WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.180 i've tried to be strong and like not tape and 00:00:02.180 --> 00:00:03.720 see if i could just toughen it up and i just 00:00:03.720 --> 00:00:07.820 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 00:00:09.939 --> 00:00:12.359 won two world championships before i even got 00:00:12.359 --> 00:00:16.579 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 00:00:21.420 --> 00:00:23.120 a real sport when all of a sudden there's like 00:00:23.120 --> 00:00:25.780 beef between athletes and like so there's some 00:00:25.780 --> 00:00:29.160 petty drama and it sucks for those people, but 00:00:29.160 --> 00:00:30.420 I'm in the background being like, guys, we're 00:00:30.420 --> 00:00:34.119 a real sport now. Like, this is great. Welcome 00:00:34.119 --> 00:00:36.640 to another episode of the That's Not Real Climbing 00:00:36.640 --> 00:00:39.240 podcast. I'm your host, Jinni, and I'm excited 00:00:39.240 --> 00:00:42.380 to introduce my guest for today, Mo Beck. Mo 00:00:42.380 --> 00:00:45.000 is a paraclimber in the AU2 class, and she's 00:00:45.000 --> 00:00:48.159 trying to qualify for the 2028 Paralympics. She's 00:00:48.159 --> 00:00:50.759 been climbing for over 22 years and had actually 00:00:50.759 --> 00:00:53.299 retired from competing until hearing about the 00:00:53.299 --> 00:00:55.840 Paralympics. In this episode, we'll learn more 00:00:55.840 --> 00:00:58.240 about what it's like climbing with a stump, whether 00:00:58.240 --> 00:01:00.820 outdoor, indoor, or comp setting is most friendly 00:01:00.820 --> 00:01:03.590 to her impairment. And we'll talk about petty 00:01:03.590 --> 00:01:05.709 drama in the community and what sports shopping 00:01:05.709 --> 00:01:08.670 is in the Paralympics. I hope you enjoy this 00:01:08.670 --> 00:01:20.390 episode with Mo. Please pardon this brief intermission, 00:01:20.530 --> 00:01:22.930 but I'm excited to talk about Madrock's newest 00:01:22.930 --> 00:01:26.109 and softest shoe yet, the Remora Pro. If you 00:01:26.109 --> 00:01:27.750 like being able to feel the chips you're standing 00:01:27.750 --> 00:01:30.709 on, and you like not having to worry about standing 00:01:30.709 --> 00:01:33.530 on sketchy volumes in competitions, then this 00:01:33.530 --> 00:01:37.150 is the soft shoe for you. They also have a crazy 00:01:37.150 --> 00:01:39.950 3D heel that allows you to get more surface area 00:01:39.950 --> 00:01:42.810 when heel hooking, and inserts that lock your 00:01:42.810 --> 00:01:45.109 heel into the shoe no matter how hard you're 00:01:45.109 --> 00:01:47.530 pulling. Feel free to message me if you have 00:01:47.530 --> 00:01:49.870 any questions about the shoes or sizing. And 00:01:49.870 --> 00:01:52.489 you can use the discount code NOTREALCLIMBER 00:01:52.489 --> 00:01:55.569 for 10 % off your entire Mad Rock order. Thank 00:01:55.569 --> 00:01:57.409 you to Mad Rock for helping to sponsor the podcast. 00:01:57.549 --> 00:01:59.849 Now back to the show. How are you doing today? 00:02:00.469 --> 00:02:02.969 I'm great. Did you do training? I had a training 00:02:02.969 --> 00:02:05.430 session in the morning, but puppies were also 00:02:05.430 --> 00:02:07.290 there. So it wasn't a very focused training session 00:02:07.290 --> 00:02:09.569 because I kept stopping to go, aww. Oh yeah, 00:02:09.669 --> 00:02:15.389 that's hard. And came home, took a nap. and now 00:02:15.389 --> 00:02:17.590 i'm here pretty much do you have like super long 00:02:17.590 --> 00:02:20.870 training sessions or is it like right now i do 00:02:20.870 --> 00:02:23.689 um i don't have nationals for another month so 00:02:23.689 --> 00:02:27.330 i probably have another two weeks of double like 00:02:27.330 --> 00:02:29.689 today was only one session um probably three 00:02:29.689 --> 00:02:31.509 days a week i'll do climb in the morning come 00:02:31.509 --> 00:02:34.530 home a couple hours and