believing in yourself and signing up

00:13:07.929 --> 00:13:10.029
to do it like that. I remember I was I was fundraising

00:13:10.029 --> 00:13:11.730
for that Spain World Champs because I was just

00:13:11.730 --> 00:13:13.870
like, I don't know, I'm like practically a kid.

00:13:13.990 --> 00:13:15.789
But I think I worked for Vail Resorts for

00:13:15.789 --> 00:13:17.830
bucks an hour. So I did a GoFundMe. And I remember

00:13:17.830 --> 00:13:20.370
this guy in Mountain Project kind of ran his

00:13:20.370 --> 00:13:22.309
mouth about like one out of one. That's not impressive.

00:13:22.629 --> 00:13:25.370
And I was just like, ah, suck it. You could have

00:13:25.370 --> 00:13:26.730
done it. Well, I mean, I guess you couldn't have

00:13:26.730 --> 00:13:28.950
joined that category, but there's other things.

00:13:29.009 --> 00:13:31.070
I mean, that's the one thing about para climbing

00:13:31.070 --> 00:13:34.139
is we're all one. blown stop sign away from joining.

00:13:34.240 --> 00:13:37.539
Yeah, exactly. So getting into para climbing

00:13:37.539 --> 00:13:41.200
a bit in IFSC slash world climbing now, I don't

00:13:41.200 --> 00:13:43.120
have the experience of what it's like to climb

00:13:43.120 --> 00:13:45.840
with that impairment. So are there any moves

00:13:45.840 --> 00:13:47.840
that are like easier for you with your impairment

00:13:47.840 --> 00:13:50.820
and ones that they said that are like harder

00:13:50.820 --> 00:13:53.120
for you? Yeah, I spent a lot of time just even

00:13:53.120 --> 00:13:55.559
at like the gym daily talking to my friends about

00:13:55.559 --> 00:13:58.399
that, or there was this route that I did really

00:13:58.399 --> 00:14:00.419
well on. And a lot of my friends pumped off and

00:14:00.419 --> 00:14:02.019
fell off. And I was like, you know, guys, I think

00:14:02.019 --> 00:14:03.840
I actually have an advantage because there's

00:14:03.840 --> 00:14:06.200
I have a left stump and there's just like left

00:14:06.200 --> 00:14:08.220
reach around a steep roof. And if you have an

00:14:08.220 --> 00:14:10.740
arm and fingers, you're like at this weird lock

00:14:10.740 --> 00:14:12.460
off angle. I'm trying to cramp in your pump.

00:14:12.600 --> 00:14:15.580
But for me, I can just go and like just the physics

00:14:15.580 --> 00:14:18.159
of my lever of my arm. I could just hang out

00:14:18.159 --> 00:14:20.580
there forever. So there certainly are times it's

00:14:20.580 --> 00:14:24.940
an advantage. I would say usually it's a disadvantage

00:14:24.940 --> 00:14:29.019
compared to most times. But I'm. still all these

00:14:29.019 --> 00:14:31.220
years later constantly surprising myself by like

00:14:31.220 --> 00:14:33.360
avoiding a route that has lots of pockets and

00:14:33.360 --> 00:14:35.500
this is in the gym um but then I finally I'm

00:14:35.500 --> 00:14:37.940
like well I'm out of 12s to try I might as well

00:14:37.940 --> 00:14:39.460
try this one and then I try it I'm like well

00:14:39.460 --> 00:14:42.440
actually that went better than I thought or something

00:14:42.440 --> 00:14:45.460
that looks great for me and there's just like

00:14:45.460 --> 00:14:48.159
something out of like open a pinch at a weird

00:14:48.159 --> 00:14:50.440
slopey angle where my stump just as soon as I

00:14:50.440 --> 00:14:52.279
let go with my right hand my stump just slides

00:14:52.279 --> 00:14:55.639
off and that's the end okay So whenever someone's

00:14:55.639 --> 00:14:57.480
like, what's your style? What do you like? I'm

00:14:57.480 --> 00:14:58.879
like, I don't know. I'm just, I'm still learning

00:14:58.879 --> 00:15:01.860
every day. Actually, yeah. Also, how hard is

00:15:01.860 --> 00:15:04.480
it to like keep the tape on the stump? Because

00:15:04.480 --> 00:15:06.980
whenever I like tape anything, it's just, it

00:15:06.980 --> 00:15:12.379
just slides. Yeah, it depends. I have a fair

00:15:12.379 --> 00:15:14.379
amount of surface area. So like the tape sticks

00:15:14.379 --> 00:15:16.620
to itself and the skin. So that's just more stickiness.

00:15:16.960 --> 00:15:19.940
Friends of mine with shorter stumps, if they

00:15:19.940 --> 00:15:21.419
only have like an inch before their elbow, they

00:15:21.419 --> 00:15:22.820
lose tape all the time because there's just not

00:15:22.820 --> 00:15:26.269
enough. surface area uh if it's sweaty or if

00:15:26.269 --> 00:15:28.370
i'm doing a lot of juggy climbs where like my

00:15:28.370 --> 00:15:31.450
stump is spinning behind the hold a bit um like

00:15:31.450 --> 00:15:33.009
especially someplace like the red where you put

00:15:33.009 --> 00:15:35.850
it on something then climb past that can take

00:15:35.850 --> 00:15:37.590
tape right off it's crazy how like sticky this

00:15:37.590 --> 00:15:39.370
tape can be and then at the top of the pitch

00:15:39.370 --> 00:15:43.470
i'm just like oh gosh i have started um this

00:15:43.470 --> 00:15:45.570
spring it actually became a problem i did a red

00:15:45.570 --> 00:15:47.769
trip during it was a little warm and it kind

00:15:47.769 --> 00:15:49.710
of ruined the trip i was like i can't finish

00:15:49.710 --> 00:15:52.149
a pitch without my tape sweating off So I started

00:15:52.149 --> 00:15:54.590
experimenting with different antihydrals and

00:15:54.590 --> 00:15:56.730
like, did you know that pole dancers have their

00:15:56.730 --> 00:15:58.909
own hand cream for grip? Like I've tried that.

00:15:59.809 --> 00:16:03.990
I call it my stripper socks and that works okay.

00:16:04.649 --> 00:16:07.309
But finally I found this just like tough skin

00:16:07.309 --> 00:16:09.929
free spray that is just the best combination

00:16:09.929 --> 00:16:13.429
of it helps the tape stay, but also I can take

00:16:13.429 --> 00:16:16.110
it off without losing chunks of flesh. And it

00:16:16.110 --> 00:16:17.929
doubles great for my knee, for my knee bar pads

00:16:17.929 --> 00:16:21.200
too. Like it's, it's a good product, but. That

00:16:21.200 --> 00:16:22.659
was my big breakthrough this year, technically,

00:16:22.779 --> 00:16:26.820
was just finding how to keep the tape on. Because

00:16:26.820 --> 00:16:30.320
I can, a hard session in the gym, even with the

00:16:30.320 --> 00:16:31.779
spray, I can go through a roll of tape in a day.

00:16:32.019 --> 00:16:34.120
Oh, okay. So you do, like, re -tape throughout

00:16:34.120 --> 00:16:37.500
a session? Yeah. Sometimes I don't have to if

00:16:37.500 --> 00:16:39.200
I'm, like, dry enough or it's cool enough or

00:16:39.200 --> 00:16:42.220
maybe I'm doing mostly crimp. But yeah, big,

00:16:42.340 --> 00:16:44.980
juggy, hot, sweaty sessions. It's a multi -tape

00:16:44.980 --> 00:16:48.700
day. Oh, geez. Okay, good to know. So then thinking

00:16:48.700 --> 00:16:51.720
about climbing at general gyms versus at competitions,

00:16:52.080 --> 00:16:56.299
how is the setting at these competitions? Does

00:16:56.299 --> 00:16:59.919
it feel easier or more ergonomic compared to

00:16:59.919 --> 00:17:03.460
regular gym setting? Not really. I think it's

00:17:03.460 --> 00:17:06.319
just how a normal gym route compares to an able

00:17:06.319 --> 00:17:09.700
-bodied comp route. especially modern comp groups,

00:17:09.779 --> 00:17:11.839
we're seeing those big glass volumes, some like

00:17:11.839 --> 00:17:13.720
weirder movements. You're not just going up.

00:17:13.740 --> 00:17:16.119
You're like having to really interpret data and

00:17:16.119 --> 00:17:18.380
what the route setter's intended. When I started

00:17:18.380 --> 00:17:21.079
para climbing, it was long enough ago that even

00:17:21.079 --> 00:17:22.859
like the Lee and Boulder routes are more straightforward.

00:17:23.160 --> 00:17:25.180
Like they're hard, but they're definitely just

00:17:25.180 --> 00:17:27.700
like hard climbs versus, you know, even lead

00:17:27.700 --> 00:17:30.220
that you see these more gymnastic dynamic movements.

00:17:30.579 --> 00:17:33.160
Para climbing has also changed towards that.

00:17:33.440 --> 00:17:36.640
Oh, okay. Yeah. not as much like it's going to

00:17:36.640 --> 00:17:39.019
be really hard to set a dyno that someone missing

00:17:39.019 --> 00:17:41.359
a left leg or a right leg or above me and below

00:17:41.359 --> 00:17:46.740
me can do equitably um and i will say like para

00:17:46.740 --> 00:17:49.420
climbers all calm climbers like to complain about

00:17:49.420 --> 00:17:50.920
the setting right if it doesn't go their way

00:17:50.920 --> 00:17:55.099
um and with para climbers it's even more of an

00:17:55.099 --> 00:17:57.480
extreme and i try to balance like i could just

00:17:57.480 --> 00:18:00.759
be a better version of myself most times but

00:18:00.759 --> 00:18:04.119
it is an impossible task to set a route where

00:18:04.119 --> 00:18:05.720
someone missing a left hand and a right hand

00:18:05.720 --> 00:18:09.140
have an equal shot and it comes down to their

00:18:09.140 --> 00:18:10.920
skills not what side they're on but it's also

00:18:10.920 --> 00:18:12.579
just functionally impossible to do that without

00:18:12.579 --> 00:18:16.099
making it a boring mirrored ladder climb um but

00:18:16.099 --> 00:18:19.680
i've certainly had competitions where when i

00:18:19.680 --> 00:18:22.700
was competing in this last my first 10 year part

00:18:22.700 --> 00:18:24.619
of comps there's kind of three of us cluster

00:18:24.619 --> 00:18:27.579
at the top all the time um two of us were missing

00:18:27.579 --> 00:18:30.900
our left hands one was missing the right And

00:18:30.900 --> 00:18:32.519
the girl, Selene, missing the right, she was

00:18:32.519 --> 00:18:33.980
always going to beat us. Like, she's so strong.

00:18:34.619 --> 00:18:38.079
But certain comps, like Lucia, who was missing

00:18:38.079 --> 00:18:41.319
your left, like me, we would tie every single

00:18:41.319 --> 00:18:43.019
time with the exact same move. And it was usually

00:18:43.019 --> 00:18:45.140
some big, steep move out to a left crimp that,

00:18:45.160 --> 00:18:46.799
like, we just couldn't reach or we would tap

00:18:46.799 --> 00:18:50.839
it. We couldn't latch onto it. And it's hard

00:18:50.839 --> 00:18:54.440
mentally to, like, it's hard not to despair and

00:18:54.440 --> 00:18:57.160
just be like, it'll never be fair. Why do I even

00:18:57.160 --> 00:18:58.799
bother doing this? Like, it's not showing who

00:18:58.799 --> 00:19:00.359
the best climber is because you put all three

00:19:00.359 --> 00:19:02.380
of us in like a gym setting and we're like way

00:19:02.380 --> 00:19:05.579
closer on regular gym routes or even outside,

00:19:05.680 --> 00:19:10.480
like compared to what we score in comps. But

00:19:10.480 --> 00:19:13.019
at the end of the day, I always talk with my

00:19:13.019 --> 00:19:15.900
coach to be like, did I screw up or is that move

00:19:15.900 --> 00:19:18.200
just impossible for me? And he's pretty honest.

00:19:18.220 --> 00:19:19.700
Sometimes he'll be like, yeah, I just don't think

00:19:19.700 --> 00:19:21.180
there's a world where you could do that move.

