44: Nekaia + Sovarae Sanders, Comp Sisterhood
You probably recognize Nekaia from when she recently made her first boulder world cup finals in Curitiba and her sister Sovarae podiumed at her last USA youth boulder nationals. In this episode, we get a lot of insight into their sibling dynamic as comp climbers, we’ll hear about Nekaia’s experience in Curitiba and Sovarae’s experience going through mental battles at comps, and we’ll have some fun conversation about food and Harry Potter.
Timestamps
Timestamps of discussion topics
0:00 - Intro
1:35 - Mad Rock Shoutout!!
2:18 - Nekaia's new haircut!
6:59 - Are they related to Annie Sanders?!
7:42 - How the family got into climbing
11:05 - Homeschool kids
13:52 - Sovarae used to get dragged to the climbing gym
21:11 - Jealously and competitiveness amongst each other
30:45 - How USA team selection works
33:49 - Nekaia's breakout performance in Curitiba
41:25 - Nekaia's slab strength and strength weakness
43:39 - Sovarae's finger strength and mental weakness
49:32 - Nekaia's mental advice
51:57 - World Cup traveling and eating abroad
56:32 - HOT TAKE: Losing is more important than winning
59:53 - HOT TAKE: People who say they don't like comp style climbing need to be shown how!
1:04:12 - Swimming and Harry Potter
1:10:53 - DISCORD Q: How early to start wearing in a comp shoe?
1:13:30 - IG Q: Favorite style of climb?
1:16:28 - IG Q: Outdoor rock projects?
1:18:09 - IG Q: What effect does fan interaction have on your morale?
1:22:36 - IG Q: How do the finances work?
1:25:28 - IG Q: Does Sovarae always get the middle seat?
1:28:39 - Closing thoughts + where to find Nekaia and Sovarae
-
WEBVTT
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.339
If you want a sister, Nekaia is the ideal, like,
00:00:03.339 --> 00:00:06.799
sister. She's just that interesting. Nah, let's
00:00:06.799 --> 00:00:09.820
not do that. If you're constantly having someone
00:00:09.820 --> 00:00:12.839
else be the, this is the special one or whatever,
00:00:13.039 --> 00:00:17.760
that kind of made me not want to pursue it. I
00:00:17.760 --> 00:00:19.820
didn't feel like I belonged there. Like, I had
00:00:19.820 --> 00:00:23.320
all of this, like, chatter in my head of being
00:00:23.320 --> 00:00:25.460
like, I'm bringing down the level of the World
00:00:25.460 --> 00:00:28.300
Cups. I'm not supposed to be here. I'm not ready.
00:00:28.399 --> 00:00:32.299
I'm blah, blah, blah. Like recently we went outside
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and it was like the first time in like two years
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and we both did our first 10 within like a few
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tries. But everyone wants to know, are you guys
00:00:45.179 --> 00:00:48.939
related to Annie Sanders? Welcome to another
00:00:48.939 --> 00:00:51.119
episode of the That's Now World Climbing podcast.
00:00:51.659 --> 00:00:53.979
I'm your host, Jinni, and I'm excited to introduce
00:00:53.979 --> 00:00:56.560
my guests for today, Nekaia and Sovarae Sanders.
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You may recognize Nekaia from when she recently
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made her first Boulder World Cup finals in Curitiba,
00:01:03.119 --> 00:01:05.640
and her sister Sovarae podiumed at her last
00:01:05.640 --> 00:01:08.569
USA Youth Boulder Nationals. In this episode,
00:01:08.650 --> 00:01:10.810
we get a lot of insight into their sibling dynamic
00:01:10.810 --> 00:01:13.590
as comp climbers. We'll hear about Nekaia's experience
00:01:13.590 --> 00:01:16.170
in Kurachiba and Sovarae's experience going
00:01:16.170 --> 00:01:19.170
through mental battles at comps. And we'll have
00:01:19.170 --> 00:01:21.689
some fun conversations about food and Harry Potter.
00:01:22.230 --> 00:01:24.750
They were such a joy to talk to, so I hope you
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enjoy this episode with the Sanders sisters.
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I'm excited to announce that my sponsor, Mad
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Rock Climbing, just came out with a brand new
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pair of shoes, the Remora Pro. I was so excited
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to try them on that even though I broke a toe
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on my right foot, I had to at least try on the
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left shoe. So I can definitely say that the Remora
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Pro is better than a rental shoe. But really,
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these are their softest shoe ever, which means
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you no longer need to worry about standing on
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sketchy volumes and comps. They also have a crazy
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3D heel that allows you to get more surface area
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when heel hooking and inserts that lock your
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heel into the shoe no matter how hard you're
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pulling. Feel free to message me if you have
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any questions about the shoes or sizing and you
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can use the discount code NOTREALCLIMBER for
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10 % off your entire Mad Rock order. Back to
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the show. Why'd you decide to do the haircut?
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Oh, okay. I love having my hair short. I've had
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it a few times short. Oh, really? Yeah, like
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I think the first time I cut all my hair off,
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I was like 14, maybe 13. I just really like the
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feeling of it. And I've been really wanting to
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for like a while. And I like, yeah, I finally
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was like, okay, I'm just going to do it. Ever
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since she was little, she was like obsessed with
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having her hair short. Like that was always a
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thing. I like how it looks before. I like short
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hair. Have you ever considered like, full bald
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yeah oh my god really well so i really want to
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buzz my head at some point in my life i think
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it might look like a bowling ball but i like
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it i want to uh and i actually like the picture
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i showed the guy was like a bit longer than this
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and he went a lot shorter like it made me like
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i'm like okay i could look decent with like short
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short so maybe maybe next time you see me That
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would be crazy. I would love to see it. But yeah,
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how are you guys doing? Do you guys have like
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a rest day today? We just got back like 20 minutes
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ago from our first session. Then when this is
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done, we'll go back. What is your usual gym out
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there? We climb a little bit at Movement and
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then the Rock City Training Center. And LBR too,
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or we'll go to San Diego. We climb everywhere.
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Did you guys go to... the new or it's not like
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new grotto but the new uh since it's had all
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the changes not yet have you no i sorry i told
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you guys i was gonna go but then i broke my toe
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and i thought it'd be better by now but it's
00:04:00.349 --> 00:04:04.889
still not so then i was doing like lateral jumps
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and i wasn't wearing shoes and then i like jumped
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to the right side but my pinky toe like got caught
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under the rest of my foot So then like all my
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weight landed on it and then it was indeed broken.
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Oh, that's so bad. That's gross. I'm sorry. Yeah,
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it's been like four weeks and I thought it would
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be better by now. It's not like fully better.
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So I'm going to wait a bit until I can like put
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on real shoes because I don't know. They said
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a lot of like good slab at Grotto and I can't
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really do slab right now. That sucks. I broke
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my big toe. It was not fun. Did you hear that
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story? How did you do that? I was in a terrible
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mood one day and I was doing my like, I think
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it was like weighted hangs or weighted pull -ups.
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It must have been weighted hangs at home. And
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I couldn't find our weight belt. And so I was
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like, a chalk belt's fine. And so I put 40 pounds
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on a chalk belt. Whoa. And obviously it came
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undone. Just like the plastic clip. and it fell
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on my toe and it broke the chip off like of like
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the like very tip of my big toe but i refused
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to admit it was broken and so i climbed on it
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for like a week or two and i could feel it like
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stabbing me but i was like it's fine oh that's
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disgusting as med i went to the doctor and it
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was broken and he was like he was so mad at me
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he was like now it can't like You might as well
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just keep climbing because it's not going to
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heal right anyways. Oh. Eventually it will build
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up like scar tissue. And so I was able to climb
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through the whole time. It was so gross. I could
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like literally feel like the shard like stabbing
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me. But I could climb through the whole thing.
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And I just dealt with it. Wow. How long ago was
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this? This was, it was pretty like a while ago
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now. Right before COVID. Yeah. Like early, early
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2020. And it actually, like, healed, I guess?
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Uh, yeah. It didn't, like, it took a while to
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heal and then it was fine. That's good, I guess.
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Sometimes it works doing that with injuries,
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but I don't know how I got away with, like, going
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all the way through. He was so mad the doctor
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was like... I haven't been, like, putting pressure
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on it because I don't like pain. A little bit
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of, like, a weird relationship with pain, I feel
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like. He has a super high pain tolerance. And
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then just committed to it also. Yeah. I have
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a little bit of a sticky brain, so when I want
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to do something, it will go. Sometimes I just
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don't process it right, where it's just like,
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it's not that painful to me. Yeah. Okay, so before
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we get into any questions that are too difficult,
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the first question is going to be really easy,
00:06:59.720 --> 00:07:02.939
but everyone wants to know, are you guys related
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to Annie Sanders? We are not. I got like so many
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questions for that. Do you get asked that a lot?
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Yeah. I was looking at, I don't remember, I saw
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comments somewhere. They're like, yeah, just
00:07:16.759 --> 00:07:19.399
everywhere. It was like, hello, the lady. Okay,
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we're setting the record straight here. So there's
00:07:22.120 --> 00:07:24.399
actually, Annie has a sister. And so there's
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four Sanders girls. Like climbing? Yeah, she
00:07:28.279 --> 00:07:30.319
climbs. Okay, good to know. Have you guys like
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climbed together before? With Annie? Yeah, just
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like with team. team events and stuff at training
00:07:36.519 --> 00:07:39.620
camps well i'll maybe have an episode with her
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in a month or so so we'll see how that goes but
00:07:42.779 --> 00:07:45.100
yeah so back to you guys um how did you guys
00:07:45.100 --> 00:07:49.120
get into climbing we my aunt found like a climbing
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gym on groupon and it's just like we should all
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go because i have two older brothers that are
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very active and so we just went as a family and
00:07:58.519 --> 00:08:01.180
then we went i think my brothers were really
00:08:01.180 --> 00:08:04.209
into it they're teenagers So we went every day
00:08:04.209 --> 00:08:07.389
for a month straight. And that was kind of how
00:08:07.389 --> 00:08:11.389
it started. Our oldest brother's got like, I
00:08:11.389 --> 00:08:14.129
think we're all very like kind of obsessive brains.
00:08:14.769 --> 00:08:17.569
But he's like especially obsessive. So whenever
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he started anything as a kid, it was like 100
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% in. And so it was like immediately we went
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to the gym and we're like all obsessed, driving
00:08:26.410 --> 00:08:30.930
like an hour each direction, like fully in. Oh,
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wow. Yeah. with a very kind mom who was like
00:08:33.590 --> 00:08:37.470
able to willing to facilitate that so it was
00:08:37.470 --> 00:08:39.929
like full obsession right away and then we got
00:08:39.929 --> 00:08:44.769
into like uh got onto the team within like a
00:08:44.769 --> 00:08:47.870
few months like yeah maybe a month or two like
00:08:47.870 --> 00:08:51.250
a youth team yeah yeah and did your um brothers
00:08:51.250 --> 00:08:58.830
also compete how did they do Very good. I think
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my oldest brother didn't do any of the open comps.
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Like he just went through the youth circuit.
00:09:05.389 --> 00:09:07.710
He didn't like the competition aspect of it.
00:09:07.730 --> 00:09:09.830
It wasn't as much, yeah, much more always into
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outdoors. And then next oldest but younger brother,
00:09:14.789 --> 00:09:20.610
he competed into the open national level comps
00:09:20.610 --> 00:09:25.289
and stuff. He's like, they're both stupidly good
00:09:25.289 --> 00:09:28.370
off the couch climbers. Oh, off the cuff. Yeah,
00:09:28.710 --> 00:09:32.570
got that. When people say they don't like the
00:09:32.570 --> 00:09:36.710
comp aspect of it, what do you think that means?
00:09:36.929 --> 00:09:39.409
What part of it? Is it the competitiveness, the
00:09:39.409 --> 00:09:42.710
pressure? Does that drive you guys? He didn't
00:09:42.710 --> 00:09:44.889
like the pressure very much in reference to Elvis'
00:09:45.029 --> 00:09:48.570
brother. I think that he didn't thrive under
00:09:48.570 --> 00:09:51.149
the pressure of it. It just wasn't fun to him.
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I think he started a lot older, too. I think
00:09:55.289 --> 00:09:57.970
he was... He was like 16 when he started. And
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I think it's really hard to transition into competitions
00:10:00.970 --> 00:10:04.289
when you're that old. And also just like my brother
00:10:04.289 --> 00:10:07.690
naturally is like go off and do his own thing.
00:10:07.809 --> 00:10:10.070
And like outdoor climbing is definitely like
00:10:10.070 --> 00:10:12.549
perfect match for him. I'm just like working
00:10:12.549 --> 00:10:15.210
projects and going with the flow a bit more.
00:10:15.490 --> 00:10:18.450
Okay. Makes sense. You guys both keep separately
00:10:18.450 --> 00:10:21.190
saying my brother and it's like really confusing
00:10:21.190 --> 00:10:27.860
me. because that person was like oh i guess it's
00:10:27.860 --> 00:10:30.860
just her brother and then oh wait but it's the
00:10:30.860 --> 00:10:35.259
same person people actually think that we're
00:10:35.259 --> 00:10:37.820
not related a lot like the amount of people that
00:10:37.820 --> 00:10:40.500
are like have known us for years and it'll be
00:10:40.500 --> 00:10:42.559
like oh my god you're sisters even though we
00:10:42.559 --> 00:10:44.419
have the same last name both have weird names
00:10:44.419 --> 00:10:47.440
and travel together all the time people will
00:10:47.440 --> 00:10:50.399
be shocked but no we actually same parents same
00:10:50.399 --> 00:10:55.190
family I guess you guys both look pretty different.