then go lift i got a 00:02:34.530 --> 00:02:36.689 membership to one of those broey gyms and i actually 00:02:36.689 --> 00:02:41.009 really love it okay um but yeah like a non -climbing 00:02:41.009 --> 00:02:44.110 gym or yeah okay And it's huge. It's like 17 00:02:44.110 --> 00:02:46.189 treadmills and 14 squat racks. And it's full 00:02:46.189 --> 00:02:48.909 of like the kind of worded out guys that have 00:02:48.909 --> 00:02:50.370 their boobs hanging out of those really deep 00:02:50.370 --> 00:02:53.449 cut tank tops. But I love it because everyone 00:02:53.449 --> 00:02:55.189 at the climbing gym is so nice that we end up 00:02:55.189 --> 00:02:57.389 talking and it takes forever. And no one talks 00:02:57.389 --> 00:03:00.689 to me at all at like the big box gym. So I could 00:03:00.689 --> 00:03:02.689 see that. But it does make for long days. And 00:03:02.689 --> 00:03:05.069 I get I'm focusing more on lifting now than I 00:03:05.069 --> 00:03:08.129 ever have. And I am tired all the time. What's 00:03:08.129 --> 00:03:10.909 the reason for that? Um, just a change. It's 00:03:10.909 --> 00:03:12.569 something I've read more about, like, especially 00:03:12.569 --> 00:03:15.650 now that I'm older, a little older, um, good 00:03:15.650 --> 00:03:17.289 for general health. I'm kind of more focused 00:03:17.289 --> 00:03:20.349 on power, um, than anything, um, you know, strong 00:03:20.349 --> 00:03:23.110 over skinny. And so I'm just, I'm kind of just 00:03:23.110 --> 00:03:25.469 mixing it all up this go around kind of like 00:03:25.469 --> 00:03:27.129 flipping a lot of the training that I have done 00:03:27.129 --> 00:03:29.680 in the past on Ted. Okay, cool. Well, I definitely 00:03:29.680 --> 00:03:32.199 want to get a little bit more into training and 00:03:32.199 --> 00:03:34.000 your plans for training and nationals a little 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:37.979 bit later. But just so people have a good idea 00:03:37.979 --> 00:03:41.180 of who you are. What is your impairment? And 00:03:41.180 --> 00:03:43.900 what sports class do you compete in? Sure. So 00:03:43.900 --> 00:03:47.500 my name is my back. I'm a professional climber 00:03:47.500 --> 00:03:49.939 first, probably para climber second. And I was 00:03:49.939 --> 00:03:51.759 born without my left hand above the wrist below 00:03:51.759 --> 00:03:53.599 the elbow. So kind of more towards the wrist, 00:03:53.639 --> 00:03:56.659 my stumps a little longer. And that places me 00:03:56.659 --> 00:04:00.879 in the AU2 class for IFSC competitions. And it 00:04:00.879 --> 00:04:04.360 stands for amputee upper level two based on where 00:04:04.360 --> 00:04:07.099 my amputation is. And I guess like what are the 00:04:07.099 --> 00:04:09.180 classification differences between one, two and 00:04:09.180 --> 00:04:13.300 three? Yeah, so one. doesn't quite exist anymore. 00:04:13.400 --> 00:04:15.939 It got folded into another one. Maybe it'll change 00:04:15.939 --> 00:04:17.639 one day as numbers grow, but they don't have 00:04:17.639 --> 00:04:20.459 an elbow. So they're kind of like more of a truly 00:04:20.459 --> 00:04:23.480 one armed or that's how they climb is using only 00:04:23.480 --> 00:04:26.180 one arm. We have some folks who have an arm, 00:04:26.259 --> 00:04:28.220 but maybe they had like a brachial plexus injury. 