00:19:21.619 --> 00:19:24.460
But oftentimes he also says, but also we could

00:19:24.460 --> 00:19:28.950
work towards doing that move. So it's like equal

00:19:28.950 --> 00:19:30.869
parts, holding yourself accountable to being

00:19:30.869 --> 00:19:33.569
better. And then also being able to let go of

00:19:33.569 --> 00:19:35.750
just like, this just wasn't the set. And that

00:19:35.750 --> 00:19:37.569
happens with able -bodied too. Like we see it,

00:19:37.609 --> 00:19:39.150
I think a lot in bouldering where like short

00:19:39.150 --> 00:19:41.390
women versus tall women. And it's just like,

00:19:41.490 --> 00:19:44.190
it's that, but just exponentially more obvious

00:19:44.190 --> 00:19:46.960
with para climbing. I'm really surprised to hear

00:19:46.960 --> 00:19:49.940
that it's that you guys like kind of tie more

00:19:49.940 --> 00:19:52.160
often in like a regular gym setting. I would

00:19:52.160 --> 00:19:54.119
think that with like regular gym setting where

00:19:54.119 --> 00:19:57.220
they're not exactly thinking about setting for

00:19:57.220 --> 00:20:01.519
different bodies, it's like or setting specifically

00:20:01.519 --> 00:20:05.539
for like para climbing bodies that it would be

00:20:05.539 --> 00:20:08.539
like more pronounced the differences. I think

00:20:08.539 --> 00:20:10.700
with gym setting, it's more possible to come

00:20:10.700 --> 00:20:15.250
up with your own beta or like. I was working

00:20:15.250 --> 00:20:17.250
on a climb on the gym this week where, and this

00:20:17.250 --> 00:20:19.490
happens a lot, I've been climbing long enough

00:20:19.490 --> 00:20:22.269
and a lot where I can read a route and see what

00:20:22.269 --> 00:20:24.230
the setter intended. And I'll often get to a

00:20:24.230 --> 00:20:26.150
point where I'm like, do I do the intended beta

00:20:26.150 --> 00:20:30.690
or do I do some weird mo beta? And it's 50 -50.

00:20:30.769 --> 00:20:32.349
Sometimes I choose wrong. And as soon as I get

00:20:32.349 --> 00:20:33.769
back on and do it the other way, I'm like, yep,

00:20:33.789 --> 00:20:35.750
that was actually easy if I just do it that way.

00:20:36.130 --> 00:20:39.809
And so I would say like commercial routes, even

00:20:39.809 --> 00:20:42.190
at harder grades, still have some kind of options.

00:20:43.109 --> 00:20:46.869
Where comp routes are just, they're weird and

00:20:46.869 --> 00:20:48.509
they're hard to practice because our, you know,

00:20:48.509 --> 00:20:50.470
commercial climbing gyms don't set comp routes

00:20:50.470 --> 00:20:55.529
for the most part or use those big volumes. But

00:20:55.529 --> 00:20:57.170
I think it's, yeah, it's the lack of options.

00:20:58.730 --> 00:21:02.609
It's also our routes at comps. I wish we could

00:21:02.609 --> 00:21:05.329
have just an AU2 route, but there's just not

00:21:05.329 --> 00:21:07.710
enough time or surface area for that. So my routes

00:21:07.710 --> 00:21:12.759
are usually shared with an RP or a blind. or

00:21:12.759 --> 00:21:15.740
leg amp so it's not necessarily specifically

00:21:15.740 --> 00:21:18.519
designed with arm amps in mind yeah that makes

00:21:18.519 --> 00:21:21.359
sense yeah i feel like para climbing setters

00:21:21.359 --> 00:21:24.160
have a quite a tough job trying to like it's

00:21:24.160 --> 00:21:26.099
impossible i try to be really careful when i'm

00:21:26.099 --> 00:21:30.619
like what i again everyone's allowed to complain

00:21:30.619 --> 00:21:32.539
especially right after a comp that's why i usually

00:21:32.539 --> 00:21:34.180
don't post about a comp i'm not happy with until

00:21:34.180 --> 00:21:36.059
for a couple days sure yeah that's a good idea

00:21:36.059 --> 00:21:39.200
but it was yeah my last season in 2023 was frustrating

00:21:39.200 --> 00:21:41.619
because there was a world cup where Lucci and

00:21:41.619 --> 00:21:43.700
I both felt the same spot. It was like a move

00:21:43.700 --> 00:21:46.200
to a crimp on a steep fall into the left. And

00:21:46.200 --> 00:21:48.680
I was like, man, I really hope the setters for

00:21:48.680 --> 00:21:50.859
the Burn World Champs see that and learn from

00:21:50.859 --> 00:21:53.400
it. And then she and I both felt and tied again

00:21:53.400 --> 00:21:56.420
at the exact same place, exact same move at the

00:21:56.420 --> 00:21:58.619
World Champs. And that was frustrating because

00:21:58.619 --> 00:22:00.079
I was like, you guys should have watched us just

00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:03.569
a couple weeks ago. But at the same time, they

00:22:03.569 --> 00:22:05.750
have the most impossible job out of any setters.

00:22:05.990 --> 00:22:09.150
Yeah, it sounds like the most difficult. Yeah,

00:22:09.190 --> 00:22:11.089
I'm not about to sign up to become a pair setter.

00:22:11.349 --> 00:22:14.069
Yeah. And I guess in general, it seems like the

00:22:14.069 --> 00:22:16.930
vibes are a lot more fun and casual at pair climbing

00:22:16.930 --> 00:22:20.230
competitions. Did you ever feel like pressure

00:22:20.230 --> 00:22:22.690
to perform at them or was it just kind of like

00:22:22.690 --> 00:22:23.890
a fun time? I was going to say, they can be.

00:22:23.930 --> 00:22:26.490
I feel like they've gotten less fun. Not like

00:22:26.490 --> 00:22:30.609
a capital fun, but like it's a real sport. It's

00:22:30.609 --> 00:22:34.009
funny. um you know it's a real sport when all

00:22:34.009 --> 00:22:35.789
of a sudden there's like beef between athletes

00:22:35.789 --> 00:22:39.369
and like so there's some petty drama and it sucks

00:22:39.369 --> 00:22:41.470
for those people but i'm in the background being

00:22:41.470 --> 00:22:43.829
like guys we're both sport now this is great

00:22:43.829 --> 00:22:47.329
yeah uh oh we've arrived people don't like each

00:22:47.329 --> 00:22:50.210
other yeah actually that's even hard to find

00:22:50.210 --> 00:22:52.910
in like able -bodied climbing competition community

00:22:52.910 --> 00:22:55.230
as well i feel like people are too kind still

00:22:55.230 --> 00:22:57.609
well we have some weird stuff where it's like

00:22:58.000 --> 00:23:00.400
Please excuse this brief intermission, but if

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you're interested in ad -free episodes and would

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00:23:05.140 --> 00:23:07.980
including one where Mo talks about what USA Climbing

00:23:07.980 --> 00:23:10.859
does right for para climbing and how she makes

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a living being a full -time climber, do consider

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help out non -monetarily, liking, commenting,

00:23:34.980 --> 00:23:38.099
and sharing helps a great deal as well. Back

00:23:38.099 --> 00:23:40.400
to the show. Like the biggest drama I'm aware

00:23:40.400 --> 00:23:43.440
of is someone's like, ooh, that person got misclassed.

00:23:43.440 --> 00:23:46.279
Like they shouldn't be in class. They have this

00:23:46.279 --> 00:23:48.420
that's not right. Like they should be not competing

00:23:48.420 --> 00:23:50.140
against me. And that's actually common across

00:23:50.140 --> 00:23:51.799
para sports. Like the more involved they get

00:23:51.799 --> 00:23:55.170
in the Paralympic level, you hear... that stuff

00:23:55.170 --> 00:23:57.269
all the time like oh he's faking his disability

00:23:57.269 --> 00:24:02.529
or something like that yeah um but again as much

00:24:02.529 --> 00:24:04.309
as that sucks i also take it as a grain of we're

00:24:04.309 --> 00:24:07.250
a real sport with like real people want this

00:24:07.250 --> 00:24:09.910
badly um it's not just a friendly competition

00:24:09.910 --> 00:24:11.789
like it used to be it's still friendly it's still

00:24:11.789 --> 00:24:14.289
above and beyond like you know we're a community

00:24:14.289 --> 00:24:16.829
first but it's still fun it's i remember one

00:24:16.829 --> 00:24:19.869
time i won't say who but a really well -known

00:24:19.869 --> 00:24:22.730
able -bodied climbers mom came up to me i think

00:24:22.730 --> 00:24:24.730
she had a couple chardonnays And was just like,

00:24:24.769 --> 00:24:27.029
Mo, I just love the para climbers because they

00:24:27.029 --> 00:24:28.630
don't care about winning. They just have fun.

00:24:28.809 --> 00:24:30.650
And I was like, ma 'am, I care a whole lot about

00:24:30.650 --> 00:24:35.490
winning. They are fun. I would say like at our

00:24:35.490 --> 00:24:36.890
nationals and locals level, they're definitely

00:24:36.890 --> 00:24:38.569
more fun. But our World Cup and World Champs

00:24:38.569 --> 00:24:40.789
level, it's pretty cutthroat, which is awesome.

00:24:41.029 --> 00:24:45.049
Yeah. Do you like feel pressure to win? 100%.

00:24:45.049 --> 00:24:48.089
Okay. One of the reasons I retired with the asterisk

00:24:48.089 --> 00:24:49.849
coming back when I did was because it's like,

00:24:49.930 --> 00:24:51.970
look, I've never missed an IFSC podium. Let's

00:24:51.970 --> 00:24:54.779
just stop now. And I won all my national, I won

00:24:54.779 --> 00:24:56.420
10 national championships. I was like, cool,

00:24:56.440 --> 00:24:59.519
peace, I'm out. But I don't take on retiring

00:24:59.519 --> 00:25:01.619
lightly because I know those odds, you know,

00:25:01.660 --> 00:25:03.619
the field's bigger and stronger and younger now.

00:25:03.700 --> 00:25:05.920
So I might have to let go of that. Never miss,

00:25:06.059 --> 00:25:09.799
never not won. But it's a good, it's a good thing.

00:25:09.920 --> 00:25:13.059
Was that the main reason for retiring or? It

00:25:13.059 --> 00:25:15.259
wasn't the main, it was just, it was like hitting

00:25:15.259 --> 00:25:19.420
that 10 year mark. I have a really big love for

00:25:19.420 --> 00:25:21.700
alpine climbing. So like outdoor sport climbing

00:25:21.700 --> 00:25:24.200
and comp climbing can overlap a lot. And as far

00:25:24.200 --> 00:25:26.240
as like, well, if I'm from comp fit, then once

00:25:26.240 --> 00:25:27.519
comp season's over, I can get right outside.

00:25:28.500 --> 00:25:31.839
But I have a big love for like alpine expeditions

00:25:31.839 --> 00:25:35.079
and you just cannot do both. And actually, para

00:25:35.079 --> 00:25:37.240
climbing is getting so serious where you might

00:25:37.240 --> 00:25:39.519
have a hard time. Like next summer when I'm full

00:25:39.519 --> 00:25:41.299
World Cup tour, I doubt I'll be able to have

00:25:41.299 --> 00:25:42.940
like a fun trip to Ten Sleep to sport climb.

00:25:43.099 --> 00:25:46.039
It's probably going to be training. Um, so a

00:25:46.039 --> 00:25:48.019
lot of it for me was just, I've done my time.

00:25:48.059 --> 00:25:50.160
It's time to make way for like, let the new generation

00:25:50.160 --> 00:25:54.380
have at it. Um, you know, sometimes I felt like

00:25:54.380 --> 00:25:55.720
I was sticking around just to be a number to

00:25:55.720 --> 00:25:59.059
keep the body count up. Oh, like hair climbing,

00:25:59.140 --> 00:26:00.839
growing, keep our numbers up. And they didn't

00:26:00.839 --> 00:26:03.019
need that anymore. Um, but it was mostly wanting

00:26:03.019 --> 00:26:05.160
to be able to just like let go of the rigid training

00:26:05.160 --> 00:26:07.380
schedule and just focus on outdoor projects,

00:26:07.440 --> 00:26:10.990
both hard projects and Alpine style trips. Um,

00:26:11.089 --> 00:26:13.490
so when I retired, it was with the asterisk of

00:26:13.490 --> 00:26:17.309
unless we get into 2028, because it will be our

00:26:17.309 --> 00:26:20.509
first Paralympics and it's a home games for us.

00:26:20.569 --> 00:26:22.529
And I'm like, that's a, that's a one, two thing.

00:26:22.609 --> 00:26:27.230
I can't say no to. Um, and so we got in, I want

00:26:27.230 --> 00:26:32.130
to say it was like spring 24. Yeah. Spring 24.

00:26:32.130 --> 00:26:33.849
We knew that we got into the Paralympics, but

00:26:33.849 --> 00:26:35.890
we still didn't know which classes got in. That

00:26:35.890 --> 00:26:37.990
wasn't until last spring. They announced that

00:26:37.990 --> 00:26:40.680
women's AU2 was. So that's when it became like,

00:26:40.740 --> 00:26:42.900
cool. There's no more red tape between me and

00:26:42.900 --> 00:26:46.660
making it. I just have to make it now. So I had

00:26:46.660 --> 00:26:50.240
a good two years off of competition. And so this

00:26:50.240 --> 00:26:52.559
year I'll be doing nationals and two world cups.

00:26:53.259 --> 00:26:56.460
I know 2027 is when the qualifiers will be. So

00:26:56.460 --> 00:26:59.259
that's the year to qualify for 28. So that will

00:26:59.259 --> 00:27:02.440
be kind of a heinous schedule. Nationals, five

00:27:02.440 --> 00:27:04.420
or six world cups, world championships, possibly

00:27:04.420 --> 00:27:08.130
a separate QE. Yeah, it's gonna be a lot. Yeah.

00:27:08.309 --> 00:27:10.690
But the reason I quit comps, too, is I'm training

00:27:10.690 --> 00:27:13.089
after nationals and World Cups. But friends of

00:27:13.089 --> 00:27:15.130
mine are going to Potrero. They're like, do you

00:27:15.130 --> 00:27:17.990
want to go? And I have to say, I can't. Yeah.