00:10:55.629 --> 00:10:59.149
And with the hair now, too, it's really hard
00:10:59.149 --> 00:11:03.730
to tell. We have actually similar features. But
00:11:03.730 --> 00:11:05.809
it's everything else that makes it different.
00:11:06.110 --> 00:11:08.690
And you also mentioned that you guys were homeschooled.
00:11:08.789 --> 00:11:11.610
I guess it was in order to focus more on climbing.
00:11:11.889 --> 00:11:16.269
What was that like? No, actually, so we homeschooled
00:11:16.269 --> 00:11:19.529
our whole lives. My brothers were also homeschooled,
00:11:19.529 --> 00:11:23.570
all four of us. And my oldest brother is actually
00:11:23.570 --> 00:11:26.409
nine years older than her. And so there's like
00:11:26.409 --> 00:11:29.769
quite a big gap. And so he was homeschooled like
00:11:29.769 --> 00:11:32.570
kind of before it was like really starting to
00:11:32.570 --> 00:11:35.429
become a thing. But we were homeschooled because
00:11:35.429 --> 00:11:38.250
we lived in two different spots. And so we couldn't
00:11:38.250 --> 00:11:42.009
go to normal school. And so we were splitting
00:11:42.009 --> 00:11:45.169
time between spots. I see. So that was like the
00:11:45.169 --> 00:11:49.659
whole Portland, SoCal split. Yeah, yeah. I don't
00:11:49.659 --> 00:11:51.080
actually know that many homeschooled people.
00:11:51.220 --> 00:11:53.460
Do you get that whole like weird social thing?
00:11:54.919 --> 00:11:58.620
We, well, okay. So there are weird homeschoolers
00:11:58.620 --> 00:12:01.379
for sure. We grew up with like going to like,
00:12:01.440 --> 00:12:03.379
sometimes we, like when we were younger, kind
00:12:03.379 --> 00:12:05.899
of actually really before climbing, we would
00:12:05.899 --> 00:12:09.419
go to like homeschool park day, this homeschool
00:12:09.419 --> 00:12:11.860
class, that homeschool class. And there are some
00:12:11.860 --> 00:12:16.820
weird, weird homeschool people. But also I feel
00:12:16.820 --> 00:12:21.519
like it, the people that i've met that i'm like
00:12:21.519 --> 00:12:25.600
wow you're a really unique confident person and
00:12:25.600 --> 00:12:28.320
you really just like seem not scared of the world
00:12:28.320 --> 00:12:32.080
uh almost always i've like later found out like
00:12:32.080 --> 00:12:34.940
oh you're homeschooled and so i think it could
00:12:34.940 --> 00:12:37.779
go i either way and i think it's also really
00:12:37.779 --> 00:12:40.200
individual of whether it works for you or not
00:12:40.200 --> 00:12:44.580
uh i think also being in a sport while you're
00:12:45.149 --> 00:12:48.210
is a huge difference because otherwise you're
00:12:48.210 --> 00:12:50.970
just like incredibly isolated in your people
00:12:50.970 --> 00:12:54.710
but yeah or oftentimes i should say not over
00:12:54.710 --> 00:12:57.250
generalize but if you have a sport you kind of
00:12:57.250 --> 00:12:59.710
have a little bit of that like social experience
00:12:59.710 --> 00:13:01.710
where you're meeting a bunch of different types
00:13:01.710 --> 00:13:04.250
of people and stuff yeah that makes sense so
00:13:04.250 --> 00:13:06.129
you guys didn't feel like you had like a weird
00:13:06.129 --> 00:13:11.110
transition into society yeah i think i think
00:13:11.110 --> 00:13:16.809
yeah i think more so We were like, my mom always
00:13:16.809 --> 00:13:18.870
told us to be like little adults in the gym.
00:13:18.990 --> 00:13:20.990
I think that kind of caught on. We were like
00:13:20.990 --> 00:13:23.649
almost, like especially her because of my brother
00:13:23.649 --> 00:13:26.230
being like nine years older and not being around
00:13:26.230 --> 00:13:28.070
like in a class with a bunch of people her age.
00:13:28.190 --> 00:13:31.049
She, I think, was like more mature. Like she's
00:13:31.049 --> 00:13:33.870
like a little five -year -old teenager. And I
00:13:33.870 --> 00:13:36.029
think that part maybe was like a little bit of
00:13:36.029 --> 00:13:38.190
transition of just not being in the same age
00:13:38.190 --> 00:13:40.870
bubble as other people. But I think through like
00:13:40.870 --> 00:13:44.740
the team, like being on a youth team. And climbing,
00:13:44.879 --> 00:13:49.100
we were around a lot of people, a lot of adults
00:13:49.100 --> 00:13:51.899
especially. And what's your age difference? Two
00:13:51.899 --> 00:13:55.139
and a half years. Okay, so sorry. Nakia said
00:13:55.139 --> 00:13:57.320
that you weren't into training before and that
00:13:57.320 --> 00:13:59.340
you were just like being dragged around to the
00:13:59.340 --> 00:14:02.960
gyms. What changed for you when deciding to actually
00:14:02.960 --> 00:14:05.639
pursue climbing more heavily? Very complicated,
00:14:05.840 --> 00:14:10.139
but I would say when I was little, I started
00:14:10.139 --> 00:14:12.480
climbing when I was five. So I was mostly like...
00:14:12.649 --> 00:14:15.110
playing with like legos like under the boulders
00:14:15.110 --> 00:14:17.529
and stuff like it wasn't climbing super she would
00:14:17.529 --> 00:14:19.429
just throw down the hubbies for hours i would
00:14:19.429 --> 00:14:22.490
end the cubbies and so on but so i would like
00:14:22.490 --> 00:14:25.350
kind of play and stuff and then as i got more
00:14:25.350 --> 00:14:28.389
into like my teenage years and stuff i guess
00:14:28.389 --> 00:14:30.690
also goes into a little bit of competitiveness
00:14:30.690 --> 00:14:35.769
between yukai or like that relationship but i
00:14:35.769 --> 00:14:39.409
started like seeing her get so many like accolades
00:14:39.409 --> 00:14:41.889
for climbing and people being like oh, you're
00:14:41.889 --> 00:14:44.049
amazing about this. And like a lot of attention
00:14:44.049 --> 00:14:47.330
was put on her climbing. Now, I'm not saying
00:14:47.330 --> 00:14:49.450
this is actually like what happened, but this
00:14:49.450 --> 00:14:52.110
is what I perceived happening. And so it kind
00:14:52.110 --> 00:14:55.610
of made me feel a little bit less like I wanted
00:14:55.610 --> 00:14:59.970
to do it because I wasn't as good, obviously,
00:14:59.970 --> 00:15:03.070
because I wasn't working at it. I didn't like
00:15:03.070 --> 00:15:06.509
it that much at all. So I think that kind of
00:15:06.509 --> 00:15:09.860
helped push me out a little bit. where it was
00:15:09.860 --> 00:15:13.080
not something that I wanted to do because I didn't
00:15:13.080 --> 00:15:15.980
love the sport and if you're constantly having
00:15:15.980 --> 00:15:19.000
someone else be the the this is the special one
00:15:19.000 --> 00:15:22.000
or whatever so to say that's kind of a dramatic
00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:25.940
term but like that kind of made me not want to
00:15:25.940 --> 00:15:29.840
pursue it and then eventually we went she went
00:15:29.840 --> 00:15:33.799
made it to youth worlds in Moscow or it was Moscow
00:15:33.799 --> 00:15:37.419
yeah it was in Moscow no it was France yeah anyways
00:15:37.419 --> 00:15:41.899
Russia we went there and I saw like competitors
00:15:41.899 --> 00:15:44.840
that were my own age and seeing them like do
00:15:44.840 --> 00:15:47.700
well and seeing the international girls really
00:15:47.700 --> 00:15:51.059
like have different climbing styles and stuff
00:15:51.059 --> 00:15:55.759
kind of showed me that I guess we could both
00:15:55.759 --> 00:15:59.279
be really good at it in both and that it would
00:15:59.279 --> 00:16:02.059
be something special if we did it together like
00:16:02.059 --> 00:16:04.559
it wasn't that I needed to find my own path in
00:16:04.559 --> 00:16:07.250
life It also kind of showed me that I could also
00:16:07.250 --> 00:16:10.490
enjoy the sport, not hate it. So that was a big
00:16:10.490 --> 00:16:14.029
difference. And then I got her to make me a training
00:16:14.029 --> 00:16:17.649
plan on the way home, like on the flight, and
00:16:17.649 --> 00:16:20.309
then went straight into training. And this never
00:16:20.309 --> 00:16:22.649
stopped, I guess. From an outside perspective,
00:16:22.950 --> 00:16:27.090
it was kind of like, it was really interesting
00:16:27.090 --> 00:16:30.490
for me because she's really young at the time.
00:16:30.490 --> 00:16:32.970
You were probably like 13, right? I think I was
00:16:32.970 --> 00:16:36.659
14. Yeah, just turned 14. and watching her like
00:16:36.659 --> 00:16:39.139
go from like as like a little kid just like playing
00:16:39.139 --> 00:16:43.460
in the gym to like pre -teen where she was like
00:16:43.460 --> 00:16:46.720
kind of being forced a little bit to go to the
00:16:46.720 --> 00:16:48.879
gym just because like that's what our family
00:16:48.879 --> 00:16:50.899
was doing and like we do everything kind of like
00:16:50.899 --> 00:16:55.639
as a unit and like a lot it was like hard for
00:16:55.639 --> 00:16:57.879
me because I was like I need to be in the gym
00:16:57.879 --> 00:17:01.019
training for like hours on end and like I just
00:17:01.019 --> 00:17:07.079
remember her being like let's go home we were
00:17:07.079 --> 00:17:08.759
in the gym for like six hours a day of course
00:17:08.759 --> 00:17:11.799
and then going to this comp and just being like
00:17:11.799 --> 00:17:15.359
seeing like i think i really wanted her to get
00:17:15.359 --> 00:17:17.059
into training like i thought that would be the
00:17:17.059 --> 00:17:19.519
coolest thing ever and then seeing her just like
00:17:19.519 --> 00:17:22.220
on her own have this little like spark of being
00:17:22.220 --> 00:17:27.099
like oh this is cool and immediately turn around
00:17:27.099 --> 00:17:30.890
into like I think me and my mom were like oh
00:17:30.890 --> 00:17:33.069
this is really exciting maybe she's gonna get
00:17:33.069 --> 00:17:36.089
into it and it probably won't last very long
00:17:36.089 --> 00:17:38.069
but at least like it'll be fun for like a few
00:17:38.069 --> 00:17:42.410
weeks and it was like just like light switch
00:17:42.410 --> 00:17:46.329
of being like I hate training to like I love
00:17:46.329 --> 00:17:47.970
this I want to be doing this I'm gonna try as
00:17:47.970 --> 00:17:51.210
hard as I can and it just like never stopped
00:17:51.210 --> 00:17:53.769
of like super super dedicated like everything
00:17:53.769 --> 00:17:57.150
in um And I don't think I've ever seen that sort
00:17:57.150 --> 00:17:59.109
of switch before in a person. And it was really
00:17:59.109 --> 00:18:02.890
cool to be able to like witness that like, yeah,
00:18:02.990 --> 00:18:05.250
just how like a little like spark moment can
00:18:05.250 --> 00:18:08.289
just change everything. If you also want to know
00:18:08.289 --> 00:18:11.410
what it feels like from going to, from like a
00:18:11.410 --> 00:18:13.990
very recreational climber who didn't really like
00:18:13.990 --> 00:18:17.470
it into very solid training, the first week of
00:18:17.470 --> 00:18:21.869
your life is the worst. It hurt so bad. My body
00:18:21.869 --> 00:18:24.039
was like. It was the first time I ever got out
00:18:24.039 --> 00:18:26.380
of bed at the ripe age of 14 and being like,
00:18:26.460 --> 00:18:29.980
I am in actual agony. I feel like an old woman.