00:04:28.300 --> 00:04:29.620 So it kind of just flops around like a fish. 00:04:29.720 --> 00:04:33.399 And so they climb using one arm. AU2 is me. You 00:04:33.399 --> 00:04:35.000 have an elbow, but no wrist. And then once you 00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:38.000 have a wrist, you're in the AU3 category. There 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:41.170 is a minimum. impairment for that one like sorry 00:04:41.170 --> 00:04:43.310 tommy caldwell but the half digit isn't going 00:04:43.310 --> 00:04:46.389 to get you into the paralympics but um but yeah 00:04:46.389 --> 00:04:48.069 those folks generally have the risk so it's kind 00:04:48.069 --> 00:04:51.149 of about your joint count um for upper amputees 00:04:51.149 --> 00:04:54.550 okay cool good to know and i just want to like 00:04:54.550 --> 00:04:56.750 make sure that you do just like call it a stump 00:04:56.750 --> 00:05:00.029 or is there like another word for it yeah i mean 00:05:00.939 --> 00:05:03.180 when I was a little kid it was my little hand 00:05:03.180 --> 00:05:07.959 and like cute nicknames but yeah stump is generally 00:05:07.959 --> 00:05:10.120 what most people are gonna call it um you know 00:05:10.120 --> 00:05:12.560 there's a more medical term but that's just like 00:05:12.560 --> 00:05:15.939 very cold and dry so it's just a stump okay cool 00:05:15.939 --> 00:05:19.459 I will continue calling it a stump then um I 00:05:19.459 --> 00:05:23.139 noticed like in photos you like wrap it um is 00:05:23.139 --> 00:05:24.939 there like a reasoning behind that or like how 00:05:24.939 --> 00:05:28.370 much feeling do you have in it so I have I would 00:05:28.370 --> 00:05:32.529 say all the feeling roughly. Because I was born 00:05:32.529 --> 00:05:35.149 with my amputation, I'm a congenital amputee. 00:05:35.149 --> 00:05:39.069 I don't have like scar tissue or raw bone like 00:05:39.069 --> 00:05:40.889 you see in a lot of, especially leg amputees. 00:05:41.790 --> 00:05:45.230 Most upper limb amputees, at least in the climbing 00:05:45.230 --> 00:05:49.240 competition circuit are. congenital and most 00:05:49.240 --> 00:05:51.519 lower limb amputees have had some sort of traumatic 00:05:51.519 --> 00:05:54.399 accident. And so if you've lost a limb, you have 00:05:54.399 --> 00:05:57.319 scar tissue and it can really hurt to grab things. 00:05:57.540 --> 00:06:01.019 But for me, I can beat on it pretty well. But 00:06:01.019 --> 00:06:03.560 the skin that I have there, it's like forearm 00:06:03.560 --> 00:06:07.980 skin. It's not designed to callus. And I've tried, 00:06:08.100 --> 00:06:10.399 I've tried to be strong and like not tape and 00:06:10.399 --> 00:06:11.920 see if I could just toughen it up. And I just, 00:06:11.959 --> 00:06:15.790 it bleeds everywhere and it's awful. There are 00:06:15.790 --> 00:06:17.370 some folks like me who don't tape. I don't know 00:06:17.370 --> 00:06:21.170 how. And so for me, the tape protects my skin, 00:06:21.290 --> 00:06:23.009 but it's still thin enough. Like some people 00:06:23.009 --> 00:06:25.769 wonder why I don't use a big, thick rubber sleeve. 00:06:26.490 --> 00:06:28.910 And that's because I couldn't feel the holds 00:06:28.910 --> 00:06:31.949 through that. Yeah, makes sense. So the tape 00:06:31.949 --> 00:06:34.529 allows me to still have that dexterity and feel 00:06:34.529 --> 00:06:38.110 what I'm grabbing while protecting my skin. Okay, 00:06:38.209 --> 00:06:42.680 interesting. noticed now that i guess my forums 00:06:42.680 --> 00:06:45.740 don't get calloused because i mean you'll like 00:06:45.740 --> 00:06:47.480 sometimes hurt it on the wall or something and 00:06:47.480 --> 00:06:49.980 then i never thought about it like when i climb 00:06:49.980 --> 00:06:51.759 outside a lot the red river gorge which is big 00:06:51.759 --> 00:06:54.560 buckets sometimes and like above my tape line 00:06:54.560 --> 00:06:59.120 i will get like gabby and gross like a turn screen 00:06:59.120 --> 00:07:02.699 it's really nasty but it never heals into a callus 00:07:02.699 --> 00:07:04.699 like it just like the scab heals off and then 00:07:04.699 --> 00:07:11.500 it's just it is so um I do have sort of a subdermal 00:07:11.500 --> 00:07:13.519 callus, I call it, on the part of my stump that 00:07:13.519 --> 00:07:15.379 grabs the holds the most. Like the skin on top 00:07:15.379 --> 00:07:17.779 is still soft, but there's this lump underneath 00:07:17.779 --> 00:07:22.100 it. And that has to be from climbing. I