00:27:18.309 --> 00:27:20.130
So I got sick of saying no to stuff like that.

00:27:20.190 --> 00:27:22.569
And that was another reason to retire. But something

00:27:22.569 --> 00:27:24.349
about the Paralympics, too. It's the one date

00:27:24.349 --> 00:27:29.369
in 2028. And after that, I truly can let go.

00:27:30.049 --> 00:27:32.910
But not be gone. I definitely see myself as some

00:27:32.910 --> 00:27:36.559
kind of team manager. some type of coach or something

00:27:36.559 --> 00:27:39.119
like i'll be around forever for sure yeah it's

00:27:39.119 --> 00:27:41.440
super cool that it has become serious enough

00:27:41.440 --> 00:27:45.099
now where people are kind of um letting go of

00:27:45.099 --> 00:27:47.240
the other stuff that they want to do in order

00:27:47.240 --> 00:27:51.180
to like train for um the competition specifically

00:27:51.180 --> 00:27:54.779
you have to now even through like like in

00:27:54.779 --> 00:27:57.079
when i last won my my second world championships

00:27:57.079 --> 00:28:01.220
um in my head i was training and i was strong

00:28:01.759 --> 00:28:03.259
But looking back, I'm like, that girl would not

00:28:03.259 --> 00:28:06.420
make finals now at all. There's no way. So just

00:28:06.420 --> 00:28:09.460
you, the field has become so strong and so diverse

00:28:09.460 --> 00:28:11.619
that like you really have to, if you want to

00:28:11.619 --> 00:28:14.380
make finals at a World Cup now for my class,

00:28:14.400 --> 00:28:17.420
for AU2, it has to be, you have to be dedicated.

00:28:17.819 --> 00:28:19.799
I guess like what did training look like for

00:28:19.799 --> 00:28:22.119
you at the time? And like, what did you think

00:28:22.119 --> 00:28:24.319
that you were doing wrong? Yeah, back then it

00:28:24.319 --> 00:28:27.799
was just like climbing a lot. You know, and I

00:28:27.799 --> 00:28:29.119
still had a nine to five then. So I would just

00:28:29.119 --> 00:28:30.579
go to the gym like three or four nights a week.

00:28:31.079 --> 00:28:35.920
And just, just climbing a lot, which gets you

00:28:35.920 --> 00:28:38.059
for sure to a certain point, but eventually you

00:28:38.059 --> 00:28:44.660
do plateau. So it wasn't until 20, probably

00:28:44.660 --> 00:28:47.140
that I like really started working with a coach

00:28:47.140 --> 00:28:49.160
to do off the wall training, cross training,

00:28:49.440 --> 00:28:56.890
lifting and stuff like that. And now. Last summer,

00:28:56.910 --> 00:28:58.950
I started a huge training regimen for an outdoor

00:28:58.950 --> 00:29:00.490
project. I'm kind of carrying that through now.

00:29:01.210 --> 00:29:05.829
And I don't know. The people that can climb at

00:29:05.829 --> 00:29:07.750
this level while still holding down a job, let

00:29:07.750 --> 00:29:09.890
alone also having kids, I don't know how they

00:29:09.890 --> 00:29:13.630
do it. I don't know how they do it. Well, I mean,

00:29:13.670 --> 00:29:15.769
who's doing it? It's hard. There's some para

00:29:15.769 --> 00:29:18.130
-climbers who do. Oh, really? Yeah. There's some

00:29:18.130 --> 00:29:19.730
para -climbers who have regular 9 -to -5s and

00:29:19.730 --> 00:29:22.460
kids and compete out of a club. It's insane.

00:29:22.579 --> 00:29:24.200
So that's extra pressure on me, too, because

00:29:24.200 --> 00:29:25.420
it's like, well, I should just win everything,

00:29:25.500 --> 00:29:28.079
right? Because this is my full time job. But

00:29:28.079 --> 00:29:30.880
that's just how good everyone is. Nothing's guaranteed

00:29:30.880 --> 00:29:34.559
anymore. So does that mean that you're also like

00:29:34.559 --> 00:29:37.140
coming up with a schedule of like doing Paraworld

00:29:37.140 --> 00:29:39.740
Cups again as like competition practice? Yeah,

00:29:39.819 --> 00:29:42.960
this year I'm doing two. um world cups just to

00:29:42.960 --> 00:29:44.900
kind of again dip the toe back in there's five

00:29:44.900 --> 00:29:47.099
total this year um which is incredible i think

00:29:47.099 --> 00:29:49.279
that's the most we've ever had they added they

00:29:49.279 --> 00:29:51.339
added laval france last year so that's coming

00:29:51.339 --> 00:29:54.119
back um salt lake and innsbruck are are they

00:29:54.119 --> 00:29:56.079
happen every year they're the anchors of before

00:29:56.079 --> 00:29:58.720
uh and then this year they added a japan and

00:29:58.720 --> 00:30:01.200
a south korea world cup um cool i'm not gonna

00:30:01.200 --> 00:30:04.079
do those i'm just gonna do salt lake and brook

00:30:04.079 --> 00:30:06.799
um salt lake's practically local innsbruck i've

00:30:06.799 --> 00:30:09.250
been there a bunch so it's like the easiest like

00:30:09.250 --> 00:30:11.650
mentally to just i know the gym i know the town

00:30:11.650 --> 00:30:15.150
yeah let's just go um and i love doing that one

00:30:15.150 --> 00:30:16.990
because if that's the end of my comp season then

00:30:16.990 --> 00:30:18.289
i can stay for a couple extra weeks and climb

00:30:18.289 --> 00:30:23.930
outside oh nice um but next year i i have a hunch

00:30:23.930 --> 00:30:25.910
next year is going to be and i will do the full

00:30:25.910 --> 00:30:28.089
tour next year um it will be five or six world

00:30:28.089 --> 00:30:31.849
cups plus the world championships in spania did

00:30:31.849 --> 00:30:35.170
they already put that out 2027. Yeah, world champs.

00:30:35.170 --> 00:30:37.410
Oh, okay. I should know. I'm totally blanking.

00:30:38.430 --> 00:30:41.289
They added one next year, Para World Cup in Manchester,

00:30:41.430 --> 00:30:43.049
UK as well, which I'm really excited for. So

00:30:43.049 --> 00:30:46.089
it's really amazing to see, you know, Innsbruck

00:30:46.089 --> 00:30:47.829
and Salt Lake have been the para climbing anchors

00:30:47.829 --> 00:30:49.990
for so long. And it's really great to see other

00:30:49.990 --> 00:30:52.710
federations stepping up and saying, oh, we believe

00:30:52.710 --> 00:30:55.549
in para. We're going to put resources into hosting

00:30:55.549 --> 00:30:57.750
world level competitions in our countries. Do

00:30:57.750 --> 00:31:00.509
you already know what the qualification process

00:31:00.509 --> 00:31:04.660
will look like for? We don't. So we know that

00:31:04.660 --> 00:31:08.900
there should be 10 spots per class for the Paralympics.

00:31:08.900 --> 00:31:11.920
So there should be 10 of me. However, I've heard

00:31:11.920 --> 00:31:14.200
there's some wiggle room where like, like my

00:31:14.200 --> 00:31:16.240
class should get 10 because we're very large.

00:31:16.839 --> 00:31:18.900
But, you know, there's talk of, oh, well, if

00:31:18.900 --> 00:31:20.640
this class is smaller, maybe this one should

00:31:20.640 --> 00:31:22.779
be 12 spots and that one could be eight spots.

00:31:23.680 --> 00:31:26.720
We don't know how many countries per class can

00:31:26.720 --> 00:31:29.430
go or will just be like six. country six spots

00:31:29.430 --> 00:31:31.309
per country overall but you know like we just

00:31:31.309 --> 00:31:34.269
we just don't know how that will work um and

00:31:34.269 --> 00:31:36.529
i just can't and we don't know we i can assume

00:31:36.529 --> 00:31:39.250
that the 27 world champs will give away some

00:31:39.250 --> 00:31:41.690
spots like the able -bodied world champs do well

00:31:41.690 --> 00:31:44.289
we don't know um we don't know if the other spots

00:31:44.289 --> 00:31:46.190
would come from your world ranking or if there's

00:31:46.190 --> 00:31:48.450
going to be a standalone qe we just don't know

00:31:48.450 --> 00:31:51.630
so rather than dwell on that i'm just telling

00:31:51.630 --> 00:31:54.589
myself if i'm the best version i can be it'll

00:31:54.589 --> 00:31:57.069
work out i'll make it yeah you just kind of have

00:31:57.069 --> 00:31:59.589
to prepare for anything yeah i do really hope

00:31:59.589 --> 00:32:02.829
that it stays 10 for class and i keep it as simple

00:32:02.829 --> 00:32:06.890
two per country per class um because one of my

00:32:06.890 --> 00:32:08.869
best friends here is in my class and i'm just

00:32:08.869 --> 00:32:10.690
like i don't want to have to like worry about

00:32:10.690 --> 00:32:15.099
beating you until la like let's just like stay

00:32:15.099 --> 00:32:17.799
friendly super friendly and then you know sabotage

00:32:17.799 --> 00:32:19.940
each other just once versus the whole time okay

00:32:19.940 --> 00:32:23.880
yeah do you like feel more pressure now that

00:32:23.880 --> 00:32:27.279
it's in the Paralympics or like do you feel I

00:32:27.279 --> 00:32:29.539
know like yeah it's a pretty big thing to declare

00:32:29.539 --> 00:32:33.539
yeah like I was pressing post on that Instagram

00:32:33.539 --> 00:32:36.799
post that says I'm back and I'm going to

00:32:36.799 --> 00:32:38.819
I'm like well saying that publicly that's a big

00:32:38.819 --> 00:32:41.549
declaration now I have to do it And I do think

00:32:41.549 --> 00:32:42.990
people understand if something happens where

00:32:42.990 --> 00:32:46.930
I don't make it. But it really holds me accountable

00:32:46.930 --> 00:32:51.890
to do my best to make it. And then as of right

00:32:51.890 --> 00:32:55.609
now, I just I have those goals that I can't even

00:32:55.609 --> 00:32:58.630
think about my performance right now in 28. I'm

00:32:58.630 --> 00:33:02.289
just trying to see how this year goes. I think

00:33:02.289 --> 00:33:03.910
I'll get overwhelmed if I start thinking like.

00:33:04.319 --> 00:33:06.039
I'm going for a podium. I'm going for goal. I

00:33:06.039 --> 00:33:07.500
think I just need to slow down and be like, okay,

00:33:07.559 --> 00:33:11.000
let's just focus on this next six months. I know

00:33:11.000 --> 00:33:13.839
I've heard in able -bodied climbing competitions

00:33:13.839 --> 00:33:18.119
that inclusion into the olympics has maybe kind

00:33:18.119 --> 00:33:20.259
of like changed the camaraderie aspect a little

00:33:20.259 --> 00:33:22.440
bit like there's a little bit more competition

00:33:22.440 --> 00:33:24.920
going on behind the scenes or maybe it like changed

00:33:24.920 --> 00:33:26.900
people's relationships with climbing a little

00:33:26.900 --> 00:33:29.740
bit do you feel like that announcement has changed

00:33:29.740 --> 00:33:31.900
anything within the para climbing community of

00:33:31.900 --> 00:33:34.920
like more interest bigger teams more competition

00:33:34.920 --> 00:33:37.900
like people not being as friendly i don't think

00:33:37.900 --> 00:33:41.160
friendly is the thing i think i mean tbd right

00:33:41.160 --> 00:33:43.920
it's our first we're not there yet um but as

00:33:43.920 --> 00:33:47.220
far as interest goes yeah last Last Nationals,

00:33:47.220 --> 00:33:49.819
I commentated for, which I have to say is way

00:33:49.819 --> 00:33:51.619
more fun, but just as stressful as competing.

00:33:52.160 --> 00:33:56.119
For sure, yeah. And we definitely had some new

00:33:56.119 --> 00:33:58.440
people show up. And by then, we didn't know who

00:33:58.440 --> 00:33:59.859
was going to get through class -wise, but we

00:33:59.859 --> 00:34:01.519
knew we were going to be in 28. And we had some

00:34:01.519 --> 00:34:03.819
Paralympic swimmers showing up to try their hand

00:34:03.819 --> 00:34:06.759
at rock climbing. Oh, really? Cool. Sports. Uh,

00:34:06.859 --> 00:34:09.440
sport shopping is pretty popular in para sports.