00:18:30.099 --> 00:18:34.359
It was horrible. It gets better. After the first
00:18:34.359 --> 00:18:38.279
week, it's very easy. So you were 14 when that
00:18:38.279 --> 00:18:41.579
started? I think I just turned 14, yeah. Do you
00:18:41.579 --> 00:18:43.759
ever look back on that time and regret all the
00:18:43.759 --> 00:18:48.680
time that you didn't spend prior to 14? I think
00:18:48.680 --> 00:18:53.359
in some ways I do because... I would have been
00:18:53.359 --> 00:18:55.500
probably a little bit better than I am now. So
00:18:55.500 --> 00:18:59.240
in that way, I do. I was also deeply unhappy
00:18:59.240 --> 00:19:03.859
around that time. Like, I went crazy, but just
00:19:03.859 --> 00:19:06.900
I was not happy with myself as you can be when
00:19:06.900 --> 00:19:09.880
you're 14. And so I think that would have probably
00:19:09.880 --> 00:19:15.559
helped that sooner. But it was some good character
00:19:15.559 --> 00:19:18.720
building experience. And I think I needed to
00:19:18.720 --> 00:19:22.579
figure out that I liked being. someone who worked
00:19:22.579 --> 00:19:25.019
hard and not just kind of doing the teenage thing
00:19:25.019 --> 00:19:28.119
so I think that was such an important lesson
00:19:28.119 --> 00:19:31.319
that I don't really regret it I mean I guess
00:19:31.319 --> 00:19:35.000
I kind of relate to your point of view because
00:19:35.000 --> 00:19:37.980
well my sister is like eight years older but
00:19:37.980 --> 00:19:41.359
I think yeah especially since she was so much
00:19:41.359 --> 00:19:43.900
older I was always kind of okay with just being
00:19:43.900 --> 00:19:47.599
like the one who's worse at things yeah you get
00:19:47.599 --> 00:19:51.140
like kind of trapped in that yeah but I don't
00:19:51.140 --> 00:19:53.519
think I ever really came out of that, so. I think
00:19:53.519 --> 00:19:55.940
you're doing pretty good. You're doing some successful
00:19:55.940 --> 00:19:58.119
things. Yeah, well, we're doing different things.
00:19:58.240 --> 00:20:01.440
She never climbed. I climb. She does, like, skating
00:20:01.440 --> 00:20:05.059
instead, so it's all fine. But, yeah, I can relate
00:20:05.059 --> 00:20:08.819
to you there. I think the portion of, like, learning
00:20:08.819 --> 00:20:12.079
to try hard is really, well, watching with, like,
00:20:12.119 --> 00:20:14.079
my, what, like, 16 -year -old eyes at the time,
00:20:14.140 --> 00:20:18.509
I saw that portion of her was like. I think every
00:20:18.509 --> 00:20:20.470
like young teenager goes through a phase of being
00:20:20.470 --> 00:20:24.250
like, what am I doing? Like, who do I want to
00:20:24.250 --> 00:20:27.369
be? And maybe just like a little bit of like
00:20:27.369 --> 00:20:30.210
a lost period. I think it was really interesting
00:20:30.210 --> 00:20:33.950
to see that like transition of being like, it
00:20:33.950 --> 00:20:37.690
was, it seemed a lot, but once you started training
00:20:37.690 --> 00:20:40.109
to be like. a whole personality that's like I
00:20:40.109 --> 00:20:41.890
always say like light switch because it's like
00:20:41.890 --> 00:20:44.130
it was like a whole new person of being like
00:20:44.130 --> 00:20:46.769
obviously like a child and like coasting and
00:20:46.769 --> 00:20:49.450
kind of just like ah like doing life to being
00:20:49.450 --> 00:20:52.470
like whoa you are like fully committed to working
00:20:52.470 --> 00:20:56.269
hard in climbing but also just like in everything
00:20:56.269 --> 00:20:59.529
it was like the craziest transition I've ever
00:20:59.529 --> 00:21:03.910
seen of direction really like was um really interesting
00:21:03.910 --> 00:21:06.900
to watch it's nice that you were able to like
00:21:06.900 --> 00:21:09.700
find, I guess, this to bring you out of that
00:21:09.700 --> 00:21:13.559
like funk that you were in. But with both of
00:21:13.559 --> 00:21:16.859
you competing, I guess I'm wondering how often
00:21:16.859 --> 00:21:19.380
nowadays that you're both competing and like
00:21:19.380 --> 00:21:21.579
both trying to like do your best and climb super
00:21:21.579 --> 00:21:24.839
hard. How often do you guys feel jealous or competitive
00:21:24.839 --> 00:21:27.420
against each other during like competitions or
00:21:27.420 --> 00:21:30.180
training? Well, we've gone through phases and
00:21:30.180 --> 00:21:31.779
I think it's something we've had to figure out.
00:21:32.079 --> 00:21:35.410
Like we had, Like, I think especially, well,
00:21:35.569 --> 00:21:38.349
as kind of, this kind of leads into it. Once
00:21:38.349 --> 00:21:40.970
she started training and working really hard,
00:21:41.049 --> 00:21:44.430
she got better, like, so she's, like, naturally
00:21:44.430 --> 00:21:47.230
incredibly athletic. Like, really, like, when
00:21:47.230 --> 00:21:49.029
she works out, she gets really good really fast.
00:21:49.329 --> 00:21:52.890
And I think seeing that, I was like, whoa, this
00:21:52.890 --> 00:21:56.769
is scary because I've always been, like, like,
00:21:56.769 --> 00:22:00.660
uh. better like obviously I'm like older and
00:22:00.660 --> 00:22:02.759
so I was used to being like better than her and
00:22:02.759 --> 00:22:05.319
also being like the one that's working hard and
00:22:05.319 --> 00:22:07.400
so there was like this weird transition period
00:22:07.400 --> 00:22:10.000
of being like oh she's working hard but that's
00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:12.859
like my thing is that I work hard and like I
00:22:12.859 --> 00:22:16.259
was like I think I've always had like a like
00:22:16.259 --> 00:22:19.339
a lot of identity about being like a hard worker
00:22:19.339 --> 00:22:22.539
and especially when I was younger like I was
00:22:22.539 --> 00:22:26.150
really dead set of being like I'm the one I need
00:22:26.150 --> 00:22:28.410
to be the one that's working harder than everyone
00:22:28.410 --> 00:22:30.450
around me. And if someone else is working harder,
00:22:30.549 --> 00:22:34.430
I'm going to work harder than them. And so when
00:22:34.430 --> 00:22:37.529
she started matching me in pace of what we were
00:22:37.529 --> 00:22:40.470
doing, it was really disconcerting for me to
00:22:40.470 --> 00:22:43.069
be like, whoa, she's getting better and she's
00:22:43.069 --> 00:22:45.210
working equally hard to me. How am I going to
00:22:45.210 --> 00:22:50.089
deal with this? And I think it was really hard
00:22:50.089 --> 00:22:52.410
for a while and we butted heads a little bit.
00:22:52.529 --> 00:22:56.759
But I think... It transitioned quickly because
00:22:56.759 --> 00:23:00.839
of, like, our family is, like, very explicit.
00:23:01.019 --> 00:23:02.839
Like, if there's a problem, we're going to talk
00:23:02.839 --> 00:23:05.279
about it. And we talk through everything. Like,
00:23:05.319 --> 00:23:07.799
there's not a lot of, like, privacy in my family.
00:23:07.819 --> 00:23:10.740
Like, it's, like, we're going to talk about whatever's
00:23:10.740 --> 00:23:13.859
happening. And I think it was just, like, a lot
00:23:13.859 --> 00:23:17.619
of conversations of just being, like, I think
00:23:17.619 --> 00:23:22.640
also, and I think maybe sometimes people, like,
00:23:22.640 --> 00:23:25.769
miss this is, like, our prior like at least mine
00:23:25.769 --> 00:23:28.730
she could talk for speak herself but my priority
00:23:28.730 --> 00:23:31.009
will always be like our relationship over any
00:23:31.009 --> 00:23:33.750
climbing like that's just like my life values
00:23:33.750 --> 00:23:38.910
of being like I I I care more about our relationship
00:23:38.910 --> 00:23:41.589
than whatever uh is going to happen in climbing
00:23:41.589 --> 00:23:43.890
and so like it might be hard and I might feel
00:23:43.890 --> 00:23:45.589
competitive but we're going to like work it out
00:23:45.589 --> 00:23:48.650
to in the end to like be able to train together
00:23:48.650 --> 00:23:52.150
I don't know I want to hear yours I honestly
00:23:52.150 --> 00:23:55.589
during that period was pretty oblivious to the
00:23:55.589 --> 00:23:59.410
fact that there could be difficulty with that.
00:23:59.509 --> 00:24:04.089
Like, I was quite, quite oblivious to that. However,
00:24:04.569 --> 00:24:08.769
Nikaya is, like, if you want a sister, Nikaya
00:24:08.769 --> 00:24:13.230
is the ideal, like, sister. She's just... In
00:24:13.230 --> 00:24:18.230
her nature, she just, like, will not do anything
00:24:18.230 --> 00:24:23.059
if it is harmful to me. if it makes me feel bad
00:24:23.059 --> 00:24:26.319
like nikai when we were like 10 we would fight
00:24:26.319 --> 00:24:29.380
and i would go out in the corner and she would
00:24:29.380 --> 00:24:31.599
come over and be like we have to work this out
00:24:31.599 --> 00:24:34.200
we're sisters like we can't fight like this and
00:24:34.200 --> 00:24:35.859
then do you want to pretend to be twins and that
00:24:35.859 --> 00:24:38.480
was it like it was just that's just how nikai
00:24:38.480 --> 00:24:44.740
was so it wasn't ever an option i would say i
00:24:44.740 --> 00:24:49.329
think later in like our climbing yes journey,
00:24:49.390 --> 00:24:51.869
you could say. I started struggling, like, when
00:24:51.869 --> 00:24:54.269
I started keeping up with her is when I started
00:24:54.269 --> 00:24:58.490
struggling with it more on my end of being competitive
00:24:58.490 --> 00:25:01.329
and being, like, annoyed that she was beating
00:25:01.329 --> 00:25:04.750
me. Then I think I had a tiny bit of a rough
00:25:04.750 --> 00:25:08.890
patch of being, like, kind of, I don't even want
00:25:08.890 --> 00:25:11.730
to say, like, it would, it wouldn't, it would,
00:25:11.750 --> 00:25:13.509
as soon as we walked out of the gym, it was gone.
00:25:14.410 --> 00:25:16.549
That being in the gym and feeling that pressure
00:25:16.549 --> 00:25:21.019
to, like, constantly like succeed or fail like
00:25:21.019 --> 00:25:24.579
every day in the gym that kind of got with me
00:25:24.579 --> 00:25:28.380
and then we went into team trials and nikai had
00:25:28.380 --> 00:25:32.359
a horrible back injury prior to that she had
00:25:32.359 --> 00:25:35.180
just started climbing and she did the best she'd
00:25:35.180 --> 00:25:38.539
ever done in a call at team trials i should say
00:25:38.539 --> 00:25:41.200
so she'd like development team and stuff and
00:25:41.200 --> 00:25:44.319
it was really and it still is it's very hard
00:25:44.859 --> 00:25:47.539
sit and watch in like a comp that you competed
00:25:47.539 --> 00:25:50.140
in and then watching the finals and being like
00:25:50.140 --> 00:25:51.740
well I could have been there but I'm watching
00:25:51.740 --> 00:25:55.579
her but I also realized at that comp I was like
00:25:55.579 --> 00:25:59.500
this is so dumb that I'm feeling competitive
00:25:59.500 --> 00:26:03.319
against her because if I'm not having it even
00:26:03.319 --> 00:26:06.539
if I do have it like the the reward not it but
00:26:06.539 --> 00:26:09.539
the reward of like placing all the competition
00:26:09.539 --> 00:26:14.460
I would so much rather Nikaya have that Because
00:26:14.460 --> 00:26:17.440
I know how hard she works. I know she's very
00:26:17.440 --> 00:26:20.200
talented. And obviously I love her. So I'm like,
00:26:20.240 --> 00:26:24.339
I so want her to succeed or do better even than
00:26:24.339 --> 00:26:27.619
me. And I've took that all the way because it.
00:26:28.859 --> 00:26:31.680
I think, I think like generally, like I've, I've
00:26:31.680 --> 00:26:33.519
talked to people about just like their training
00:26:33.519 --> 00:26:36.299
partners or like other siblings, like the competitive
00:26:36.299 --> 00:26:39.200
aspect. And I feel like there's like, it's always
00:26:39.200 --> 00:26:41.819
going to be there because of if you're ever like.
00:26:42.460 --> 00:26:45.160
Like we train like every session together. And
00:26:45.160 --> 00:26:47.599
so like if you're ever compared to someone that
00:26:47.599 --> 00:26:49.859
consistently, even if it's like yourself comparing
00:26:49.859 --> 00:26:53.359
yourself, you're going to feel competitive. I
00:26:53.359 --> 00:26:56.339
think that's an incredibly positive thing because
00:26:56.339 --> 00:26:59.680
you're like that friction is like like I know
00:26:59.680 --> 00:27:02.480
I try harder when I'm like when she's beating
00:27:02.480 --> 00:27:06.619
me. And it's just getting away from the the like
00:27:06.619 --> 00:27:09.480
personal value or like negative competitiveness.
00:27:10.079 --> 00:27:12.200
That comes with it. And I feel like Soraya has
00:27:12.200 --> 00:27:14.720
proven to me that she's really strong and she
00:27:14.720 --> 00:27:17.960
works really hard and she deserves it. And so
00:27:17.960 --> 00:27:20.619
like when you can get past that and be like,
00:27:20.680 --> 00:27:24.240
oh no, she can beat me and that's fine. I think
00:27:24.240 --> 00:27:27.339
it becomes way better because like instead of
00:27:27.339 --> 00:27:30.400
being like one -on -one rivalry, it's like if
00:27:30.400 --> 00:27:32.460
she beats me, like great. Like obviously I want
00:27:32.460 --> 00:27:36.980
to win every competition. But if I want anyone
00:27:36.980 --> 00:27:40.000
to win, I want her to win. I think that makes
00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:44.700
everything way easier. I think also, like, other
00:27:44.700 --> 00:27:48.700
people, when they talk to you, they, like, want
00:27:48.700 --> 00:27:51.180
there to be this, like, kind of nasty rivalry,
00:27:51.259 --> 00:27:54.559
like, in the relationship. Like, the things that
00:27:54.559 --> 00:27:57.279
people will say to you, like, after Nakia's done
00:27:57.279 --> 00:27:59.140
really good in a comp and I've done really terribly.