mean, 00:07:22.120 --> 00:07:23.740 I'm sure there's no medical term for it, but 00:07:23.740 --> 00:07:27.680 yeah, that's a new thing. I certainly, I haven't 00:07:27.680 --> 00:07:29.540 had a new prosthetic in a long time, but I certainly 00:07:29.540 --> 00:07:32.459 can't fit any of them from 10 years ago or 15 00:07:32.459 --> 00:07:34.240 years ago before I was climbing a lot. Everything's 00:07:34.240 --> 00:07:36.500 changed. Okay, interesting. But then the skin 00:07:36.500 --> 00:07:38.699 on top is still like soft, so it can like break 00:07:38.699 --> 00:07:42.879 and bleed. Yeah, yeah. Good to know. So then, 00:07:42.939 --> 00:07:44.959 yeah, it sounds like you've been climbing a long 00:07:44.959 --> 00:07:47.339 time and then also competing for a while. So 00:07:47.339 --> 00:07:49.920 how did you get started climbing and then competing 00:07:49.920 --> 00:07:52.620 eventually? Yeah, I started climbing in my first 00:07:52.620 --> 00:07:55.600 climbing experience. I was 12 and it was outside 00:07:55.600 --> 00:07:57.980 on a really cool grant boulder. I went to an 00:07:57.980 --> 00:08:00.500 awesome Girl Scout camp in northern middle of 00:08:00.500 --> 00:08:02.720 nowhere, Maine. And they had these big house 00:08:02.720 --> 00:08:05.459 -sized glacial erratic boulders. Um, so it was 00:08:05.459 --> 00:08:07.860 just some 30 foot top rope. I don't think I even 00:08:07.860 --> 00:08:10.240 made it to the top, but something about climbing. 00:08:10.519 --> 00:08:13.180 Um, I just, I loved it because I couldn't fake 00:08:13.180 --> 00:08:15.019 my way through it. A lot of other sports, like 00:08:15.019 --> 00:08:17.779 I played soccer, but like you use your feet or 00:08:17.779 --> 00:08:19.699 like in archery, I could still use my prosthetic, 00:08:19.699 --> 00:08:22.079 but in rock climbing, it was just like, I couldn't 00:08:22.079 --> 00:08:24.519 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 00:08:29.639 --> 00:08:32.539 pure, like your body and this rock sport. Um, 00:08:32.889 --> 00:08:34.669 And I also liked it because when you're up there, 00:08:34.769 --> 00:08:36.929 it's just you and the rock. And I always say 00:08:36.929 --> 00:08:38.529 the rock doesn't care that I have a disability 00:08:38.529 --> 00:08:40.350 or that I was a girl or whatever. It's just like 00:08:40.350 --> 00:08:41.769 you and this rock and the rock doesn't care. 00:08:42.710 --> 00:08:45.549 Versus all the other sports I had done. But when 00:08:45.549 --> 00:08:47.330 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 00:08:57.809 --> 00:09:00.250 babysitting money to hire a guide with a girlfriend 00:09:00.250 --> 00:09:03.000 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 12 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 00:23:00.400 --> 00:23:02.579 you're interested in ad -free episodes and would 00:23:02.579 --> 00:23:04.900 like to unlock over four hours of deleted scenes, 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 00:23:10.859 --> 00:23:13.680 a living being a full -time climber, do consider 00:23:13.680 --> 00:23:16.940 helping support this podcast on Patreon. Some 00:23:16.940 --> 00:23:18.940 other perks include a membership pin shipped 00:23:18.940 --> 00:23:21.420 to you after two months, prioritized guest questions, 00:23:21.460 --> 00:23:24.279 or the ability to submit video questions, and 00:23:24.279 --> 00:23:27.019 more to come. The proceeds go back into the podcast. 00:23:27.279 --> 00:23:29.759 to help me break even, and they help me improve 00:23:29.759 --> 00:23:32.759 the experience of the guests. If you'd like to 00:23:32.759 --> 00:23:34.900 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 2016 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 2022 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 2028 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 RP1 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.