00:34:09.719 --> 00:34:13.239
Um, that's funny. Yeah. It's, Oh, I've thought

00:34:13.239 --> 00:34:14.739
about it too. I'm just like, Oh, I like Nordic

00:34:14.739 --> 00:34:16.500
skiing. Maybe I should be a double, double season

00:34:16.500 --> 00:34:20.119
Carolina athlete. Um, but yeah, so we've definitely

00:34:20.119 --> 00:34:22.239
seen some other high performing athletes appear

00:34:22.239 --> 00:34:26.300
on the climbing scene. Um, I have a hunch in

00:34:26.300 --> 00:34:28.380
Houston. We'll see even more like the buzz just

00:34:28.380 --> 00:34:30.880
is going to keep building as we get to 28 on

00:34:30.880 --> 00:34:34.650
the world stage. It's almost, I don't know. to

00:34:34.650 --> 00:34:37.809
say the opposite but um usac again i like how

00:34:37.809 --> 00:34:40.269
they do it we have if you place first or second

00:34:40.269 --> 00:34:41.730
you make a national team and you get support

00:34:41.730 --> 00:34:44.969
um but the ifsc gives us like four spots per

00:34:44.969 --> 00:34:48.110
class and so usac's approach is you're not going

00:34:48.110 --> 00:34:49.550
to get cash from us you're not going to get support

00:34:49.550 --> 00:34:51.610
from us but if you want to pay your own way here's

00:34:51.610 --> 00:34:53.289
your here's your bib here's your t -shirt like

00:34:53.289 --> 00:34:55.969
you can compete uh and that actually helped grow

00:34:55.969 --> 00:34:58.230
the sport more because that was just bodies to

00:34:58.230 --> 00:35:00.389
let classes run because there are minimum requirements

00:35:00.389 --> 00:35:03.320
like there has to be four countries Or five countries

00:35:03.320 --> 00:35:04.920
and four people or six countries and five people

00:35:04.920 --> 00:35:07.119
for world champs. And that category just gets

00:35:07.119 --> 00:35:09.800
canceled if it doesn't happen. So I think we

00:35:09.800 --> 00:35:11.480
sent a lot of people to comps that maybe weren't

00:35:11.480 --> 00:35:13.639
ready yet, but were just like, go, do it. And

00:35:13.639 --> 00:35:17.579
I think we're still doing that. Other countries,

00:35:17.579 --> 00:35:19.820
though, now that it's Paralympic, are actually

00:35:19.820 --> 00:35:21.500
kind of shrinking their teams, where they only

00:35:21.500 --> 00:35:23.559
want to send people that are probably going to

00:35:23.559 --> 00:35:26.500
make finals or have to do so well. So this past

00:35:26.500 --> 00:35:29.420
year was a lot of people's last chance to like

00:35:29.420 --> 00:35:31.699
do so well in the world stage. And a lot of folks

00:35:31.699 --> 00:35:34.559
have been around from like the German team. We've

00:35:34.559 --> 00:35:37.860
been around for years are no longer coming because

00:35:37.860 --> 00:35:39.800
they just don't have part of their country and

00:35:39.800 --> 00:35:41.840
they're not allowed to go without. So I still

00:35:41.840 --> 00:35:44.360
like it means we have a really big team. which

00:35:44.360 --> 00:35:47.400
still takes up some bandwidth. But I really think

00:35:47.400 --> 00:35:49.719
it's good for the sport that we are sending anybody

00:35:49.719 --> 00:35:52.059
who's willing to pay their way. It's interesting

00:35:52.059 --> 00:35:55.719
also that you called it like sport shopping for

00:35:55.719 --> 00:35:57.800
the Paralympics. That's a new term for me too,

00:35:57.920 --> 00:36:00.900
yeah. Because one of my teammates on Team USA,

00:36:01.139 --> 00:36:05.139
he also is a competitive paracyclist. And he's

00:36:05.139 --> 00:36:08.119
like, oh yeah, yeah. Like once you're an athletic

00:36:08.119 --> 00:36:11.539
para -human. You kind of want to pop around and

00:36:11.539 --> 00:36:13.820
experiment to see which sport you're best at

00:36:13.820 --> 00:36:17.039
that gives you the best shot at making the Paralympics.

00:36:17.380 --> 00:36:19.320
That's a lot of people's goal is just to make

00:36:19.320 --> 00:36:22.159
the Paralympics. And para sport is still relatively

00:36:22.159 --> 00:36:25.659
small compared to like. I think climbing will

00:36:25.659 --> 00:36:27.940
be a harder sport to sort of walk on and like

00:36:27.940 --> 00:36:29.539
make the team. Yeah, I'm wondering, like, how

00:36:29.539 --> 00:36:32.440
has that gone? It's so funny. Last year, we had

00:36:32.440 --> 00:36:35.260
some very muscular athletes show up like, again,

00:36:35.300 --> 00:36:38.219
those para swimmers, para other sports. But climbing

00:36:38.219 --> 00:36:41.409
is such a technique. thing that like i do think

00:36:41.409 --> 00:36:44.730
we're not likely to see too too many dark horses

00:36:44.730 --> 00:36:47.590
just show up out of nowhere and crush uh it's

00:36:47.590 --> 00:36:49.730
more likely to just be some climber we had never

00:36:49.730 --> 00:36:51.510
heard of than someone coming from another sport

00:36:51.510 --> 00:36:54.389
yeah that makes sense um but yeah one of my friends

00:36:54.389 --> 00:36:56.289
so the sad thing about this paralympics is not

00:36:56.289 --> 00:36:59.929
all sport classes got through um only only four

00:36:59.929 --> 00:37:02.409
per gender got through so i have friends who

00:37:02.409 --> 00:37:05.239
didn't get through but have since turned around

00:37:05.239 --> 00:37:06.760
and now they're trying swimming and track and

00:37:06.760 --> 00:37:10.360
field and rowing because those classes that they

00:37:10.360 --> 00:37:12.820
would class for and those sports are in the parallel

00:37:12.820 --> 00:37:14.900
and they're just like i just want to go man and

00:37:14.900 --> 00:37:16.980
i'm like you know what i respect the hustle yeah

00:37:16.980 --> 00:37:19.860
we we all want that super ugly opening ceremonies

00:37:19.860 --> 00:37:23.360
uniform to rock is that ugly i didn't see it

00:37:23.360 --> 00:37:25.940
i know i don't know i haven't seen 28th uh but

00:37:25.940 --> 00:37:27.280
i just feel like historically they're kind of

00:37:27.280 --> 00:37:29.500
like over the top no i've seen some really good

00:37:29.500 --> 00:37:31.320
ones though i feel like in the past i hope it's

00:37:31.320 --> 00:37:35.760
a cowboy hat We'll see. Yeah, we'll see. I feel

00:37:35.760 --> 00:37:38.840
like if I were a para climber, I'd be like, yeah,

00:37:38.940 --> 00:37:40.820
I'd be like kind of pissed if someone came from

00:37:40.820 --> 00:37:42.820
another sport and I'd be like, I spent so much

00:37:42.820 --> 00:37:44.500
time training just for climbing. Yeah, I'm just

00:37:44.500 --> 00:37:46.039
going to come from another sport. Like I said,

00:37:46.119 --> 00:37:48.139
I think I think climbing is I think the only

00:37:48.139 --> 00:37:50.260
dark horses will just be other climbers who have

00:37:50.260 --> 00:37:52.639
just been like quietly climbing outside. No one's

00:37:52.639 --> 00:37:54.719
really heard of them. And then just like, boom,

00:37:54.780 --> 00:37:58.320
they decide to show up, which is cool. But yeah,

00:37:58.380 --> 00:38:00.780
I don't think we're as likely to see other. pair

00:38:00.780 --> 00:38:02.480
of athletes from other sports kind of swooping

00:38:02.480 --> 00:38:04.719
because it's just there's so much technique and

00:38:04.719 --> 00:38:06.480
root reading and like so much that's not just

00:38:06.480 --> 00:38:09.460
muscles thankfully yeah yeah that's what i tell

00:38:09.460 --> 00:38:13.599
myself yeah exactly anyone mentioned that yeah

00:38:13.599 --> 00:38:16.780
some sports classes didn't get into the paralympics

00:38:16.780 --> 00:38:20.300
for climbing were there any like surprises or

00:38:20.300 --> 00:38:23.000
feelings surrounding that well and again we hope

00:38:23.000 --> 00:38:25.440
that we hope it's like able -bodied where tokyo

00:38:25.440 --> 00:38:27.000
they got the one medal and then paris they got

00:38:27.000 --> 00:38:30.519
two and now they're gonna have all three So I'm

00:38:30.519 --> 00:38:31.940
really hoping that we're going to knock the socks

00:38:31.940 --> 00:38:34.559
off in 28. And then by 2032, they're like, OK,

00:38:34.679 --> 00:38:37.159
here's eight medals. And then by 2036, maybe

00:38:37.159 --> 00:38:40.320
it's OK. Every all 11 or 12 classes, may I count

00:38:40.320 --> 00:38:42.300
it, are through. I guess, like, first, can you

00:38:42.300 --> 00:38:45.880
give an overview of which ones got in? So it

00:38:45.880 --> 00:38:49.800
is AU2, which is my class for men and women.

00:38:50.500 --> 00:38:52.559
AL2, which is leg amputee for men and women.

00:38:53.699 --> 00:38:56.400
RP1. RP is you have all your body parts that

00:38:56.400 --> 00:38:58.159
just don't work right, whether it's from an injury.

00:38:58.889 --> 00:39:01.789
Or you have some kind of nerve condition or something.

00:39:02.130 --> 00:39:04.969
They just don't work right. And RP1 is the most

00:39:04.969 --> 00:39:07.849
disabled of those. RP2 and RP3 is progressively

00:39:07.849 --> 00:39:10.710
more abled. Sometimes RP3s, if you see them walking,

00:39:10.849 --> 00:39:12.730
you're like, you're not disabled. But they are.

00:39:13.369 --> 00:39:16.250
So RP1 got through for that. And then for the

00:39:16.250 --> 00:39:18.309
blind category, they ended up doing a split where

00:39:18.309 --> 00:39:22.110
it's men's B1, which is totally blind, and women's

00:39:22.110 --> 00:39:26.510
B2, which is in the middle of sighted. My friend

00:39:26.510 --> 00:39:28.409
Sineda, she's the world championship. She's B2.

00:39:28.829 --> 00:39:32.309
She absolutely cannot drive and can walk into

00:39:32.309 --> 00:39:35.590
road signs sometimes. But she still can see some

00:39:35.590 --> 00:39:37.710
things when she climbs. And I think they split

00:39:37.710 --> 00:39:39.909
that one just because of numbers. Like there

00:39:39.909 --> 00:39:42.650
weren't a lot of women B1. So they want to keep

00:39:42.650 --> 00:39:46.019
the field competitive. And I guess I don't want

00:39:46.019 --> 00:39:48.179
to make you have to like speak for all of para

00:39:48.179 --> 00:39:52.440
climbing, but just like the general idea of like

00:39:52.440 --> 00:39:56.139
what the what the talk has been around, what

00:39:56.139 --> 00:39:58.179
sports classes were included, like was were there

00:39:58.179 --> 00:40:00.360
harsh feelings or was it kind of like understood?

00:40:00.480 --> 00:40:03.820
A little bit of everything. I think the only

00:40:03.820 --> 00:40:07.800
surprise for me was AL1 not getting through,

00:40:07.880 --> 00:40:11.460
which is the kind of the seated wheelchair, because

00:40:11.460 --> 00:40:15.710
Angelina Zeller's. He is one of like probably

00:40:15.710 --> 00:40:17.349
the most well -known para -athletes because he

00:40:17.349 --> 00:40:20.070
just campuses 513. He is paralyzed from, I think,

00:40:20.070 --> 00:40:23.329
a paragliding accident and just wins everything,

00:40:23.670 --> 00:40:26.429
campuses everything. It's insane. And it's so

00:40:26.429 --> 00:40:29.409
visually stunning to watch. But they didn't make

00:40:29.409 --> 00:40:31.670
it through because there's practically no women,

00:40:31.829 --> 00:40:37.280
is my theory. But also it could be that in the

00:40:37.280 --> 00:40:41.340
A class, the AL lower, AL2 did get through. So

00:40:41.340 --> 00:40:43.800
they'd rather have someone from RP, visually

00:40:43.800 --> 00:40:47.219
impaired, upper and lower. But I just, man, I

00:40:47.219 --> 00:40:49.179
was really hoping we would get five medals because

00:40:49.179 --> 00:40:51.420
AL, I think, would have been. But we do need

00:40:51.420 --> 00:40:55.420
more women. Right now, they are the only class

00:40:55.420 --> 00:40:57.760
around where if there's not enough women, the

00:40:57.760 --> 00:40:59.880
women merge into men's and it becomes a co -ed

00:40:59.880 --> 00:41:02.949
class. Which is really cool because Pavitra is

00:41:02.949 --> 00:41:05.449
a Belgian climber and she podiums with the men.

00:41:05.610 --> 00:41:08.949
And it's so cool to see such a beast. Wow. Yeah,

00:41:09.010 --> 00:41:11.750
the merging gets so complicated. It is really

00:41:11.750 --> 00:41:13.469
hard to keep up. They kind of stopped. Yeah,

00:41:13.469 --> 00:41:15.829
they kind of stopped. They started merging when

00:41:15.829 --> 00:41:18.449
they started enforcing the minimums. But then

00:41:18.449 --> 00:41:21.250
as it became Paralympic, you can't merge for

00:41:21.250 --> 00:41:23.190
Paralympics. It's just kind of frowned upon.