00:27:59.759 --> 00:28:01.579
They're like, oh, are you just so mad that she
00:28:01.579 --> 00:28:04.440
beat you? Whoa. You'll say like, oh, I could
00:28:04.440 --> 00:28:07.819
go on and on and on about like the things that
00:28:07.819 --> 00:28:09.460
people just walk over. You're like, I don't even
00:28:09.460 --> 00:28:11.720
know who you are. And you just were like, yeah,
00:28:11.779 --> 00:28:13.500
you must be devastated that your sister beat
00:28:13.500 --> 00:28:17.119
you. She's like, okay. So I think that is like
00:28:17.119 --> 00:28:21.859
kind of sparks that negative competition. But
00:28:21.859 --> 00:28:23.960
as soon as you realize that, oh, wait, this doesn't
00:28:23.960 --> 00:28:26.940
even have to be. something we think about like
00:28:26.940 --> 00:28:28.640
this isn't we don't need this in our relationship
00:28:28.640 --> 00:28:32.519
this isn't like a valid feeling then it's kind
00:28:32.519 --> 00:28:35.160
of easy to just toss that away and so I guess
00:28:35.160 --> 00:28:38.019
you clearly don't have that feeling of like I'm
00:28:38.019 --> 00:28:42.339
just the worst one anymore no no also it helps
00:28:42.339 --> 00:28:44.680
in training is that she beats me all the time
00:28:44.680 --> 00:28:48.940
oh no I think that went away as soon as I found
00:28:48.940 --> 00:28:52.359
an identity outside of being the youngest that
00:28:52.359 --> 00:28:54.839
is like yapping at everyone's tails trying to
00:28:54.839 --> 00:28:59.920
keep up. I think that is a foreplay. When you
00:28:59.920 --> 00:29:02.039
find an identity outside of that, of being like,
00:29:02.160 --> 00:29:05.579
oh, I'm not good. I'm a hard worker. And that's
00:29:05.579 --> 00:29:07.900
the identity, then that kind of goes away. Also,
00:29:07.960 --> 00:29:10.480
when you're not 14, that tends to help. I think
00:29:10.480 --> 00:29:15.799
also, like, being two people, like, every competition
00:29:15.799 --> 00:29:17.619
you go to, there's going to be, like, 50 people.
00:29:18.299 --> 00:29:21.279
And, like, we're just two people there. And,
00:29:21.279 --> 00:29:24.480
like... I think that is like a really important
00:29:24.480 --> 00:29:26.500
to remember instead of being like, like even
00:29:26.500 --> 00:29:29.119
just with competitiveness with people, like other
00:29:29.119 --> 00:29:31.759
people, like not with us. Like I find it like
00:29:31.759 --> 00:29:33.960
sometimes people will get like hyper fixated
00:29:33.960 --> 00:29:36.000
on like, oh, I need to beat that one person or
00:29:36.000 --> 00:29:37.819
that. I can't believe that person beat me. And
00:29:37.819 --> 00:29:40.279
it's like, well, we're just 50 people in a competition.
00:29:40.779 --> 00:29:43.299
However, it ranks, it ranks. I think that's like
00:29:43.299 --> 00:29:46.720
at least helpful to me to be like, not like,
00:29:46.720 --> 00:29:52.920
I think it gets so tied up in like worth. Like,
00:29:52.920 --> 00:29:55.680
yeah. Who's the better one or who's this? People
00:29:55.680 --> 00:29:57.440
ask that all the time, which is hilarious to
00:29:57.440 --> 00:30:00.500
me. Oh, yeah. So weird. Of, like, who's the better?
00:30:00.740 --> 00:30:03.220
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, especially, like, people,
00:30:03.319 --> 00:30:05.799
like, you, like, meet new people and be like,
00:30:05.859 --> 00:30:07.960
oh, we climb. And they'll be like, oh, like,
00:30:07.980 --> 00:30:12.960
who's better? We've been friends for, like, we've
00:30:12.960 --> 00:30:15.460
known for years that are great people. And they'll,
00:30:15.460 --> 00:30:18.180
like, try to compliment me and be like, well,
00:30:18.200 --> 00:30:20.119
you're so much better than Nekaya. I'm like.
00:30:20.559 --> 00:30:25.000
I don't want that. No, it's just weird. What
00:30:25.000 --> 00:30:29.380
is your answer when they ask? Well, she's good
00:30:29.380 --> 00:30:33.880
at this, I'm good at that. Probably not smooth.
00:30:34.880 --> 00:30:37.059
Okay, we'll get into like strengths and weaknesses
00:30:37.059 --> 00:30:40.279
in a bit. Yeah, so getting into, I guess, like
00:30:40.279 --> 00:30:42.839
elite competition, World Cup circuit, stuff like
00:30:42.839 --> 00:30:45.640
that. I guess, first of all, you mentioned that
00:30:46.759 --> 00:30:49.279
at that national team trials where you got into
00:30:49.279 --> 00:30:53.299
the national development team can you just kind
00:30:53.299 --> 00:30:55.940
of explain how getting onto the U .S. team works
00:30:55.940 --> 00:30:59.160
and how selection works and like what the national
00:30:59.160 --> 00:31:01.640
development team is versus like the actual national
00:31:01.640 --> 00:31:07.180
team yeah it's all kind of confusing so the selection
00:31:07.180 --> 00:31:10.220
process it's always kind of changes a bit but
00:31:10.220 --> 00:31:12.940
for the past few years it's been you could be
00:31:12.940 --> 00:31:17.259
pre -selected by being on in the top 10 of the
00:31:17.259 --> 00:31:22.420
world ranking from the World Cups. And so the
00:31:22.420 --> 00:31:24.640
past few years, that's been Brooke, Natalia,
00:31:24.799 --> 00:31:29.359
and Annie. And then that has left around three
00:31:29.359 --> 00:31:33.980
spots for... We count five people into team.
00:31:34.359 --> 00:31:37.119
Yeah, five people into team. And so that's three
00:31:37.119 --> 00:31:40.059
spots of the team go to them normally. And so
00:31:40.059 --> 00:31:44.410
there's two spots to qualify for US team. And
00:31:44.410 --> 00:31:48.990
those are selected through, I think it's 40 %
00:31:48.990 --> 00:31:55.029
nationals or national championships and 60 %
00:31:55.029 --> 00:31:59.150
team trials. And those points get combined into
00:31:59.150 --> 00:32:03.490
a ranking of everyone. And so to make national
00:32:03.490 --> 00:32:05.730
team your top five and to make development team
00:32:05.730 --> 00:32:10.529
your top like, I think it's 14 including. Yeah,
00:32:10.549 --> 00:32:15.960
14 or something like this. And yeah, so that's
00:32:15.960 --> 00:32:19.200
like the qualifying series. And it's, I think
00:32:19.200 --> 00:32:22.859
the process of like getting into that was really
00:32:22.859 --> 00:32:25.880
hard for me. Like it took me a lot of years to
00:32:25.880 --> 00:32:29.039
kind of break through. Hopefully I've broken
00:32:29.039 --> 00:32:33.140
through now. I can say that'd be awesome. You
00:32:33.140 --> 00:32:35.460
don't know for sure yet? No, I have to qualify
00:32:35.460 --> 00:32:38.640
again for World Cup. Yeah. We'll see what happens.
00:32:38.940 --> 00:32:42.240
Good luck there. Yeah. But I think that's also
00:32:42.240 --> 00:32:45.339
like a part of like, the last few years of like
00:32:45.339 --> 00:32:48.640
our like um competitive dynamic has been interesting
00:32:48.640 --> 00:32:51.440
because of like both being kind of on the cusp
00:32:51.440 --> 00:32:53.400
of being on development team and trying to figure
00:32:53.400 --> 00:32:58.079
it out and um like this last year or two like
00:32:58.079 --> 00:33:01.180
I was kind of just being in and then uh sometimes
00:33:01.180 --> 00:33:03.200
and then her just being out like one spot out
00:33:03.200 --> 00:33:07.660
I think that's been like um something to like
00:33:07.660 --> 00:33:10.920
we've had conversations about and so even though
00:33:10.920 --> 00:33:15.730
you um like competed all season this year unless
00:33:15.730 --> 00:33:17.710
you're in the top 10 of the world ranking you
00:33:17.710 --> 00:33:20.809
have to like re -qualify for the team yeah you
00:33:20.809 --> 00:33:23.609
get like bonus points if you're in the top 40
00:33:23.609 --> 00:33:29.730
of the continue like the world ranking um but
00:33:29.730 --> 00:33:31.650
you still have to like go back and qualify which
00:33:31.650 --> 00:33:35.509
that could change depending on like how selection
00:33:35.509 --> 00:33:39.559
they decide to select this next year but um For
00:33:39.559 --> 00:33:41.599
now, that's, yeah, like the past few years, that's
00:33:41.599 --> 00:33:44.700
how it's been. Good to know. Thanks for the explanation.
00:33:45.720 --> 00:33:48.539
And then real quick, just reflecting on your
00:33:48.539 --> 00:33:52.380
time in Curitiba, Brazil, of course. Great comp
00:33:52.380 --> 00:33:56.329
there. Why do you think that? comp went specifically
00:33:56.329 --> 00:33:59.670
so well for you please excuse this brief intermission
00:33:59.670 --> 00:34:01.950
but if you're interested in deleted scenes from
00:34:01.950 --> 00:34:03.809
this episode where we talk about how they've
00:34:03.809 --> 00:34:06.710
went through 27 coaches and we discussed dealing
00:34:06.710 --> 00:34:09.250
with failure at a high level do consider helping
00:34:09.250 --> 00:34:12.150
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include a membership pin shipped to you after
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00:34:16.730 --> 00:34:19.190
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come The proceeds go back into the podcast to
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help me break even, and they help me improve
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help out non -monetarily, liking, commenting,
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and sharing helps a great deal as well. Back
00:34:31.579 --> 00:34:34.079
to the show. Why do you think that comp went
00:34:34.079 --> 00:34:37.940
specifically so well for you? Whoa, okay. Interesting.
00:34:38.119 --> 00:34:44.679
I haven't talked about that one. I think... Well,
00:34:44.760 --> 00:34:48.500
so, I feel like the whole circuit has been like...
00:34:48.780 --> 00:34:52.599
really a lot of learning for me and specifically
00:34:52.599 --> 00:34:55.300
like i went into china right before world cup
00:34:55.300 --> 00:35:03.500
brazil and um i was like feeling super i didn't
00:35:03.500 --> 00:35:05.619
feel like i belonged there like i had all of
00:35:05.619 --> 00:35:08.739
this like uh like chatter in my head of being
00:35:08.739 --> 00:35:11.539
like oh it's not like i'm bringing down the level
00:35:11.539 --> 00:35:14.340
of the world cups i'm i i'm not supposed to be
00:35:14.340 --> 00:35:17.400
here not ready i'm like whatever the thoughts
00:35:17.400 --> 00:35:21.809
were And I was ended up being one spot out of
00:35:21.809 --> 00:35:25.849
semis, which kind of just like opened my mind
00:35:25.849 --> 00:35:28.809
up to being like, whoa, I can I'm supposed to
00:35:28.809 --> 00:35:31.309
be here. I'm good enough. And also just like,
00:35:31.369 --> 00:35:33.510
what does it mean to be supposed to be somewhere?
00:35:33.710 --> 00:35:37.650
But I think that really like opened my mind up
00:35:37.650 --> 00:35:39.789
to like the possibility of being like I could
00:35:39.789 --> 00:35:43.650
do well. And I had a like a really long conversation
00:35:43.650 --> 00:35:49.449
with my coach after. China being like what what
00:35:49.449 --> 00:35:53.969
how like I was so scared of like admitting like
00:35:53.969 --> 00:35:57.710
what I wanted kind of being like what is my potential
00:35:57.710 --> 00:36:02.409
to do like like the idea of ever like say even
00:36:02.409 --> 00:36:04.650
in the conversation I think I was like so scared
00:36:04.650 --> 00:36:06.909
to say like I want to make a final because it's
00:36:06.909 --> 00:36:10.469
like that's sounds so presumptuous or like like
00:36:10.469 --> 00:36:16.719
uh yeah like yeah yeah like Yeah, like I think
00:36:16.719 --> 00:36:20.280
that I'm capable of that. And so I think that
00:36:20.280 --> 00:36:24.099
was like all those kind of thoughts and conversations
00:36:24.099 --> 00:36:26.880
like was really helpful to me, like opening my
00:36:26.880 --> 00:36:29.260
mind up to being like, it's a possibility to
00:36:29.260 --> 00:36:32.719
make a semis or make a final. And going into
00:36:32.719 --> 00:36:36.000
Brazil, like I think that freaked me out a bit.
00:36:36.699 --> 00:36:39.739
But it was also like just like opening up those
00:36:39.739 --> 00:36:45.739
like thoughts, I think. And then. I had, like,
00:36:45.800 --> 00:36:49.659
the most terrible warm -up from... Actually,
00:36:49.699 --> 00:36:52.139
no, it wasn't semis. It was... Qualifiers had
00:36:52.139 --> 00:36:53.860
a fine warm -up. I made semis. I was, like, so
00:36:53.860 --> 00:36:56.400
excited. It was, like, my first ever semis. I
00:36:56.400 --> 00:37:00.480
cried. I was so excited. And then I had a terrible
00:37:00.480 --> 00:37:02.719
warm -up in semis where I was, like... I, like,
00:37:03.119 --> 00:37:05.219
injured my forearm a little bit. Like, nothing,
00:37:05.280 --> 00:37:07.559
like, real, but just, like, it was super painful.
00:37:07.960 --> 00:37:10.059
The night before, my coach had texted me, like,
00:37:10.079 --> 00:37:13.409
saying, like, oh, like... we were talking about
00:37:13.409 --> 00:37:15.070
finals or something and being like i was just
00:37:15.070 --> 00:37:17.289
like leave the possibility open for yourself
00:37:17.289 --> 00:37:20.670
of making finals and i think it was like just
00:37:20.670 --> 00:37:22.550
like the best reminder of being like okay like
00:37:22.550 --> 00:37:26.690
i need to like have the belief even if i don't
00:37:26.690 --> 00:37:29.809
think i am going to like i need to believe i
00:37:29.809 --> 00:37:34.570
can um and i think it was like the best like
00:37:34.570 --> 00:37:38.230
thought to like lead into uh semis of being like
00:37:38.639 --> 00:37:41.139
I can do this. I don't need to do this. I, maybe
00:37:41.139 --> 00:37:44.000
I won't happen now, but it's a possibility. Um,
00:37:44.260 --> 00:37:47.780
and then I think after like, I, I really like
00:37:47.780 --> 00:37:51.980
slabs and the first climb was a slab. Uh, and,
00:37:52.039 --> 00:37:55.360
um, I felt like I, that's like my little bubble
00:37:55.360 --> 00:37:57.059
is like, I feel like I could be confident on
00:37:57.059 --> 00:38:00.679
slabs. Um, and then after like doing this lab,
00:38:00.739 --> 00:38:04.179
I was like, okay, I could like let go of everything
00:38:04.179 --> 00:38:07.760
and like, yeah, just climb. and yeah making finals
00:38:07.760 --> 00:38:13.539
obviously was like insane yeah a while but uh
00:38:13.539 --> 00:38:16.400
yeah i think that's all like a very roundabout
00:38:16.400 --> 00:38:18.079
way of saying like i think the whole experience
00:38:18.079 --> 00:38:23.380
was like crazy to have that like moment in china
00:38:23.380 --> 00:38:25.719
thing like i could do something like i'm really
00:38:25.719 --> 00:38:27.719
far away from it but like maybe in the long term
00:38:27.719 --> 00:38:31.889
like i could be i could be good at this um And
00:38:31.889 --> 00:38:33.929
then have it, like, so kind of, like, immediately,
00:38:34.090 --> 00:38:37.510
like, validated or affirmed was really, like,
00:38:37.570 --> 00:38:40.110
a cool, obviously cool experience. But, like,
00:38:40.150 --> 00:38:44.610
yeah, meaningful. Yeah, I'm kind of surprised.
00:38:45.269 --> 00:38:48.530
Because usually when people, like, make a finals
00:38:48.530 --> 00:38:51.329
for their first time, a lot of the things I hear
00:38:51.329 --> 00:38:54.849
is just, like, they, like, something bad happened.
00:38:54.929 --> 00:38:56.769
And then they, like, go of all expectations.
00:38:57.110 --> 00:38:59.780
And they, like. just weren't thinking about it
00:38:59.780 --> 00:39:02.159
at all but you still had it in mind when you
00:39:02.159 --> 00:39:04.880
were in semis maybe not in mind like I don't
00:39:04.880 --> 00:39:09.440
think I was well I think if I'm being like super
00:39:09.440 --> 00:39:12.260
honest I think after doing this lab I was like
00:39:12.260 --> 00:39:16.679
like I I my personality is like I like to like
00:39:16.679 --> 00:39:19.760
oh like uh like daydream of being like oh like
00:39:19.760 --> 00:39:22.380
uh try to predict what's happening in the future
00:39:22.380 --> 00:39:25.920
like it can be a problem but like I like to like
00:39:25.920 --> 00:39:27.760
plan ahead of like, oh, what is that going to
00:39:27.760 --> 00:39:29.460
be like? What is this going to be like? I think
00:39:29.460 --> 00:39:31.000
I had moments of being like, oh, that would be
00:39:31.000 --> 00:39:34.260
so cool. No part of me believed it was going
00:39:34.260 --> 00:39:36.460
to like happen really. Like I didn't think it
00:39:36.460 --> 00:39:38.760
was reality, but more just being like letting
00:39:38.760 --> 00:39:42.840
myself imagine making a final. Like what would
00:39:42.840 --> 00:39:44.599
that be like? Because I wasn't letting myself
00:39:44.599 --> 00:39:47.099
think that at all before. Like at all at all.
00:39:48.460 --> 00:39:51.039
And I think I definitely during like the semis
00:39:51.039 --> 00:39:53.230
was not like. oh, I need to do this climb to
00:39:53.230 --> 00:39:54.570
make a final. I was like, I didn't think that
00:39:54.570 --> 00:39:58.710
was going to happen. And even like after climbing,
00:39:58.829 --> 00:40:01.250
I was like watching the results. I was like shocked
00:40:01.250 --> 00:40:05.250
at the results to not think I was going to place
00:40:05.250 --> 00:40:08.190
like that. Then, yeah, even like I was like really
00:40:08.190 --> 00:40:11.489
on the bubble for a while and I was like, yeah,
00:40:11.590 --> 00:40:14.969
I was not expecting it to happen. So, yeah, definitely
00:40:14.969 --> 00:40:18.849
like no expectation of making a final or not
00:40:18.849 --> 00:40:21.760
even like. like I think it was more more just
00:40:21.760 --> 00:40:24.019
like the opening of that as a possibility in
00:40:24.019 --> 00:40:28.739
the future at some point not maybe it's more
00:40:28.739 --> 00:40:30.840
just not telling myself I couldn't do it okay
00:40:30.840 --> 00:40:33.519
I get that and then how did finals feel oh my
00:40:33.519 --> 00:40:37.920
god like dream uh I love being in front of crowds
00:40:37.920 --> 00:40:40.800
like I was like I really really like being in
00:40:40.800 --> 00:40:42.480
front of crowd and that was like the most fun
00:40:42.480 --> 00:40:46.699
crowd and just like a whole I'm like I've been
00:40:46.699 --> 00:40:48.500
obsessed with the world cups like since I was
00:40:48.500 --> 00:40:51.670
like knew what a world cup was like like right
00:40:51.670 --> 00:40:54.570
around like my first youth worlds I was like
00:40:54.570 --> 00:40:56.809
oh my god world cups I never knew about this
00:40:56.809 --> 00:41:00.289
and just like have obsessed on them and so being
00:41:00.289 --> 00:41:04.690
in a final was just like yeah amazing like the
00:41:04.690 --> 00:41:07.190
all the best possible in the kind of scenario
00:41:07.190 --> 00:41:10.469
you could ever imagine a crowd and fun climbs
00:41:10.469 --> 00:41:13.829
and swinging around and like zero expectations
00:41:13.829 --> 00:41:17.679
it was pretty amazing Okay, so now going a bit
00:41:17.679 --> 00:41:20.039
into your strengths and weaknesses. I remember
00:41:20.039 --> 00:41:24.800
during that finals live stream, I think either
00:41:24.800 --> 00:41:28.539
the co -commentator or maybe Matt said that one
00:41:28.539 --> 00:41:34.000
of your weaknesses is strength, I guess, if that
00:41:34.000 --> 00:41:38.539
makes any sense. So yeah, what does that mean
00:41:38.539 --> 00:41:41.320
to you? And then Sovarae, we'll get into your
00:41:41.320 --> 00:41:44.199
strengths and weaknesses as well. I think Brazil
00:41:44.199 --> 00:41:47.480
probably was just second. a great example of
00:41:47.480 --> 00:41:51.760
like I my strength is definitely like slabs and
00:41:51.760 --> 00:41:55.119
just like general technical stuff like I feel
00:41:55.119 --> 00:41:58.019
like I'm pretty decent on like technical coordination
00:41:58.019 --> 00:42:02.280
sometimes I struggle with like power like upper
00:42:02.280 --> 00:42:05.760
body power but mostly just like hard climbing
00:42:05.760 --> 00:42:07.900
it's really hard for me like just like pulling
00:42:07.900 --> 00:42:11.840
like I think after the whole world cup circuit
00:42:11.840 --> 00:42:14.699
it was like it's been years of like having this
00:42:15.190 --> 00:42:17.449
kind of weakest being like okay this is I need
00:42:17.449 --> 00:42:20.730
to work on at every comp but especially through
00:42:20.730 --> 00:42:23.750
the world cup circuit I was like okay every comp
00:42:23.750 --> 00:42:25.929
was like I could do all the sloths I could do
00:42:25.929 --> 00:42:28.429
all the like technical stuff I just need to be
00:42:28.429 --> 00:42:32.250
able to pull so I've been working on that she
00:42:32.250 --> 00:42:36.849
actually was mid finals at and my brother was
00:42:36.849 --> 00:42:40.929
sent into our family group chat like little gifs
00:42:40.929 --> 00:42:44.269
of, like, weak little emoji and then a strong
00:42:44.269 --> 00:42:47.090
emoji and being like, this is Nikaya, like, this
00:42:47.090 --> 00:42:48.670
is what's going to happen. Like, she says, get
00:42:48.670 --> 00:42:50.869
on the kilter board. And that was always what
00:42:50.869 --> 00:42:54.170
he said. Good job. Nothing. It's just, she needs
00:42:54.170 --> 00:42:57.550
to get on the kilter board. And surprise, she's
00:42:57.550 --> 00:42:59.849
been doing a lot of board climbing. Do you feel
00:42:59.849 --> 00:43:02.329
like you've gotten stronger since then? Yeah,
00:43:02.369 --> 00:43:05.869
I try to. No, I feel like I've definitely gained
00:43:05.869 --> 00:43:10.809
a lot this year physically. It's just slow. I
00:43:10.809 --> 00:43:14.090
think strength for me is just like, I have to
00:43:14.090 --> 00:43:16.269
put the work in and it will slowly keep going.
00:43:17.030 --> 00:43:22.369
Also, I think both of us, because we've always
00:43:22.369 --> 00:43:27.030
just trained a ton of volume and skills, it's
00:43:27.030 --> 00:43:30.309
been an interesting transition. She's supernaturally
00:43:30.309 --> 00:43:35.150
strong, but for me, transitioning into more intense
00:43:35.150 --> 00:43:39.480
strength training has been like... a fun challenge
00:43:39.480 --> 00:43:42.119
of doing something differently and training a
00:43:42.119 --> 00:43:44.420
bit. And what about you? I actually don't know
00:43:44.420 --> 00:43:47.179
what my strengths are. I can hang. Oh, my God.
00:43:49.340 --> 00:43:52.800
Sovarae has the strongest fingers ever. Like,
00:43:52.800 --> 00:43:56.920
just can pull anything. Like, if you get her,
00:43:56.980 --> 00:43:59.760
like, yeah, she can bangle. I've already made
00:43:59.760 --> 00:44:03.760
a little bit of dangling. I have. a really hard
00:44:03.760 --> 00:44:07.099
time with the mental aspect so far I would say
00:44:07.099 --> 00:44:09.400
obviously I've got weaknesses in climbing still
00:44:09.400 --> 00:44:11.699
like I think I need a lot of power and stuff
00:44:11.699 --> 00:44:16.119
um but my mental is definitely a massive weakness
00:44:16.119 --> 00:44:19.780
for me and I think it's a common thing if you
00:44:19.780 --> 00:44:22.599
watch me climb I've had many people come over
00:44:22.599 --> 00:44:23.920
in the crowd and be like, yeah, you're really
00:44:23.920 --> 00:44:27.139
good. You're just mentally just bad. How could
00:44:27.139 --> 00:44:29.679
they tell? Like, what is the sign? It's pretty
00:44:29.679 --> 00:44:31.599
obvious when you watch me climb, to be entirely
00:44:31.599 --> 00:44:34.599
honest. Like certain scenarios where I really
00:44:34.599 --> 00:44:39.780
melt. Yeah, I just like shake. And yeah, I have.