00:41:23.610 --> 00:41:28.349
And so now it's... And the sport has grown enough

00:41:28.349 --> 00:41:31.750
where it's... last comments not hit those minimum

00:41:31.750 --> 00:41:34.650
numbers now so they pretty much have done away

00:41:34.650 --> 00:41:38.869
with merging um except for al because they still

00:41:38.869 --> 00:41:41.349
really want to grow that sport merging was funny

00:41:41.349 --> 00:41:44.949
though like i won my last world cup when there

00:41:44.949 --> 00:41:47.329
wasn't enough au2 and so you always merge into

00:41:47.329 --> 00:41:50.409
a more difficult class and so on paper i should

00:41:50.409 --> 00:41:52.750
not have done well and but finals ended up being

00:41:52.750 --> 00:41:54.869
some kind of vert slab thing so i ended up winning

00:41:54.869 --> 00:41:58.920
and so for the paralympics like angelino can't

00:41:58.920 --> 00:42:02.519
um go into the al2 category sadly no i still

00:42:02.519 --> 00:42:05.840
hope that um i mean it'd be so cool especially

00:42:05.840 --> 00:42:07.380
because climbing doesn't have to share the venue

00:42:07.380 --> 00:42:08.760
with other sports right it's not like track and

00:42:08.760 --> 00:42:12.139
field where it's busy i really would love it

00:42:12.139 --> 00:42:13.840
if they could do some kind of exhibition while

00:42:13.840 --> 00:42:15.880
we're there like let the other class behind and

00:42:15.880 --> 00:42:19.099
touch that wall but especially al because what

00:42:19.099 --> 00:42:21.559
a wild class OK, that'll be interesting to see.

00:42:22.280 --> 00:42:25.300
And so how are you changing going back to like

00:42:25.300 --> 00:42:27.440
your training process? How are you changing your

00:42:27.440 --> 00:42:30.719
training this time to qualify? Yeah, it's it's

00:42:30.719 --> 00:42:32.860
I started training specifically more for outdoors

00:42:32.860 --> 00:42:35.539
and I found myself getting kind of sick, strong

00:42:35.539 --> 00:42:38.280
all over. And I'm like, well, I'm still going

00:42:38.280 --> 00:42:40.260
to do comp specific training as far as movement

00:42:40.260 --> 00:42:41.880
goes. Like I'm actually heading to Salt Lake

00:42:41.880 --> 00:42:43.980
for next week to train at the National Training

00:42:43.980 --> 00:42:46.340
Center and work with their coaches on like those

00:42:46.340 --> 00:42:51.150
movements. But overall, my training now has shifted

00:42:51.150 --> 00:42:53.489
to really like strength and power. I used to

00:42:53.489 --> 00:42:55.449
be such a fan of endurance because it's fun to

00:42:55.449 --> 00:42:57.949
get your endurance up. But, you know, with the

00:42:57.949 --> 00:42:59.849
way the route settings change and the competition

00:42:59.849 --> 00:43:02.489
has changed, I'm never pumping off clients anymore.

00:43:02.590 --> 00:43:04.769
I'm falling because it's a power that I can't

00:43:04.769 --> 00:43:07.090
do. Or if there's like a movement that I can't

00:43:07.090 --> 00:43:09.750
do, I'm never just like, it's not like the Red

00:43:09.750 --> 00:43:11.429
River Gorge where you fall off of huge jugs because

00:43:11.429 --> 00:43:12.730
you're pumped. That's not what's happening at

00:43:12.730 --> 00:43:15.110
comps anymore. And then I've also found some

00:43:15.110 --> 00:43:21.039
39 now. which is, but, um, strength training

00:43:21.039 --> 00:43:24.659
is playing into that. The I've, and I've even

00:43:24.659 --> 00:43:27.539
shifted from like the, I used to do a ton of

00:43:27.539 --> 00:43:29.239
orange theory, like lightweights, low reps and

00:43:29.239 --> 00:43:31.199
stuff and love that cardio. And then just the

00:43:31.199 --> 00:43:33.380
past couple of months, I quit that. I'm trying

00:43:33.380 --> 00:43:35.420
to lift heavy. Like I'm squatting, I'm dead lifting.

00:43:35.559 --> 00:43:38.239
I'm like bench press and I've never been healthier.

00:43:38.420 --> 00:43:40.980
Like outside of an acute injury that I gave myself

00:43:40.980 --> 00:43:43.820
this fall, like everything feels great and I

00:43:43.820 --> 00:43:47.820
feel strong. I'm hungry all the time, but all

00:43:47.820 --> 00:43:50.099
of a sudden I'm doing these moves in the wall

00:43:50.099 --> 00:43:51.659
that I look at it and I'm like, oh, it's going

00:43:51.659 --> 00:43:54.159
to be so hard. And then I just do it. And I think,

00:43:54.159 --> 00:43:58.500
whoa, that was actually not that bad. But it

00:43:58.500 --> 00:44:00.300
is. Yeah, I do think I'm having also just like

00:44:00.300 --> 00:44:02.679
this age body shift where I can't train like

00:44:02.679 --> 00:44:04.800
I was when I was 25. I take more rest days now

00:44:04.800 --> 00:44:09.320
or I should at least. and it's just you know

00:44:09.320 --> 00:44:11.500
as you get older your body responds to rest better

00:44:11.500 --> 00:44:12.900
like not only do you not need them when you're

00:44:12.900 --> 00:44:15.539
younger but it's like easier to detrain when

00:44:15.539 --> 00:44:16.960
you're younger but when you're older your body

00:44:16.960 --> 00:44:19.719
has this memory now and like more rest days can

00:44:19.719 --> 00:44:22.099
be more beneficial in your late 30s than it would

00:44:22.099 --> 00:44:24.219
have been in your mid -20s was that just something

00:44:24.219 --> 00:44:26.199
you felt like gradually happened or was there

00:44:26.199 --> 00:44:28.599
like a moment or like an injury or something

00:44:28.599 --> 00:44:30.679
where you know i never felt like i was slowly

00:44:30.679 --> 00:44:34.539
starting to suck more um but when i when i had

00:44:34.539 --> 00:44:36.880
this shift in training i felt myself improving

00:44:36.880 --> 00:44:39.119
all of a sudden in a way that i haven't had that

00:44:39.119 --> 00:44:41.579
kind of plateau breakthrough in a very long time

00:44:41.579 --> 00:44:43.659
um and i think the breakthrough is still happening

00:44:43.659 --> 00:44:46.579
like i am this wasn't intentional but i think

00:44:46.579 --> 00:44:48.079
it's gonna be really cool to come back to comps

00:44:48.079 --> 00:44:50.119
in the best ship i've ever been um like there

00:44:50.119 --> 00:44:51.940
is a yeah it's part of me it's just like these

00:44:51.940 --> 00:44:53.139
girls don't know it's coming like you're thinking

00:44:53.139 --> 00:44:54.820
oh she hasn't been climbing for two years has

00:44:54.820 --> 00:44:57.619
been competing like in my first year after comps

00:44:57.619 --> 00:45:00.179
i like for sure mostly alpine climbed put on

00:45:00.179 --> 00:45:03.610
some helpful weight i had a blast um But it's

00:45:03.610 --> 00:45:05.630
been really fun to just like dial it back in

00:45:05.630 --> 00:45:08.090
and discover that I haven't peaked yet, which

00:45:08.090 --> 00:45:11.650
is really cool. And going back to you like doing

00:45:11.650 --> 00:45:14.650
training at the National Training Center, do

00:45:14.650 --> 00:45:18.170
they hold stuff for para climbers often or what

00:45:18.170 --> 00:45:21.010
does that look like? One of the most transformational

00:45:21.010 --> 00:45:22.989
things to happen with becoming Paralympic is

00:45:22.989 --> 00:45:27.269
USAC now has USOPC, which is so many acronyms.

00:45:27.800 --> 00:45:30.900
has funding um specifically for para and that

00:45:30.900 --> 00:45:32.719
kind of opened up once those four classes got

00:45:32.719 --> 00:45:35.079
named because usopc was like yeah you don't really

00:45:35.079 --> 00:45:36.719
know who's going yet like we can't really like

00:45:36.719 --> 00:45:39.139
um but now that we know the four like we know

00:45:39.139 --> 00:45:40.760
that those four are supported so we now have

00:45:40.760 --> 00:45:44.679
a full -time para specific coach based in salt

00:45:44.679 --> 00:45:48.340
lake um which is great because i he's i met him

00:45:48.340 --> 00:45:51.380
10 12 years ago in colorado where he was my personal

00:45:51.380 --> 00:45:54.400
coach um so i've known him for a long time Um,

00:45:54.599 --> 00:45:58.239
but for him to have this facility where he can

00:45:58.239 --> 00:46:00.539
just be like, okay, just set you something, try

00:46:00.539 --> 00:46:02.820
this move. Like that's something I can't do at

00:46:02.820 --> 00:46:06.059
any other, any other gym really. And like my

00:46:06.059 --> 00:46:08.159
home gym here is fantastic. Like I'll send them

00:46:08.159 --> 00:46:10.780
videos and they'll set stuff for me, but it's,

00:46:10.780 --> 00:46:12.360
it's something else to be at the national training

00:46:12.360 --> 00:46:15.260
center and just have this. Um, and it's a, it's

00:46:15.260 --> 00:46:18.400
a newer training center for them. Um, and it's

00:46:18.400 --> 00:46:20.199
just, it looks so cool. Like there's ropes now

00:46:20.199 --> 00:46:23.440
and I used to not be ropes. And then Salt Lake's

00:46:23.440 --> 00:46:24.900
just such a great spot. There's so many great

00:46:24.900 --> 00:46:26.840
gyms there that, you know, you don't have to

00:46:26.840 --> 00:46:30.099
be in the training center to go train. I love,

00:46:30.320 --> 00:46:32.800
it's such a privilege, but I love traveling to

00:46:32.800 --> 00:46:34.699
train. Like I have all the resources here that

00:46:34.699 --> 00:46:36.960
I need, but when you're home, it's so easy to

00:46:36.960 --> 00:46:39.019
be like, oh, I have to do laundry today or like

00:46:39.019 --> 00:46:41.199
get distracted. But like when I'm in Salt Lake,

00:46:41.260 --> 00:46:43.840
it's my job. That is my job is to be there and

00:46:43.840 --> 00:46:46.340
train. And that's, it's really helpful. That

00:46:46.340 --> 00:46:48.800
sounds super exciting. One of the audience questions

00:46:48.800 --> 00:46:53.579
that come in was from one Megan one exorcism

00:46:53.579 --> 00:46:57.440
on Instagram feelings about going to nationals

00:46:57.440 --> 00:47:00.480
this year. Is this the time to qualify? What

00:47:00.480 --> 00:47:03.099
does the process look like? Yeah, well, it's

00:47:03.099 --> 00:47:05.760
like so we still don't know how to qualify for

00:47:05.760 --> 00:47:08.400
the Olympics yet Paralympics, but I am extremely

00:47:08.400 --> 00:47:09.860
skeptical that this year will matter at all.

00:47:09.960 --> 00:47:12.260
I think it's too early, like just given how other

00:47:12.260 --> 00:47:14.840
sports work and even how climbing works like.

00:47:15.360 --> 00:47:17.980
No one on bouldering is qualifying for the LA

00:47:17.980 --> 00:47:21.039
games this year. So I'm treating this year as

00:47:21.039 --> 00:47:25.679
a warmup tune up year. Again, see where I'm at,

00:47:25.780 --> 00:47:28.460
except that I might lose those records of only

00:47:28.460 --> 00:47:30.460
winning nationals and never missing a podium.

00:47:30.519 --> 00:47:33.159
It's very possible. See where I'm at. Keep it

00:47:33.159 --> 00:47:37.320
fun. Knowing that 2027 is going to be like the

00:47:37.320 --> 00:47:40.340
most intense, punishing, mentally challenging.

00:47:40.739 --> 00:47:46.469
My poor husband is a saint. And but I am nervous

00:47:46.469 --> 00:47:50.010
for nationals because I know Ellie and Isabel,

00:47:50.150 --> 00:47:52.250
like the two women who podium around me there,

00:47:52.369 --> 00:47:55.090
have been competing for the last two years straight

00:47:55.090 --> 00:47:58.369
and are only getting stronger. You know, it's

00:47:58.369 --> 00:48:00.309
both an asset to have been around a while, but

00:48:00.309 --> 00:48:03.550
it's also like the levels I could the micro bits

00:48:03.550 --> 00:48:07.219
I have left to improve. um are smaller whereas

00:48:07.219 --> 00:48:09.119
when you're a newer climber and younger like

00:48:09.119 --> 00:48:10.739
you can make these huge leaps of improvements

00:48:10.739 --> 00:48:12.820
that said i did just say i feel like i'm in the

00:48:12.820 --> 00:48:15.659
midst of a huge leap so that's cool and also

00:48:15.659 --> 00:48:19.199
the technique that you gain after like many years

00:48:19.199 --> 00:48:22.579
of climbing yeah and i wish i could say i like

00:48:22.579 --> 00:48:24.880
have iso and the nurse for comps figured out

00:48:24.880 --> 00:48:28.019
but i don't i don't think that it does that iso

00:48:28.019 --> 00:48:30.440
will always suck for everybody it's just it is

00:48:30.440 --> 00:48:34.130
what it is um The Nationals is tricky for me

00:48:34.130 --> 00:48:37.130
because I try to balance being social as well.

00:48:37.210 --> 00:48:40.050
I want to meet all the new people. I kind of

00:48:40.050 --> 00:48:41.730
miss the days where you did know everybody because

00:48:41.730 --> 00:48:43.349
it was small enough. And now I'm just like, I

00:48:43.349 --> 00:48:44.570
don't know who these people are. And I want to

00:48:44.570 --> 00:48:47.329
know them while also still taking space for myself

00:48:47.329 --> 00:48:49.170
being like, I'm here to be an athlete and do

00:48:49.170 --> 00:48:51.670
a job. That's a really hard thing for me to balance

00:48:51.670 --> 00:48:55.289
at most comps. But Nationals will be great this

00:48:55.289 --> 00:48:58.929
year. I think this will be our first real year

00:48:58.929 --> 00:49:01.530
of reviewing who could be making up our Paralympic

00:49:01.530 --> 00:49:04.960
team. Okay. Yeah. That'll be cool to see. So

00:49:04.960 --> 00:49:06.980
you said like after all these years, you still

00:49:06.980 --> 00:49:08.760
don't know how to, I guess, like break their

00:49:08.760 --> 00:49:11.400
nerves of comps. Yeah. I mean, that's another

00:49:11.400 --> 00:49:13.420
reason I quit is because I would be like in ISO.

00:49:14.639 --> 00:49:17.440
And my friends have joked like, oh, poor you.

00:49:17.539 --> 00:49:19.059
You're always in ISO because you always make

00:49:19.059 --> 00:49:21.079
finals. But I'm just like, yeah. And it just

00:49:21.079 --> 00:49:23.980
like every time back there, I'm nauseous. I don't

00:49:23.980 --> 00:49:26.440
have an appetite. I'm just like, why? Why do

00:49:26.440 --> 00:49:29.380
I do this? Like comps aren't fun. And then once

00:49:29.380 --> 00:49:32.559
it's over, you just. Maybe that's why I also

00:49:32.559 --> 00:49:34.360
like alpine climbing because you forget the suffering.

00:49:34.480 --> 00:49:36.659
Otherwise, you would never do it again. And I

00:49:36.659 --> 00:49:38.599
think maybe comps are like that. You forget the

00:49:38.599 --> 00:49:40.440
lows, the nerves, the lack of sleep the night

00:49:40.440 --> 00:49:42.880
before. And you just keep doing it because there's

00:49:42.880 --> 00:49:45.599
something about it. But always keep going back.

00:49:45.900 --> 00:49:49.440
Comps are tough, too, because, like, I know Selene

00:49:49.440 --> 00:49:51.960
feels this way. We've talked about it where even

00:49:51.960 --> 00:49:55.079
if you win, if you don't top, you're just like,

00:49:55.159 --> 00:49:57.280
oh, I wish I talked or I wish it does better.

00:49:57.559 --> 00:49:59.920
So, like, I think we're all. At the high -performing

00:49:59.920 --> 00:50:02.059
level, we're all pretty hard on ourselves of

00:50:02.059 --> 00:50:05.300
never really being happy. So that's something

00:50:05.300 --> 00:50:07.559
I'm personally trying to work on. This is probably

00:50:07.559 --> 00:50:09.079
going to be the season, or at least next season,

00:50:09.179 --> 00:50:10.800
that I actually do start working with a sports

00:50:10.800 --> 00:50:13.460
psychiatrist to figure out some better nerves

00:50:13.460 --> 00:50:18.699
and things like that. But yeah, it's again, it's

00:50:18.699 --> 00:50:22.519
like, do I miss the old days where it was easier

00:50:22.519 --> 00:50:28.219
and more friendly? Sure. But... if the consequence

00:50:28.219 --> 00:50:33.440
of the sport being more serious and the other

00:50:33.440 --> 00:50:36.139
athletes have gotten so strong that I can't make

00:50:36.139 --> 00:50:38.500
the team anymore that's like honestly a best

00:50:38.500 --> 00:50:41.139
case scenario if they don't need if I'm not the

00:50:41.139 --> 00:50:42.719
strongest anymore that means the sport has just

00:50:42.719 --> 00:50:46.039
grown so much I'm still gonna make it though

00:50:46.039 --> 00:50:47.739
I mean I'm in a podium in LA I'll say it now

00:50:48.039 --> 00:50:50.639
I'm going to get a medal. Okay. I like it. And

00:50:50.639 --> 00:50:52.460
it's a good way to think about it either way.

00:50:52.619 --> 00:50:57.320
Okay. So going into outdoor climbing. So I guess

00:50:57.320 --> 00:50:59.440
like just generally, how does outdoor climbing

00:50:59.440 --> 00:51:01.920
compare to indoor climbing for you in terms of

00:51:01.920 --> 00:51:04.119
like, if it's more or less friendly to your impairment?

00:51:04.960 --> 00:51:08.500
That's even more of a depends. I'm not a giant

00:51:08.500 --> 00:51:12.219
fan of, I guess, granite, which is ironic because

00:51:12.219 --> 00:51:13.739
the hardest climb I've ever done was granite.

00:51:14.480 --> 00:51:17.590
I love the red, which on paper. I shouldn't because

00:51:17.590 --> 00:51:19.769
it's steep and steep climbing can be really hard

00:51:19.769 --> 00:51:21.510
for upper limb because like your chest stays

00:51:21.510 --> 00:51:23.969
so close. Then like, I can only ever clip with

00:51:23.969 --> 00:51:25.929
my right. So if I'm like, Hey, yeah, it's just

00:51:25.929 --> 00:51:29.630
like on paper vert should be my thing, but I

00:51:29.630 --> 00:51:31.769
just, I love the red because the holds are so

00:51:31.769 --> 00:51:33.769
good and you can, and there's so many of them.

00:51:33.829 --> 00:51:35.989
You can make up your own micro beta instead of

00:51:35.989 --> 00:51:39.869
like having to do specific stuff for a lot. But

00:51:39.869 --> 00:51:45.369
I also love tense sleep style, like techie vert.

00:51:45.530 --> 00:51:48.630
The only thing I hate, hate is probably friction

00:51:48.630 --> 00:51:51.349
slab. And I think some people would say, oh,

00:51:51.489 --> 00:51:53.150
but that's all feet. You don't need your hands.

00:51:53.369 --> 00:51:55.750
And I'm just, it's terrifying. I'm just scared.

00:51:55.929 --> 00:51:59.349
I think everybody is. That's the only thing I

00:51:59.349 --> 00:52:01.530
feel like hard pass, no slab. No, thank you.

00:52:01.869 --> 00:52:04.269
Okay. So you really just have to work on your

00:52:04.269 --> 00:52:06.969
slab climbing. Pretty much. Oh, I would say,

00:52:07.010 --> 00:52:08.809
I feel like slab climbing when there is a hand,

00:52:08.929 --> 00:52:11.050
it's your only option. You have to use it. So

00:52:11.050 --> 00:52:13.329
if there happens to be a key left, I'd just be

00:52:13.329 --> 00:52:15.349
like, I'm screwed. I'm stuck on the slab forever.

00:52:16.460 --> 00:52:18.719
No, no, because there's no bouldering in Paris.

00:52:18.860 --> 00:52:22.760
The closest we have to slab is now and then.

00:52:23.639 --> 00:52:25.960
Like in Villars, that wall was kind of skinny.

00:52:26.079 --> 00:52:27.960
So some of our qualities in a finals route was

00:52:27.960 --> 00:52:29.780
on speedball, which is still 15 degrees over.

00:52:29.900 --> 00:52:32.480
Oh, yeah. So that's the closest to slab we get.

00:52:32.559 --> 00:52:34.519
Sometimes at nationals, because we're in a commercial

00:52:34.519 --> 00:52:37.579
gym and there's so many of us, some of the RP

00:52:37.579 --> 00:52:40.739
routes might be on more overt, but probably never

00:52:40.739 --> 00:52:44.099
actual slab. That makes sense. So what projects

00:52:44.099 --> 00:52:46.360
do you have going on right now? So I'm working

00:52:46.360 --> 00:52:49.380
on, I was really hoping to get it this fall,

00:52:49.460 --> 00:52:50.780
but I didn't. So I'm going back in a couple weeks.

00:52:51.539 --> 00:52:54.800
I have, I want to push harder. So I made a film

00:52:54.800 --> 00:52:59.179
years ago, my first 512. And turns out that wasn't

00:52:59.179 --> 00:53:00.960
enough. And so now I want to do even harder things.

00:53:01.019 --> 00:53:03.519
So I have a beautiful line I'm working on in

00:53:03.519 --> 00:53:06.400
the red called Far From God. And again, it's

00:53:06.400 --> 00:53:08.920
like on paper, my anti -style. It's 110 feet,

00:53:09.079 --> 00:53:13.440
mega overhanging, like V3 boulder problem opening.

00:53:13.679 --> 00:53:17.460
That's like. 55 degrees but there's something

00:53:17.460 --> 00:53:20.219
about it that i just love huge falls do i'm kind

00:53:20.219 --> 00:53:21.599
of a wimp when it comes to falls but on this

00:53:21.599 --> 00:53:24.960
thing i'm taking like 30 footers just like it's

00:53:24.960 --> 00:53:28.280
just it's so fun and i i love the red river gorge

00:53:28.280 --> 00:53:31.460
it's it's it's a second home to us i go for like

00:53:31.460 --> 00:53:34.219
two months every fall now um that's where we

00:53:34.219 --> 00:53:36.179
host the adaptive climbers festival which is

00:53:36.179 --> 00:53:38.320
probably where my heart and passion is even more

00:53:38.320 --> 00:53:41.780
so than comps is this festival It's just a beautiful

00:53:41.780 --> 00:53:43.519
world -class climbing spot and the locals are

00:53:43.519 --> 00:53:46.400
incredible and it's accessible for so many people.

00:53:46.860 --> 00:53:49.559
And I just love it. But again, on paper, steep

00:53:49.559 --> 00:53:51.880
overhanging jugs is not great for AU athletes,

00:53:52.159 --> 00:53:53.820
but there's something about it I just really

00:53:53.820 --> 00:53:55.860
love. And you're getting out there in a couple

00:53:55.860 --> 00:53:58.039
of weeks? Yeah, after nationals, I'll come home

00:53:58.039 --> 00:53:59.920
for a week and then start driving to Kentucky.

00:54:00.400 --> 00:54:03.219
Okay, best of luck to you there and at nationals

00:54:03.219 --> 00:54:05.880
too. Thanks, yeah, it'll be good. Outside of

00:54:05.880 --> 00:54:08.050
climbing, anything else you have time for? Yeah,

00:54:08.090 --> 00:54:11.929
there's my other, I guess, passion sport, actually.

00:54:12.130 --> 00:54:13.550
And there's days I like it more than climbing,

00:54:13.670 --> 00:54:16.550
more than I should admit. I'm a big fly fisher.

00:54:17.690 --> 00:54:21.250
But I love fishing. I catch and release because

00:54:21.250 --> 00:54:24.070
I don't like the way they taste. But there's

00:54:24.070 --> 00:54:25.570
something about being in the river. It's kind

00:54:25.570 --> 00:54:26.750
of like climbing where when you're climbing,

00:54:26.809 --> 00:54:28.550
it's so immersive that you lose track of everything

00:54:28.550 --> 00:54:30.449
else. Fishing is the same way. You're in the

00:54:30.449 --> 00:54:34.519
river. You're constantly reading the river. trying

00:54:34.519 --> 00:54:37.079
to think like a fish and experimenting. So it's

00:54:37.079 --> 00:54:38.920
just so immersive that you don't have time to

00:54:38.920 --> 00:54:40.679
think about like, oh, I have this bill to pay

00:54:40.679 --> 00:54:43.780
or I have to do laundry. It's just immersive.

00:54:44.380 --> 00:54:47.380
The greatest irony of my life is my husband is

00:54:47.380 --> 00:54:51.099
not a rock climber. He hates rock climbing. And

00:54:51.099 --> 00:54:54.280
so he also fishes, but he's big into whitewater

00:54:54.280 --> 00:54:56.920
rafting. We own two rafts, which I never thought

00:54:56.920 --> 00:54:59.539
I would say. So I've actually kind of dabbled

00:54:59.539 --> 00:55:03.420
with some raft only access rock climbing. And

00:55:03.420 --> 00:55:05.579
I think one of the trips I would like to do post

00:55:05.579 --> 00:55:08.340
Paralympics would be like a desert raft first

00:55:08.340 --> 00:55:11.039
descent trip. Floating the Colorado River in

00:55:11.039 --> 00:55:13.380
the desert and finding some like nice sandstone,

00:55:13.599 --> 00:55:16.340
beautiful line that haven't been climbed yet

00:55:16.340 --> 00:55:20.880
would be really fun. As well as I in 2018, I

00:55:20.880 --> 00:55:22.480
did an expedition to the Cirque of the Unclimbables.

00:55:23.439 --> 00:55:25.780
And we did not do the climb in the style we wanted.

00:55:25.920 --> 00:55:27.239
So I've been wanting to go back for revenge.