00:44:40.090 --> 00:44:42.510
many photos of me looking like I'm about to start
00:44:42.510 --> 00:44:45.510
sobbing in the middle of the round and I am because
00:44:45.510 --> 00:44:48.829
I'm just mentally melting. I think from an outside
00:44:48.829 --> 00:44:51.150
perspective like I went through a similar phase
00:44:51.150 --> 00:44:55.269
when I was like probably around her age of like
00:44:55.269 --> 00:45:00.530
I think like her climbing level is so high but
00:45:00.530 --> 00:45:05.570
she's like still gaining experience and like
00:45:05.570 --> 00:45:07.730
figuring out her brain like she's like 19 just
00:45:07.730 --> 00:45:10.420
turned 19. And I think that there's, like, this
00:45:10.420 --> 00:45:14.719
little, like, period of, like, training. And
00:45:14.719 --> 00:45:16.099
I feel like I've seen that in a lot of different
00:45:16.099 --> 00:45:18.099
people, and I experienced it, where it's just
00:45:18.099 --> 00:45:20.639
learning how to deal with your brain and gaining
00:45:20.639 --> 00:45:23.119
comp experience to be able to, like, figure it
00:45:23.119 --> 00:45:25.599
out and gain those skills. Have you ever, like,
00:45:25.679 --> 00:45:29.300
tried anything to fix the mental game or, like,
00:45:29.300 --> 00:45:31.440
has anything worked for you or not worked for
00:45:31.440 --> 00:45:35.900
you? I've tried a lot. I'm definitely, I've struggled.
00:45:36.650 --> 00:45:39.809
The mental is such a hard thing to work on, at
00:45:39.809 --> 00:45:42.809
least for me. It's been, like, such a confusing
00:45:42.809 --> 00:45:46.110
and, like, overwhelming thing to try to figure
00:45:46.110 --> 00:45:49.230
out how to learn how to, like, get over. Like,
00:45:49.230 --> 00:45:50.969
I feel like for strength, this is very clear.
00:45:51.050 --> 00:45:53.469
You go lift weights or you go kilter fort and
00:45:53.469 --> 00:45:57.309
that's about it. But for the mental, what really
00:45:57.309 --> 00:46:00.110
is causing me to freak out and melt? Oh, I don't
00:46:00.110 --> 00:46:03.250
know. It could be one of eight things. And so
00:46:03.250 --> 00:46:07.630
I've read a bunch of books. been doing my little
00:46:07.630 --> 00:46:10.570
meditating and stuff I guess like I've been trying
00:46:10.570 --> 00:46:13.809
to you've been set up a lot too like I think
00:46:13.809 --> 00:46:15.130
sometimes like when you're in the thick of it
00:46:15.130 --> 00:46:17.530
it's hard to see like the progress but like it
00:46:17.530 --> 00:46:19.730
feels like you're never gonna get better like
00:46:19.730 --> 00:46:21.449
actually it feels like not to be dramatic but
00:46:21.449 --> 00:46:24.409
yeah it feels horrible and like honestly horrible
00:46:24.409 --> 00:46:27.369
um I feel like I've seen the little the steps
00:46:27.369 --> 00:46:33.309
of like like um more like gaining tools to deal
00:46:33.309 --> 00:46:36.800
with different like pressures and like being
00:46:36.800 --> 00:46:39.980
able to be under pressure and perform um and
00:46:39.980 --> 00:46:43.239
also just like like learning what you think about
00:46:43.239 --> 00:46:44.920
your climbing and how do you want to be a climber
00:46:44.920 --> 00:46:46.559
how do you want to perform like what do you want
00:46:46.559 --> 00:46:48.579
to be like in front of a crowd like i feel like
00:46:48.579 --> 00:46:51.159
i've seen those things like really consistently
00:46:51.159 --> 00:46:54.000
progress over the last few years and you do a
00:46:54.000 --> 00:46:58.019
lot of work of like um like the in the session
00:46:58.019 --> 00:47:00.539
work yeah i think that's the biggest of where
00:47:00.539 --> 00:47:03.269
it comes and i'm not allowed to do this That's
00:47:03.269 --> 00:47:05.449
not a behavior I'm allowed to do. I'm not allowed
00:47:05.449 --> 00:47:07.650
to be that. I'm banned from crying in the gym.
00:47:08.030 --> 00:47:12.969
Okay. That's not true. I ban myself. You're a
00:47:12.969 --> 00:47:15.789
big, like, gym crier? Well, yeah. Oh, I used
00:47:15.789 --> 00:47:19.650
to. We all are. Okay. But it's hard not to. When
00:47:19.650 --> 00:47:21.289
you're spending, first off, when you're spending
00:47:21.289 --> 00:47:23.489
so much time in the gym, it's hard to realize
00:47:23.489 --> 00:47:25.550
that this is not your living room. Like, you
00:47:25.550 --> 00:47:28.800
can't go. like way in the middle of space so
00:47:28.800 --> 00:47:30.780
you honestly you think it's funny but you totally
00:47:30.780 --> 00:47:33.119
forget these things like you'll just see my mom
00:47:33.119 --> 00:47:34.940
will just like she spends so much time in the
00:47:34.940 --> 00:47:36.719
gym she forgets too so she'll be laying in the
00:47:36.719 --> 00:47:39.039
middle of the pads and you're like mom like get
00:47:39.039 --> 00:47:47.280
up that is I think helps um to set some standards
00:47:47.280 --> 00:47:53.599
I think figuring out like just how I can be comfortable
00:47:53.599 --> 00:47:57.159
under pressure and like in front of people and
00:47:57.159 --> 00:48:00.300
on display is something that i think i've been
00:48:00.300 --> 00:48:03.619
working on and i think is helping oh like in
00:48:03.619 --> 00:48:05.559
front of a camera i hate being in front of a
00:48:05.559 --> 00:48:08.400
camera oftentimes like i don't i don't like that
00:48:08.400 --> 00:48:13.059
feeling like having pressure on me i guess so
00:48:13.059 --> 00:48:16.760
i think trying to develop that like being okay
00:48:16.760 --> 00:48:20.840
with that i think has helped also having an image
00:48:20.840 --> 00:48:26.309
of how like positive mental space can feel like
00:48:26.309 --> 00:48:30.309
are in such a space of a space or like a run
00:48:30.309 --> 00:48:33.909
of so many bad mental calms you honestly just
00:48:33.909 --> 00:48:37.389
forget that that's a like a possibility where
00:48:37.389 --> 00:48:41.369
like i forgot like i was like oh no i just feel
00:48:41.369 --> 00:48:43.650
like i'm gonna cry through climbing like driving
00:48:43.650 --> 00:48:47.829
around that is just how i am and then you just
00:48:47.829 --> 00:48:49.530
taste that back and you can kind of understand
00:48:49.530 --> 00:48:53.079
like okay i don't need to feel like My entire
00:48:53.079 --> 00:48:55.019
life is going to end as soon as I step on this
00:48:55.019 --> 00:48:59.360
fence. Yeah. Honestly, it seems so dramatic and,
00:48:59.360 --> 00:49:03.380
like, over -talked. But when you're in it, it
00:49:03.380 --> 00:49:06.380
feels so like your life is about to end as soon
00:49:06.380 --> 00:49:09.940
as you step on this fence. So, like, crowd, not
00:49:09.940 --> 00:49:13.960
good for you. The funny bit is I used to, like,
00:49:14.039 --> 00:49:17.079
way outperform myself in comps. And I loved being
00:49:17.079 --> 00:49:19.159
in front of the crowd. And I still do. Like,
00:49:19.219 --> 00:49:20.980
I think I'm not super, like, stage fright or
00:49:20.980 --> 00:49:25.139
anything. But seeing that, like, pressure, it
00:49:25.139 --> 00:49:28.239
just made me melt for a really long time and
00:49:28.239 --> 00:49:31.280
still does. I don't think it makes you melt.
00:49:31.360 --> 00:49:33.840
You're just figuring it out until you're in the
00:49:33.840 --> 00:49:36.340
process. Okay. So, Nikaya, you said that you're
00:49:36.340 --> 00:49:40.500
majoring in sports psychology. I guess, based
00:49:40.500 --> 00:49:43.659
on what you've seen, like, what is your advice
00:49:43.659 --> 00:49:47.260
to her? I feel like most of my advice comes from
00:49:47.260 --> 00:49:50.349
my experience, not really. my psychology major
00:49:50.349 --> 00:49:54.289
just because of being like a little bit older
00:49:54.289 --> 00:49:58.110
I feel like I've um I feel like I could give
00:49:58.110 --> 00:50:01.409
like advice in those ways I think like we talk
00:50:01.409 --> 00:50:05.170
about it all the time um I think my my biggest
00:50:05.170 --> 00:50:08.809
thing is like when you're in the thick of it
00:50:08.809 --> 00:50:13.949
like it's so hard to see a way out or like what
00:50:13.949 --> 00:50:18.119
it could be like or how all of this is like actually
00:50:18.119 --> 00:50:20.840
helping you and you're like learning and gaining
00:50:20.840 --> 00:50:22.900
and building and you can't because it's so slow
00:50:22.900 --> 00:50:25.519
and it's so like messy it's really hard to see
00:50:25.519 --> 00:50:28.199
that it's there there's upward movement to all
00:50:28.199 --> 00:50:32.099
of this it can just feel like a like a mess um
00:50:32.099 --> 00:50:35.119
and so i guess like my biggest advice would be
00:50:35.119 --> 00:50:39.300
just like be kind to yourself it's gonna be like
00:50:39.300 --> 00:50:43.460
uh hard but that that the other side of that
00:50:43.460 --> 00:50:48.159
is like so important Not for, like, for climbing,
00:50:48.219 --> 00:50:50.460
obviously. Like, figuring it out is, like, great.
00:50:50.539 --> 00:50:53.960
And I think that once she settles, like, her
00:50:53.960 --> 00:50:56.179
brain some, like, her climbing ability is going
00:50:56.179 --> 00:50:58.599
to be, like, insane. But I think more so just
00:50:58.599 --> 00:51:01.800
for, like, life, knowledge of yourself, knowledge
00:51:01.800 --> 00:51:07.199
of how to live life. It will be, like, life lessons
00:51:07.199 --> 00:51:09.940
you can't get anywhere else. Just, like, having
00:51:09.940 --> 00:51:12.000
to learn how to, like, master your own brain
00:51:12.000 --> 00:51:17.130
in such a weird bubble of competition. That you're
00:51:17.130 --> 00:51:19.210
never going to get, you probably won't get other
00:51:19.210 --> 00:51:21.250
places, but it's just so rare. Like I think,
00:51:21.250 --> 00:51:24.789
yeah. Outside of like sports and competition,
00:51:24.949 --> 00:51:30.849
it is so rare to get such a clear like image
00:51:30.849 --> 00:51:33.969
of failure. In your everyday life, you don't
00:51:33.969 --> 00:51:37.110
have such a cute failure in like, unless you
00:51:37.110 --> 00:51:39.130
get fired from your job or something like that.
00:51:39.190 --> 00:51:41.969
Like the instances of failure are more like black
00:51:41.969 --> 00:51:44.679
and white. And so I think those are really good
00:51:44.679 --> 00:51:47.480
lessons that come with climbing is being able
00:51:47.480 --> 00:51:51.019
to have such a clear, you either succeeded and
00:51:51.019 --> 00:51:53.960
you won the comp or you failed and you didn't.
00:51:54.260 --> 00:51:57.179
And that is a very acute moment to deal with
00:51:57.179 --> 00:51:59.820
or something. That's a good way to put it. Okay,
00:51:59.920 --> 00:52:02.159
so then thinking more about the positive side
00:52:02.159 --> 00:52:05.340
of climbing and World Cups, you guys travel a
00:52:05.340 --> 00:52:08.739
lot together to the World Cups. What has been
00:52:08.739 --> 00:52:11.980
your favorite place to travel to? Definitely
00:52:11.980 --> 00:52:15.519
Bern. Oh, my God. I really loved that city. I
00:52:15.519 --> 00:52:20.820
went in the river every day. Maybe, yeah, definitely
00:52:20.820 --> 00:52:24.179
my favorite place ever. It was so cool. I'm like
00:52:24.179 --> 00:52:29.239
a water person, but I loved it. It was so expensive,
00:52:29.500 --> 00:52:32.880
but I loved, loved the river. I think that's
00:52:32.880 --> 00:52:34.760
definitely the coolest. I really like China.
00:52:35.400 --> 00:52:37.800
It was really fun. I think it's so different
00:52:37.800 --> 00:52:42.079
from what we're used to. such a unique travel
00:52:42.079 --> 00:52:44.380
experience that I probably wouldn't have had
00:52:44.380 --> 00:52:47.679
was it climbing so it's definitely one of my
00:52:47.679 --> 00:52:50.460
top places I think yeah you did say that while
00:52:50.460 --> 00:52:52.920
you were there and I was surprised to hear it
00:52:52.920 --> 00:52:54.820
then and I guess every time I hear it I'm still
00:52:54.820 --> 00:52:57.940
surprised to hear it now um I know I remember
00:52:57.940 --> 00:53:01.679
um discussing with you about like nutrition abroad
00:53:01.679 --> 00:53:05.019
and like eating um because you guys have some
00:53:05.019 --> 00:53:08.000
dietary restrictions um what does that look like
00:53:08.000 --> 00:53:10.239
for you when you when you're traveling Well,
00:53:10.420 --> 00:53:14.340
she's vegetarian, so it mostly is just bread
00:53:14.340 --> 00:53:16.400
when I'm short of the country. I'm long -legged.
00:53:16.780 --> 00:53:20.300
Oh, that's difficult. Yeah, I just love bread.