00:55:27.519 --> 00:55:30.579
But you can also, we flew in directly, but you

00:55:30.579 --> 00:55:32.780
can also fly on the raft, float the Nahanni River

00:55:32.780 --> 00:55:34.619
for a couple of days, jump out through the climb

00:55:34.619 --> 00:55:36.219
and then float out. And I'm like, that would

00:55:36.219 --> 00:55:40.500
be cool. Wow, that is cool. So in 2029, you're

00:55:40.500 --> 00:55:43.460
going to see me all of outside big adventures.

00:55:44.340 --> 00:55:47.719
Does that also mean like deep water soloing or

00:55:47.719 --> 00:55:50.420
is that like different? Oh, no. Okay. No. Okay.

00:55:51.260 --> 00:55:53.699
I've done, I haven't done real deep water soloing.

00:55:53.739 --> 00:55:55.320
I've done like the sequel block wall a couple

00:55:55.320 --> 00:55:58.940
of times. Low key hated every minute of it. So

00:55:58.940 --> 00:56:02.219
scary. I was letting go before I was pumped because

00:56:02.219 --> 00:56:04.079
I was just like, I can't, I do not want to fall

00:56:04.079 --> 00:56:07.039
from any higher. I'm not in, I'm not a swimming

00:56:07.039 --> 00:56:09.219
in the water person. Like fishing is my maximum.

00:56:09.539 --> 00:56:11.380
For rafting, I like to sit in the front and drink

00:56:11.380 --> 00:56:13.980
a beer. That's my level of. Oh, gotcha. Oh, so

00:56:13.980 --> 00:56:16.460
it's like kind of chill. Okay. Yeah. Or if it's

00:56:16.460 --> 00:56:18.119
not, I'll hang on and then go back to the beer.

00:56:18.219 --> 00:56:23.289
But I. deep water soloing has never spoken to

00:56:23.289 --> 00:56:26.230
me and I'm okay with that that's fair I guess

00:56:26.230 --> 00:56:28.949
yeah I never really thought about like how scary

00:56:28.949 --> 00:56:30.969
it would be to fall from that height into water

00:56:30.969 --> 00:56:33.969
because it's not exactly safe if you don't know

00:56:33.969 --> 00:56:35.929
how to fall into water no I mean there's a reason

00:56:35.929 --> 00:56:37.750
why at these comps they have the lifeguards in

00:56:37.750 --> 00:56:40.730
the water um and so the idea of doing it outside

00:56:40.730 --> 00:56:42.309
in Spain where there's no lifeguards I'm like

00:56:42.309 --> 00:56:46.090
what um and it's really hard this was surprising

00:56:46.090 --> 00:56:48.869
to me I'm not a great swimmer as it is. Like

00:56:48.869 --> 00:56:51.369
I'm finding Nemo over here. I'm lopsided. But

00:56:51.369 --> 00:56:53.949
when you have climbing shoes on, you can't kick.

00:56:54.110 --> 00:56:55.809
Like you're trying to propel yourself up to air

00:56:55.809 --> 00:56:57.309
and it's just slicing through the water. It was

00:56:57.309 --> 00:57:00.349
just. Oh, no. I never thought about that. Once

00:57:00.349 --> 00:57:02.789
in Montreal, like my sports bra came off in the

00:57:02.789 --> 00:57:04.750
pool. So I was like trying to get my bra down.

00:57:04.769 --> 00:57:08.889
I was trying not to be naked. I was like teenage

00:57:08.889 --> 00:57:10.630
lifeguards coming to rescue me. And I'm just

00:57:10.630 --> 00:57:15.429
like topless and drowning. Yeah, I'm not a big

00:57:15.429 --> 00:57:18.110
fan. I love it as a community building event,

00:57:18.190 --> 00:57:20.349
though. Like the deep water solo comps are so,

00:57:20.349 --> 00:57:22.570
so much fun. It's a beach party for climbing.

00:57:23.070 --> 00:57:26.170
So hopefully maybe this summer I could commentate

00:57:26.170 --> 00:57:29.010
the big event that North Face does. But I don't

00:57:29.010 --> 00:57:30.230
think you're going to see me in the water anymore.

00:57:30.429 --> 00:57:33.550
I did my time. Wow. No, I had no idea. That really

00:57:33.550 --> 00:57:35.309
sucks. I guess. Yeah, I should definitely never

00:57:35.309 --> 00:57:38.349
do it because I can't swim. Well, on the flip

00:57:38.349 --> 00:57:42.079
side, the comp that was in. It was in New York.

00:57:42.159 --> 00:57:43.980
Did you have to fall into the East River? It

00:57:43.980 --> 00:57:46.699
was kind of gross. Yes. But were you then rescued

00:57:46.699 --> 00:57:49.300
by, like, very fine -looking New York firefighters?

00:57:49.699 --> 00:57:52.980
Also, yes. So, like, there's a balance. Okay,

00:57:53.019 --> 00:57:55.179
nice. I mean, I don't know, though. I think I'd

00:57:55.179 --> 00:57:58.219
rather not drown and, like, be in gross water.

00:57:58.639 --> 00:58:00.739
Yeah. That sounds like too much for me. But,

00:58:00.780 --> 00:58:02.219
you know, they make for good stories once you're...

00:58:02.400 --> 00:58:06.619
out and alive yeah for sure that sounds fun um

00:58:06.619 --> 00:58:09.519
okay let's get into some of the audience submitted

00:58:09.519 --> 00:58:12.940
questions um this one is from lucky penguin three

00:58:12.940 --> 00:58:15.639
favorite comp memory if it was the firefighter

00:58:15.639 --> 00:58:17.619
one i don't know maybe i mean that's pretty good

00:58:17.619 --> 00:58:20.280
right yeah like oh no i'm johnny come save me

00:58:20.280 --> 00:58:25.320
handsome uh it probably was that that edinburgh

00:58:25.320 --> 00:58:29.579
comp in 2017 that whole summer i was filming

00:58:29.579 --> 00:58:33.050
stumped um for real rock and was just like not

00:58:33.050 --> 00:58:35.909
sending not sending like could not get this climb

00:58:35.909 --> 00:58:38.630
took a break to go do a world cup in scotland

00:58:38.630 --> 00:58:40.570
mostly because i wanted to go around after and

00:58:40.570 --> 00:58:43.369
drink a lot of whiskey um and we were merged

00:58:43.369 --> 00:58:45.409
there weren't enough of me of au2 so we merged

00:58:45.409 --> 00:58:48.349
into rp2 and like god the women in rp2 are so

00:58:48.349 --> 00:58:50.769
strong and i was like oh well i'm not gonna do

00:58:50.769 --> 00:58:52.530
well maybe i want to make finals i'm just here

00:58:52.530 --> 00:58:56.110
for a good time and i made finals in like fourth

00:58:56.110 --> 00:58:58.369
place or something and so i came out kind of

00:58:58.369 --> 00:59:02.599
early did my climb I'm like eating a haggis burrito.

00:59:03.019 --> 00:59:05.480
And the girl after me falls before me. I was

00:59:05.480 --> 00:59:07.559
like, oh, wow. Holy shit. I got third. Cool.

00:59:07.900 --> 00:59:09.400
I'm like chit -chatting, chit -chatting. The

00:59:09.400 --> 00:59:11.119
next girl falls. I'm like, oh, my God. I think

00:59:11.119 --> 00:59:15.300
I got second. And now I'm watching the last girl,

00:59:15.420 --> 00:59:17.920
Hannah Baldwin, who is so strong. There's no

00:59:17.920 --> 00:59:20.599
world where I should beat her. But again, because

00:59:20.599 --> 00:59:22.780
it was just more of a slabby style, she had no

00:59:22.780 --> 00:59:26.119
use of her legs. Like it was paralyzed. So because

00:59:26.119 --> 00:59:28.119
it was this great slab, all of a sudden she pops

00:59:28.119 --> 00:59:30.119
off. And I just look at my husband. And I was

00:59:30.119 --> 00:59:33.639
like, did I just, did I just win? Uh, and it

00:59:33.639 --> 00:59:37.400
was so, it was so unexpected. Um, so that's a

00:59:37.400 --> 00:59:39.260
favorite. My other favorite was the world champs

00:59:39.260 --> 00:59:42.920
in Branson in 2019. Um, I had just torn my hip

00:59:42.920 --> 00:59:45.559
labrum like three weeks before, like kind of

00:59:45.559 --> 00:59:48.920
badly. Like I, I was in so much pain. Um, I could

00:59:48.920 --> 00:59:51.039
have pulled out of the comp, but I was just like,

00:59:51.059 --> 00:59:54.719
fights are booked. I'm like, whatever. Um, and

00:59:54.719 --> 00:59:58.039
so I made finals. And something happened at finals

00:59:58.039 --> 01:00:00.539
where I just found this beast mode that I didn't

01:00:00.539 --> 01:00:02.440
know existed. And I climbed like I had never

01:00:02.440 --> 01:00:06.260
climbed before. I didn't notice the pain. I climbed

01:00:06.260 --> 01:00:07.820
despite of it. Or like when you're competing,

01:00:07.940 --> 01:00:09.360
you get this tunnel vision. Like you don't hear

01:00:09.360 --> 01:00:11.880
the crowd. You don't feel pain. You're not afraid

01:00:11.880 --> 01:00:14.880
of falling. And I get off the wall and our coach

01:00:14.880 --> 01:00:17.300
was just like, who the hell was that? And I was

01:00:17.300 --> 01:00:19.980
like, I don't know. I have no idea. And I got

01:00:19.980 --> 01:00:22.300
silver, but that silver felt like gold to me

01:00:22.300 --> 01:00:25.119
because I. I did beat one of my like long -term

01:00:25.119 --> 01:00:27.480
neck and neck people and I performed despite

01:00:27.480 --> 01:00:30.139
the injury, but it was mostly that even if I

01:00:30.139 --> 01:00:32.119
hadn't medaled, I'm like, that is the best I've

01:00:32.119 --> 01:00:34.960
ever climbed or the best I've ever felt. So I'm

01:00:34.960 --> 01:00:38.380
always chasing that feeling of just like, like,

01:00:38.420 --> 01:00:39.619
you know how I said, even if you win, if you

01:00:39.619 --> 01:00:41.440
don't top, you feel shitty sometimes. Yeah. That

01:00:41.440 --> 01:00:43.360
was one where it didn't matter the color of my

01:00:43.360 --> 01:00:45.280
metal. I was like, that's the best I've ever

01:00:45.280 --> 01:00:48.519
done and could have done. I just felt. Yeah.

01:00:48.599 --> 01:00:50.739
I guess it's kind of like the power of not having

01:00:50.739 --> 01:00:53.570
expectations. And I always block out my climbs

01:00:53.570 --> 01:00:55.190
anyway. Like I get to the ground. I'm like, I

01:00:55.190 --> 01:00:56.530
don't know what just happened. I have no memory

01:00:56.530 --> 01:00:59.449
of anything. So, but that one, but that one,

01:00:59.489 --> 01:01:01.369
I kind of remember being in the steep part of

01:01:01.369 --> 01:01:05.869
the wall and just being like, yeah. Chasing that

01:01:05.869 --> 01:01:09.329
high. No, I totally agree with that. Yeah. Okay.

01:01:09.409 --> 01:01:13.030
Next one from Gimpen and still crimping. If you

01:01:13.030 --> 01:01:16.110
podium at LA 2028, will you eat a cupcake on

01:01:16.110 --> 01:01:17.980
the podium? I don't know if there's like backstory

01:01:17.980 --> 01:01:21.260
to this. Yeah, there's a long time where I was

01:01:21.260 --> 01:01:25.519
eating cupcakes on podiums. Okay. And sadly,

01:01:25.619 --> 01:01:28.719
I've lost my sweet tooth with age a bit. No.

01:01:29.599 --> 01:01:31.840
Which it's funny as a kid. Like I remember my

01:01:31.840 --> 01:01:33.539
mom being like, oh no, I don't like any cake

01:01:33.539 --> 01:01:35.320
or ice cream. It's too sweet. I'm like, mom,

01:01:35.400 --> 01:01:36.860
you're nuts. But now I get it. Like we do kind

01:01:36.860 --> 01:01:43.360
of lose it. Oh no. But when I podium in LA. Absolutely.

01:01:43.820 --> 01:01:45.940
As long as I'm not breaking some weird like IPC

01:01:45.940 --> 01:01:47.980
rule about celebrating too hard or something

01:01:47.980 --> 01:01:50.219
like as long as it's cool. I don't want to get

01:01:50.219 --> 01:01:53.039
fined or kicked off or anything. But there will

01:01:53.039 --> 01:01:56.219
be cupcakes regardless. Yeah. Yeah. I feel like

01:01:56.219 --> 01:01:58.159
a fine would be worth it. Well, depending on

01:01:58.159 --> 01:01:59.679
how much you're right. A fine would be worth

01:01:59.679 --> 01:02:01.380
it. I'm done after L .A. I don't I don't have.

01:02:01.400 --> 01:02:04.699
Yeah, exactly. I can burn all the. Wait, when

01:02:04.699 --> 01:02:06.860
do you feel like you lost your sweet tooth? Because

01:02:06.860 --> 01:02:10.380
I'm like big into sweets and I don't know. I

01:02:10.380 --> 01:02:13.130
don't know if I'll ever lose it. I think it started

01:02:13.130 --> 01:02:16.510
when I was maybe, like, not that long ago, like,

01:02:16.510 --> 01:02:18.570
mid -30s, where I was like, oh, I can't eat like

01:02:18.570 --> 01:02:20.210
I used to, and I have to eat more carefully.