00:53:20.380 --> 00:53:23.119
I think it's nice to just end up eating a lot
00:53:23.119 --> 00:53:28.579
of bread. And then I'm vegetarian and gluten
00:53:28.579 --> 00:53:33.480
-free, and I try to eat dairy. And so it kind
00:53:33.480 --> 00:53:36.340
of gets very difficult traveling in Asia because,
00:53:36.400 --> 00:53:39.960
like, soy sauce has gluten. every sauce has been
00:53:39.960 --> 00:53:43.460
and so uh that part was definitely a challenge
00:53:43.460 --> 00:53:45.699
of trying to figure out how to travel and like
00:53:45.699 --> 00:53:49.260
compete um but I've like figured out like if
00:53:49.260 --> 00:53:52.880
I just pack a suitcase with a lot of tofu and
00:53:52.880 --> 00:53:56.679
like bring most of my food with me that works
00:53:56.679 --> 00:54:00.360
really well especially in Asia um and then Europe
00:54:00.360 --> 00:54:03.119
is was pretty easy like I could just go to grocery
00:54:03.119 --> 00:54:05.340
stores the whole time but no yeah that was a
00:54:05.340 --> 00:54:06.920
little interesting trying to figure out how to
00:54:06.920 --> 00:54:10.440
like I was so sick of tofu by the end. Oh, I
00:54:10.440 --> 00:54:13.179
bet. Yeah. Can you share, like, your best tofu
00:54:13.179 --> 00:54:16.280
recipes? Okay. I'm not the person for that, though,
00:54:16.320 --> 00:54:19.420
because I eat, like, the most disgusting food.
00:54:19.880 --> 00:54:24.519
Oh, it's not good. I don't. I'm not, like, a
00:54:24.519 --> 00:54:27.380
foodie type person. And so I just eat, like,
00:54:27.400 --> 00:54:31.039
for training. Like, when I'm, like, I don't know.
00:54:31.079 --> 00:54:34.380
I eat tofu straight and, like, and then chips
00:54:34.380 --> 00:54:37.840
straight. It's so gross. I was weird. Yeah. i'm
00:54:37.840 --> 00:54:40.219
not not a great example for that you've like
00:54:40.219 --> 00:54:42.900
never tried anything that was like oh i could
00:54:42.900 --> 00:54:45.219
eat this all the time and it's like delicious
00:54:45.219 --> 00:54:51.360
um she sometimes mixes like pudding mix package
00:54:51.360 --> 00:54:55.039
oh that's pretty good yeah soaking tofu with
00:54:55.039 --> 00:54:59.619
uh like packaged pudding mix i actually did try
00:54:59.619 --> 00:55:02.500
making that once after you told me um it didn't
00:55:02.500 --> 00:55:04.719
turn out very good so can you tell me how to
00:55:04.719 --> 00:55:07.619
make it again wait which did you what type of
00:55:07.619 --> 00:55:09.440
soap and glue did you use there was only one
00:55:09.440 --> 00:55:12.019
type at the grocery store so whichever one that
00:55:12.019 --> 00:55:17.199
was yeah and then I used like uh the jello pudding
00:55:17.199 --> 00:55:21.199
mix but the one I did use I think it was like
00:55:21.199 --> 00:55:23.340
sugar -free or like fat -free so I don't know
00:55:23.340 --> 00:55:27.139
if that's what was disgusting yeah you nothing
00:55:27.139 --> 00:55:30.579
sugar -free okay you gotta just use yeah just
00:55:30.579 --> 00:55:33.360
basic chocolate It's really good. Or the lemon
00:55:33.360 --> 00:55:35.139
one's pretty good. The chocolate's more normal.
00:55:35.340 --> 00:55:37.920
I think also this is something like we grew up
00:55:37.920 --> 00:55:41.500
out of China. And so this was like weird food
00:55:41.500 --> 00:55:44.820
combo. Like we grew up on tofu. So I think I've
00:55:44.820 --> 00:55:46.860
given it to people like, this is the best thing
00:55:46.860 --> 00:55:48.619
ever. You have to try it. They're like, yeah,
00:55:48.880 --> 00:55:52.920
that's not good. But I love it. Well, I think
00:55:52.920 --> 00:55:55.599
it brings a new taste. I will try it again. Is
00:55:55.599 --> 00:55:59.179
it just like one packet of the Jell -O mix, one
00:55:59.179 --> 00:56:01.260
packet of the silken tofu, and then you just
00:56:01.260 --> 00:56:04.469
like. I literally just do it to taste. You just
00:56:04.469 --> 00:56:07.550
take a fork and mix the tofu. Blend it. It's
00:56:07.550 --> 00:56:11.530
way better. If you're not lazy, just throw it
00:56:11.530 --> 00:56:14.329
in a blender and it's nice and smooth and it's
00:56:14.329 --> 00:56:17.929
good. Add a little bit of milk. You shouldn't
00:56:17.929 --> 00:56:22.469
do any of this. Just put it in a bowl and mix
00:56:22.469 --> 00:56:24.969
it. I will try it. It's good protein, though.
00:56:25.090 --> 00:56:27.190
It's the easiest thing ever. And it tastes good.
00:56:27.469 --> 00:56:30.230
If I find other protein recipes, I'll send it
00:56:30.230 --> 00:56:33.329
over. Now, I guess let's get into some like maybe
00:56:33.329 --> 00:56:36.789
hot takes you guys have about climbing. I know
00:56:36.789 --> 00:56:40.150
you mentioned you think that losing is more important
00:56:40.150 --> 00:56:44.369
than winning. Yes. I'm going to offer conversations.
00:56:44.610 --> 00:56:50.289
I'm going to come off so negative. I think, yeah,
00:56:50.409 --> 00:56:52.809
so I think losing is definitely, especially for
00:56:52.809 --> 00:56:56.190
like younger athletes. is way more and just in
00:56:56.190 --> 00:56:59.110
general is way more important than winning um
00:56:59.110 --> 00:57:04.690
because like my kind of like uh my values in
00:57:04.690 --> 00:57:07.670
climbing are like like for me i have like rations
00:57:07.670 --> 00:57:10.070
why i'm doing everything and so it's like okay
00:57:10.070 --> 00:57:12.730
like why am i climbing like it's not for like
00:57:12.730 --> 00:57:14.889
i really enjoy it but like it's taking up a lot
00:57:14.889 --> 00:57:17.510
of my life like why why am i doing it like um
00:57:17.510 --> 00:57:20.949
like because there is sacrifice of like not going
00:57:20.949 --> 00:57:23.849
to life school or like doing those things And
00:57:23.849 --> 00:57:26.409
for me, it's like all about like making myself
00:57:26.409 --> 00:57:29.250
a better person and learning about myself, learning
00:57:29.250 --> 00:57:35.010
tools for life. And I think in the past, I've
00:57:35.010 --> 00:57:40.110
been like really scared of losing and like or
00:57:40.110 --> 00:57:42.590
just disappointed in general because I'm like
00:57:42.590 --> 00:57:45.650
I'm putting so much into this. Like I need results
00:57:45.650 --> 00:57:49.369
or like it needs to be fun to be worth it kind
00:57:49.369 --> 00:57:52.230
of. And fun being like fun in the way of being
00:57:52.230 --> 00:57:55.949
like, yeah. it won kind of um and I think the
00:57:55.949 --> 00:58:00.710
more I've like been competing I've realized that
00:58:00.710 --> 00:58:04.469
like every time I've had those like super devastating
00:58:04.469 --> 00:58:08.670
competitions or losses I have like so much more
00:58:08.670 --> 00:58:11.130
learning that's come out of those about myself
00:58:11.130 --> 00:58:14.469
about my climbing like just making myself a better
00:58:14.469 --> 00:58:17.949
climber but also making myself like uh like a
00:58:17.949 --> 00:58:21.909
better human um and I think I see sometimes like
00:58:22.159 --> 00:58:25.539
um parents or like coaches or even like athletes
00:58:25.539 --> 00:58:29.860
being so scared of their like um whether like
00:58:29.860 --> 00:58:32.760
if it's like a parent their kid losing and being
00:58:32.760 --> 00:58:34.619
like oh we went to this comp and like it just
00:58:34.619 --> 00:58:36.280
wasn't worth it like we shouldn't have gone like
00:58:36.280 --> 00:58:39.000
they lost it they weren't having fun which i
00:58:39.000 --> 00:58:42.360
think is so important to have fun like there's
00:58:42.360 --> 00:58:44.280
no reason to be doing this other than like like
00:58:44.280 --> 00:58:49.150
if you don't enjoy it don't do it um But I think
00:58:49.150 --> 00:58:51.570
like sometimes people miss the like factor of
00:58:51.570 --> 00:58:55.829
like that those hard moments are like where you
00:58:55.829 --> 00:58:58.929
grow. And like that's the whole point of everything
00:58:58.929 --> 00:59:01.210
is like learning in those moments how to turn
00:59:01.210 --> 00:59:03.730
around and have those also the super fun moments.
00:59:03.889 --> 00:59:05.550
Do you have any thoughts on that? Do you disagree?
00:59:05.789 --> 00:59:09.590
Agree? No, I very much agree with that. I very
00:59:09.590 --> 00:59:12.110
much agree with that. I think there's especially
00:59:12.110 --> 00:59:14.110
like if you go to youth nationals, you hear so
00:59:14.110 --> 00:59:18.050
much like. Oh, I'm so devastated my kid didn't
00:59:18.050 --> 00:59:20.650
make it to, like, semifinals and stuff. And I
00:59:20.650 --> 00:59:22.190
think particularly looking at this from, like,
00:59:22.289 --> 00:59:26.130
a youth athlete perspective, that is such a harmful
00:59:26.130 --> 00:59:30.610
way to think about it. Like, when you, like,
00:59:30.610 --> 00:59:34.010
lose, it's kind of more rewarding, I would say,
00:59:34.090 --> 00:59:37.210
in some really nasty way. It's not fun, obviously.
00:59:37.409 --> 00:59:39.389
Most of the time, it's not very fun. Well, you
00:59:39.389 --> 00:59:41.329
know, just from a fun perspective, if you win
00:59:41.329 --> 00:59:43.210
all the time, it stops being that fun. You just
00:59:43.210 --> 00:59:45.630
feel cool. You start feeling expectations to,
00:59:45.670 --> 00:59:47.789
like, you have to keep winning. Yeah, or even
00:59:47.789 --> 00:59:50.590
just, like, it's not novel then. If you didn't
00:59:50.590 --> 00:59:52.750
work for it, it's not that important. I agree
00:59:52.750 --> 00:59:55.150
with that. Did you manage to think of another
00:59:55.150 --> 00:59:59.630
hot take in between the time? I did. This might
00:59:59.630 --> 01:00:03.630
be a controversial hot take. I think most people
01:00:03.630 --> 01:00:06.130
who say that they hate comp climbing haven't
01:00:06.130 --> 01:00:08.980
been shown how to like comp climbing. Because
01:00:08.980 --> 01:00:11.559
I've met many people who have been like, oh,
01:00:11.659 --> 01:00:13.400
well, I just don't like comp climbing. Like,
01:00:13.400 --> 01:00:16.099
it's just style. Yeah, comp style climbing, sorry.
01:00:17.239 --> 01:00:20.739
And then have like climbed with them and like
01:00:20.739 --> 01:00:23.260
done jumps with them or done more like compy
01:00:23.260 --> 01:00:26.559
style climbs. And then they've walked away really
01:00:26.559 --> 01:00:29.559
enjoying it. So I think that they need to be
01:00:29.559 --> 01:00:33.000
shown because it's kind of, if you don't know
01:00:33.000 --> 01:00:35.980
the new non -snow movement, it is like quite
01:00:35.980 --> 01:00:39.409
intimidating. and it doesn't make sense and so
01:00:39.409 --> 01:00:42.050
you're just like why would I do this like weird
01:00:42.050 --> 01:00:44.949
jump that just doesn't make sense or even just
01:00:44.949 --> 01:00:46.590
like the power climbs that are called climbs
01:00:46.590 --> 01:00:52.670
I think if people are shown what it is and shown
01:00:52.670 --> 01:00:55.849
how they can learn the moves I think this is
01:00:55.849 --> 01:01:00.010
they can learn to like it quite easily now I
01:01:00.010 --> 01:01:03.659
will say my brother is yeah I was gonna say literally
01:01:03.659 --> 01:01:06.500
hates like he refuses to jump like we're going
01:01:06.500 --> 01:01:08.019
to jump like the gym with him like we're caught
01:01:08.019 --> 01:01:10.039
each other's jump like it's so much fun he's
01:01:10.039 --> 01:01:12.699
like nah I don't con climb nah bro and he like
01:01:12.699 --> 01:01:16.219
legitimately hates it so I think that there's
01:01:16.219 --> 01:01:19.039
some people that just legitimately hate it but
01:01:19.039 --> 01:01:21.139
I think most of the time people just need to
01:01:21.139 --> 01:01:23.739
be shown how to enjoy it and that's just about
01:01:23.739 --> 01:01:26.800
like the style of movement not like the the all
01:01:26.800 --> 01:01:29.159
the other like aspects of like competitiveness
01:01:29.159 --> 01:01:31.300
that come with it Poorly phrased, yeah. Just
01:01:31.300 --> 01:01:33.559
the style of climbing. Probably pertains also
01:01:33.559 --> 01:01:35.860
to, like, I think some people just aren't meant
01:01:35.860 --> 01:01:39.539
for competitive environments. But I think there's
01:01:39.539 --> 01:01:43.079
a lot of people that don't have the tools to
01:01:43.079 --> 01:01:46.239
enjoy being in a competitive environment. Yeah,
01:01:46.320 --> 01:01:48.420
for sure. Not being able to, like, cope with
01:01:48.420 --> 01:01:52.320
the pressure and stuff is, like, makes it so
01:01:52.320 --> 01:01:54.239
it's not enjoyable. It was actually really interesting.