01:02:20.670 --> 01:02:22.510
And that means you accidentally start liking

01:02:22.510 --> 01:02:27.769
vegetables, which is not cool. And, yeah, it

01:02:27.769 --> 01:02:29.849
just kind of happened. Or now it's like, oh,

01:02:29.849 --> 01:02:32.230
yeah, two bites of ice cream is all I need. But

01:02:32.230 --> 01:02:33.889
there's always a spot for, like, good European

01:02:33.889 --> 01:02:36.949
chocolate. Like, I can destroy a giant milk bar

01:02:36.949 --> 01:02:41.159
like a pro. Did you... actually stop wanting

01:02:41.159 --> 01:02:43.579
sweets or was it just like, oh, you don't feel

01:02:43.579 --> 01:02:46.719
good now when you have sweets? Better both. Just

01:02:46.719 --> 01:02:48.579
like I used to live on bagels and king cheese.

01:02:48.619 --> 01:02:50.760
Now I'm like, oh, if I have a whole bagel, I'm

01:02:50.760 --> 01:02:54.250
going to feel gross. But I'll still do it. Just

01:02:54.250 --> 01:02:56.630
curious. I guess this got a little derailed,

01:02:56.650 --> 01:02:59.269
but it's like a big thing on my mind. Yeah. Like

01:02:59.269 --> 01:03:01.090
back when I was like really dirtbagging, like

01:03:01.090 --> 01:03:03.610
I lived like my lunch every day at my like low

01:03:03.610 --> 01:03:05.469
paid retail job was like a bagel and a cream

01:03:05.469 --> 01:03:07.630
cheese. OK, we'll see, because I've considered

01:03:07.630 --> 01:03:09.869
I've considered like, oh, maybe I should cut

01:03:09.869 --> 01:03:11.570
out sweets. But I'm like, that's kind of the

01:03:11.570 --> 01:03:14.150
only thing that brings me happiness. Yeah. And

01:03:14.150 --> 01:03:16.090
like as I'm dumping sugar in my coffee, like

01:03:16.090 --> 01:03:18.369
should I? No. But are there worse things that

01:03:18.369 --> 01:03:19.969
I'm doing to myself than sugar in my coffee?

01:03:20.130 --> 01:03:23.269
Yeah. So the sugar in the coffee. Okay. I'll

01:03:23.269 --> 01:03:25.289
just not worry about it then. Okay. Um, last

01:03:25.289 --> 01:03:27.329
question that I think will be pretty interesting.

01:03:27.429 --> 01:03:28.969
Cause I think people are pretty interested in

01:03:28.969 --> 01:03:31.510
like the finances of climbing. Was it tough to

01:03:31.510 --> 01:03:34.070
get the North face to sponsor you as a para climber

01:03:34.070 --> 01:03:37.110
and tips for getting sponsors? So tips for getting

01:03:37.110 --> 01:03:39.929
sponsor is tough because I had already won two

01:03:39.929 --> 01:03:41.769
world championships before I even got a free

01:03:41.769 --> 01:03:45.769
bag of chalk. Um, so it's, it's the, the barrier

01:03:45.769 --> 01:03:49.880
to entry is high. I wish I had advice. Um, I

01:03:49.880 --> 01:03:51.719
think a lot of athletes would say that they got

01:03:51.719 --> 01:03:54.360
lucky, which sounds like pop out, but I mean

01:03:54.360 --> 01:03:57.599
it. Like I got lucky because we made Stumped

01:03:57.599 --> 01:03:59.840
and Cedar Wright was one of the filmmakers and

01:03:59.840 --> 01:04:01.699
he's a North Face athlete and he got it picked

01:04:01.699 --> 01:04:03.860
up by Real Rock and North Face has a habit of

01:04:03.860 --> 01:04:06.500
signing whoever goes to Real Rock. And I think

01:04:06.500 --> 01:04:09.039
between Cedar and Conrad Inker, I know as an

01:04:09.039 --> 01:04:10.659
advocate for me, they just said, you should sign

01:04:10.659 --> 01:04:13.139
her. And they were like, the current, the athlete

01:04:13.139 --> 01:04:14.880
manager at the time, I think was on his way out

01:04:14.880 --> 01:04:17.059
and didn't care anymore. And so I got lucky there

01:04:17.059 --> 01:04:18.280
too, because he's like, sure, we'll ever sign

01:04:18.280 --> 01:04:21.739
her. Oh, interesting. And then the rest is just

01:04:21.739 --> 01:04:26.179
like networking. And you just, again, which sounds

01:04:26.179 --> 01:04:27.940
like such an old boomer LinkedIn thing to say,

01:04:28.019 --> 01:04:30.679
like, oh, it's networking. But it's a lot of

01:04:30.679 --> 01:04:31.960
luck. I mean, I don't think it would have happened

01:04:31.960 --> 01:04:33.360
if I hadn't been living here in Denver, because

01:04:33.360 --> 01:04:34.659
then I wouldn't have made the film with Cedar.

01:04:35.599 --> 01:04:39.719
But yeah, I think resources are tough. Like,

01:04:39.719 --> 01:04:41.659
it's not cheap flying around, especially for

01:04:41.659 --> 01:04:44.480
American athletes, because most of the World

01:04:44.480 --> 01:04:48.230
Cup events are overseas for us. It was really

01:04:48.230 --> 01:04:50.090
funny when we started hosting the World Cup in

01:04:50.090 --> 01:04:51.750
the States, like all the European athletes are

01:04:51.750 --> 01:04:53.110
complaining about the expense. And I'm like,

01:04:53.170 --> 01:04:55.530
yeah, welcome to our world for like three times

01:04:55.530 --> 01:05:00.010
a year. It's tough. So I just, I think if you

01:05:00.010 --> 01:05:01.809
truly have a passion for it and learn how to

01:05:01.809 --> 01:05:07.210
tell your story, stuff will work out, I think.

01:05:07.309 --> 01:05:11.269
But it's mostly about telling your story. And

01:05:11.269 --> 01:05:15.590
I appreciate the athletes more who maybe are

01:05:15.590 --> 01:05:19.500
undercover. and would rather eat ramen than try

01:05:19.500 --> 01:05:21.679
to be sponsored so they can keep all of their

01:05:21.679 --> 01:05:23.300
freedom. You know, my sponsors are awesome. I

01:05:23.300 --> 01:05:25.360
feel like I could be myself, but I have a lot

01:05:25.360 --> 01:05:26.820
of respect for the under the radar people who

01:05:26.820 --> 01:05:29.940
are just like more into, you know, actually rock

01:05:29.940 --> 01:05:32.519
climbing than posting on Instagram, which is

01:05:32.519 --> 01:05:34.159
maybe why a lot of my Instagram posts are about

01:05:34.159 --> 01:05:38.400
my dogs than rock climbing. Yeah. But no, I don't,

01:05:38.400 --> 01:05:42.139
I wish I had like the magic formula, but I just

01:05:42.139 --> 01:05:45.059
don't. So I think. Just sticking with the passion

01:05:45.059 --> 01:05:47.739
part and not treating it like work. And that's

01:05:47.739 --> 01:05:50.500
the balance I'm also trying to find is being

01:05:50.500 --> 01:05:53.099
as outrageous as possible that I might get fired

01:05:53.099 --> 01:05:57.019
one day. No, I think that's a good thing. I think

01:05:57.019 --> 01:06:00.119
you kind of need to like develop. Yeah, like

01:06:00.119 --> 01:06:01.900
you mentioned, like develop your story, develop

01:06:01.900 --> 01:06:04.400
your personality. Otherwise, you could be like

01:06:04.400 --> 01:06:07.219
really like a really good technical climber.

01:06:07.260 --> 01:06:10.320
And they just they more so like need the story,

01:06:10.360 --> 01:06:13.239
I think. Yeah. And it's just like having fun.

01:06:13.300 --> 01:06:14.599
I think people are attracted to folks who have

01:06:14.599 --> 01:06:17.280
fun. You know, there's a lot of folks out there

01:06:17.280 --> 01:06:19.579
who are winning comps left and right and who

01:06:19.579 --> 01:06:21.719
want sponsorships, but just like aren't it's

01:06:21.719 --> 01:06:23.360
not clicking for some reason. And I think when

01:06:23.360 --> 01:06:24.579
I think of those folks, I think it's because

01:06:24.579 --> 01:06:27.519
like they're not having fun and you want to hang

01:06:27.519 --> 01:06:30.000
out with people who want to have fun. OK, well,

01:06:30.139 --> 01:06:32.460
I think that is a good place to end it then.

01:06:32.539 --> 01:06:34.500
That's all the other questions I had. Thanks

01:06:34.500 --> 01:06:37.539
for joining me today. Any other like words of

01:06:37.539 --> 01:06:39.760
wisdom or like shout outs you want to put out

01:06:39.760 --> 01:06:41.690
there? I'm a spot. I feel like I reached out

01:06:41.690 --> 01:06:45.010
at my husband, but I can't, Oh, I can't undersell.

01:06:45.110 --> 01:06:47.269
I can't oversell how incredible it is to have

01:06:47.269 --> 01:06:50.510
a partner who, uh, like I actually, it occurred

01:06:50.510 --> 01:06:51.989
to me, a friend of mine actually asked me, she

01:06:51.989 --> 01:06:54.150
was just like, Hey, so did you like ask Brian

01:06:54.150 --> 01:06:56.170
if he was okay with you on retiree and like doing

01:06:56.170 --> 01:06:58.130
this nightmare run to the fair? And I was like,

01:06:58.170 --> 01:07:01.449
no, I just kind of told him, um, he's sticking

01:07:01.449 --> 01:07:04.230
with me. So, I mean, he's having that support

01:07:04.230 --> 01:07:05.949
is more important than any sponsor. There's no

01:07:05.949 --> 01:07:08.869
paycheck that replaced having that kind of support.

01:07:09.340 --> 01:07:12.500
yeah um words of wisdom for like other para climbers

01:07:12.500 --> 01:07:18.480
out there other climbers do it try hard um but

01:07:18.480 --> 01:07:20.739
not so hard that they would beat you exactly

01:07:20.739 --> 01:07:22.619
try a little less power if you're women they

01:07:22.619 --> 01:07:28.019
use you but um um no get it and they're usc this

01:07:28.019 --> 01:07:29.980
year especially is launching local competitions

01:07:29.980 --> 01:07:32.619
um so it's never going to be easy used to be

01:07:32.619 --> 01:07:34.739
your first competition ever would be nationals

01:07:34.739 --> 01:07:37.429
which is a lot of pressure But this year, there's

01:07:37.429 --> 01:07:38.469
going to be four or five across the country.

01:07:38.969 --> 01:07:41.030
Oh, wait, I didn't know about that. Yeah, there

01:07:41.030 --> 01:07:44.349
was one last weekend in Boston. I'm not sure

01:07:44.349 --> 01:07:45.650
where the rest of them are going to be, but there's

01:07:45.650 --> 01:07:48.530
now a more accessible, less scary way to try

01:07:48.530 --> 01:07:52.329
Paracomp. And they're great. Cool. Okay. I didn't

01:07:52.329 --> 01:07:54.210
know about that. So that's great to get out there.

01:07:54.389 --> 01:07:56.269
That's something that, again, USAC is investing

01:07:56.269 --> 01:07:58.510
in paraclimbing and putting resources into growing

01:07:58.510 --> 01:08:02.519
the team and community. So it's time. 20 -year

01:08:02.519 --> 01:08:04.039
-old me is so jealous right now of all these

01:08:04.039 --> 01:08:06.460
kids. That's good. Of course, yeah. Yeah, it's

01:08:06.460 --> 01:08:08.820
a good thing. Want to let people know where they

01:08:08.820 --> 01:08:12.019
can find you? Yeah, so MoenMountains on Instagram

01:08:12.019 --> 01:08:14.179
is where you can really follow the adventures.

01:08:14.440 --> 01:08:17.239
And I swear I'm going to be better about updating

01:08:17.239 --> 01:08:19.100
my website more, especially this sort of like

01:08:19.100 --> 01:08:22.520
journey to the Paralympics. It's a new world

01:08:22.520 --> 01:08:24.220
for me, so maybe some people will come along

01:08:24.220 --> 01:08:26.560
for the ride. Okay, well, thank you again. It

01:08:26.560 --> 01:08:29.460
was amazing to chat. Yeah, so great. Thank you

01:08:29.460 --> 01:08:31.800
so much for making it to the end of the podcast.

01:08:32.199 --> 01:08:34.579
Don't forget to like and subscribe if you enjoyed.

01:08:34.840 --> 01:08:38.420
Otherwise, you are a super fake climber. If you're

01:08:38.420 --> 01:08:40.859
listening on a podcasting platform, I'd appreciate

01:08:40.859 --> 01:08:43.579
if you rate it five stars and you can continue

01:08:43.579 --> 01:08:46.359
the discussion on the free competition climbing

01:08:46.359 --> 01:08:49.359
discord linked in the description. Thanks again

01:08:49.359 --> 01:08:49.819
for listening.