01:01:54.400 --> 01:01:57.519
I did a local comp for fun. a few years back
01:01:57.519 --> 01:02:01.780
and two guys made into finals who had never like
01:02:01.780 --> 01:02:04.699
I think it was their first comp before and they
01:02:04.699 --> 01:02:07.400
won they're both super super nervous like we're
01:02:07.400 --> 01:02:09.920
not having a time and then the comp actually
01:02:09.920 --> 01:02:13.099
started one started having a really good time
01:02:13.099 --> 01:02:16.099
and was like super enjoying it and was just like
01:02:16.099 --> 01:02:17.980
kind of having fun being in front of the crowd
01:02:17.980 --> 01:02:20.900
and then the other one was just melting like
01:02:20.900 --> 01:02:23.179
could not it was just not having a good like
01:02:23.179 --> 01:02:25.849
a good time at all and so I think that kind of
01:02:25.849 --> 01:02:29.130
demonstrates that some people get thrown into
01:02:29.130 --> 01:02:30.710
the environment really enjoy it and other people
01:02:30.710 --> 01:02:33.969
just do not at all well but then that would kind
01:02:33.969 --> 01:02:36.050
of mean that you don't actually don't enjoy it
01:02:36.050 --> 01:02:40.389
since you're usually the one melting i will say
01:02:40.389 --> 01:02:45.150
from like more yeah a different perspective so
01:02:45.150 --> 01:02:48.809
right like uh like well while she's like struggles
01:02:48.809 --> 01:02:53.139
with i think the pressure aspects and uh even
01:02:53.139 --> 01:02:56.219
can like sometimes be like appear shy and like
01:02:56.219 --> 01:03:01.119
when she's climbing she is like so good under
01:03:01.119 --> 01:03:06.440
pressure and i think it's like fueled by competitiveness
01:03:06.440 --> 01:03:10.059
for like for sure i love being competitive i
01:03:10.059 --> 01:03:13.159
like uh so much that sort of like tension of
01:03:13.159 --> 01:03:15.039
being like someone's better than me or i'm better
01:03:15.039 --> 01:03:17.059
than them or let's see who's better on this climb
01:03:17.059 --> 01:03:20.199
or just in general in life of being like card
01:03:20.199 --> 01:03:26.099
games really enjoys that i i would say that it's
01:03:26.099 --> 01:03:29.559
not i to change what i said previously i would
01:03:29.559 --> 01:03:33.280
say that it's not that i dislike that i think
01:03:33.280 --> 01:03:37.460
sometimes it is a very fine like line between
01:03:37.460 --> 01:03:40.500
the enjoyment of it and not enjoyment of it or
01:03:40.500 --> 01:03:43.260
being even able to like cope with it and sometimes
01:03:43.260 --> 01:03:46.820
like this previous like stint of being struggling
01:03:46.820 --> 01:03:50.880
in comps was when i wasn't able to enjoy it or
01:03:50.880 --> 01:03:54.559
to be okay under that in that feeling that feeling
01:03:54.559 --> 01:03:57.920
turned really nasty and uncomfortable versus
01:03:57.920 --> 01:04:02.360
when sometimes it feels exciting and like yeah
01:04:02.360 --> 01:04:05.619
engaging whatever that makes sense no yeah it
01:04:05.619 --> 01:04:09.280
makes sense yeah okay well thank you for sharing
01:04:09.280 --> 01:04:13.619
your hot tapes So last question I have and then
01:04:13.619 --> 01:04:15.159
we'll have some like audience submitted questions.
01:04:16.139 --> 01:04:18.000
I mean, it sounds like you guys spend a lot of
01:04:18.000 --> 01:04:20.900
time in the gym climbing. Do you guys have time
01:04:20.900 --> 01:04:23.659
for like other stuff or like outside hobbies
01:04:23.659 --> 01:04:28.260
outside of climbing? Well, I do school. That
01:04:28.260 --> 01:04:32.300
is a lot. No, I think it is hard because like
01:04:32.300 --> 01:04:35.460
in one more training, most of the time we're
01:04:35.460 --> 01:04:37.980
like six to eight hours in the gym a day. It's
01:04:37.980 --> 01:04:44.179
like tough. But I really like to do art. I like
01:04:44.179 --> 01:04:47.000
to paint and draw. And I recently started swimming.
01:04:47.300 --> 01:04:51.639
I like this before training. But I love it. Oh,
01:04:51.679 --> 01:04:55.619
my God. I like to do a lot of swimming. I've
01:04:55.619 --> 01:04:57.800
never been able to get into running. I've also
01:04:57.800 --> 01:05:02.219
trained to run. But it hurts so bad to run. It
01:05:02.219 --> 01:05:07.159
hurts. And now every day I can get away with
01:05:07.159 --> 01:05:08.840
it with training. I'm like, let's go swimming.
01:05:09.980 --> 01:05:12.079
I can't deal with the swimming. I just went swimming
01:05:12.079 --> 01:05:14.380
yesterday. Well, first of all, I can't really
01:05:14.380 --> 01:05:19.639
swim. So that doesn't help. She can swim, but
01:05:19.639 --> 01:05:21.579
she's like a little so -so and she doesn't...
01:05:21.579 --> 01:05:24.420
It's not as fun if you're like figuring out how
01:05:24.420 --> 01:05:28.400
to swim. Yeah. It was exhausting and bad and
01:05:28.400 --> 01:05:30.400
embarrassing. I like didn't want the lifeguard
01:05:30.400 --> 01:05:32.260
to look at me, even though the lifeguard should
01:05:32.260 --> 01:05:34.159
probably be looking at me because I might die.
01:05:34.559 --> 01:05:37.820
I have like zero, like my embarrassment. Oh,
01:05:37.820 --> 01:05:40.949
it's... like threshold is really high i don't
01:05:40.949 --> 01:05:44.110
think about that's good so i'm i yeah i can make
01:05:44.110 --> 01:05:46.190
a fool of myself the first time we went swimming
01:05:46.190 --> 01:05:48.909
she took me swimming and went directly in front
01:05:48.909 --> 01:05:51.349
of the lifeguard which is like a 15 year old
01:05:51.349 --> 01:05:53.429
little boy he was just sitting there me the entire
01:05:53.429 --> 01:05:56.530
time and i'm like flail it was the worst experience
01:05:56.530 --> 01:06:00.510
i relate to that no you just gotta like think
01:06:00.510 --> 01:06:03.550
about all the people that go and and go and don't
01:06:03.550 --> 01:06:06.550
know how to swim That's me? Yeah, but there's
01:06:06.550 --> 01:06:08.570
so many of you then. Like, do you even care?
01:06:09.829 --> 01:06:13.230
Yeah, I know, I know. It's so cool when you get
01:06:13.230 --> 01:06:15.849
a little rhythm. Like, your brain turns off and
01:06:15.849 --> 01:06:18.329
you're just like, oh. Like, that's like, yeah,
01:06:18.469 --> 01:06:21.469
it's fun. It's nice. I mean, I can't turn my
01:06:21.469 --> 01:06:23.969
brain off. Like, even when, like, floating on
01:06:23.969 --> 01:06:25.769
my back, I have to think really hard about, like,
01:06:25.769 --> 01:06:29.329
breathing. Or else I'll, like, sink. So, for
01:06:29.329 --> 01:06:31.570
me, like, my brain doesn't turn off a lot. It's,
01:06:31.590 --> 01:06:34.079
like, very loud. And so this is like the first
01:06:34.079 --> 01:06:36.340
time where I've been like, oh, I could like swim
01:06:36.340 --> 01:06:39.400
and just focus on like the rhythm of ice swimming.
01:06:39.820 --> 01:06:45.400
And just I'm able to have quiet a little. I think
01:06:45.400 --> 01:06:47.360
that makes sense if you know how to swim. Yeah.
01:06:47.400 --> 01:06:49.820
Like otherwise, it's just like I'm about to drown
01:06:49.820 --> 01:06:52.980
all the time. It's not quiet. It's just panic.
01:06:53.179 --> 01:06:56.539
Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Screaming in there. Yeah.
01:06:56.760 --> 01:06:59.380
So Rae, what about you? I do. Yeah, I do school
01:06:59.380 --> 01:07:03.239
too. I like baking and I like reading. so that's
01:07:03.239 --> 01:07:06.480
my like to become allowed to share your Harry
01:07:06.480 --> 01:07:09.920
Potter oh yeah she's like obsessed with Harry
01:07:09.920 --> 01:07:13.719
Potter huh like obsessed like she listens to
01:07:13.719 --> 01:07:17.639
it on a loop oh my gosh whole series like every
01:07:17.639 --> 01:07:20.920
time she showers like like obsessed and like
01:07:20.920 --> 01:07:24.840
in comps she listens to Harry Potter like she's
01:07:24.840 --> 01:07:28.599
like mega fan and so that takes a long time oh
01:07:28.599 --> 01:07:31.179
my god you should show her here She just made
01:07:31.179 --> 01:07:33.860
a Lego. Okay, I did recently discover Legos.
01:07:34.739 --> 01:07:42.019
It's so much fun. Yeah, show it. She's been so
01:07:42.019 --> 01:07:45.699
proud of this. She made a little Lego Harry Potter
01:07:45.699 --> 01:07:49.699
thing. Interesting. So it's like instead of music,
01:07:49.760 --> 01:07:52.780
it's just Harry Potter. Yeah, this was part of
01:07:52.780 --> 01:07:55.699
figuring out her mental tools. This is something
01:07:55.699 --> 01:07:57.780
she came up with because she finds it calming.
01:07:59.280 --> 01:08:02.380
She listens to Harry Potter. It's very relaxing.
01:08:03.599 --> 01:08:09.960
Whoa. Oh, okay. Sorry, I've never watched Harry
01:08:09.960 --> 01:08:12.280
Potter, so I don't know what that is. You don't
01:08:12.280 --> 01:08:15.739
watch them. The movies are terrible. But the
01:08:15.739 --> 01:08:18.859
books are so good. I haven't read or watched.
01:08:18.979 --> 01:08:21.020
I did try to read it, so I stopped watching the
01:08:21.020 --> 01:08:22.920
movies past the second because they were too
01:08:22.920 --> 01:08:25.819
scary for me. And then I tried to read the books
01:08:25.819 --> 01:08:28.890
instead. But then the third... like something
01:08:28.890 --> 01:08:31.329
in like the fourth book was also too scary for
01:08:31.329 --> 01:08:35.369
me like i had recurring nightmares from reading
01:08:35.369 --> 01:08:38.829
it so then i i was like i have to stop i i just
01:08:38.829 --> 01:08:42.350
like can't to read it until i was like 13 or
01:08:42.350 --> 01:08:44.250
something because of my mom was like you're gonna
01:08:44.250 --> 01:08:47.329
get scared it is very scary i'm still too scared
01:08:47.329 --> 01:08:51.430
but they're so good it's worth like it's yeah
01:08:51.430 --> 01:08:54.880
the plot It's past. People don't even like Harry
01:08:54.880 --> 01:08:58.680
Potter anymore, so it's okay. It's like beyond.
01:09:00.319 --> 01:09:02.979
I thought I wouldn't have to talk to people about
01:09:02.979 --> 01:09:06.180
it anymore after a certain year. I don't know.
01:09:06.199 --> 01:09:11.460
What's the new fantasy? That's old, too. No,
01:09:11.460 --> 01:09:18.449
that's old, too. You guys are old souls. He's,
01:09:18.449 --> 01:09:22.109
like, obsessed with vintage, like, old, like,
01:09:22.170 --> 01:09:24.670
children's, like, fairy tales. And she, like,
01:09:24.829 --> 01:09:27.329
collects the books. Like, old, like, vintage
01:09:27.329 --> 01:09:30.449
books. I enjoy reading them. No, I think, I mean,
01:09:30.449 --> 01:09:32.930
at a certain point, like, vintage becomes, like,
01:09:32.949 --> 01:09:36.649
new again. But with, like, Hunger Games and Harry
01:09:36.649 --> 01:09:39.170
Potter, it's kind of, like, the cringe millennial
01:09:39.170 --> 01:09:42.550
thing now, I think. Not that it's cringe. I just,
01:09:42.569 --> 01:09:45.470
I really didn't think that anyone was going to
01:09:45.470 --> 01:09:48.060
talk about it. You didn't expect that coming
01:09:48.060 --> 01:09:52.159
up today. But okay, what is the Lego set? It's
01:09:52.159 --> 01:09:55.720
like a plant from the movie. Oh, okay. Yeah,
01:09:55.819 --> 01:09:59.079
it's really not that cool. I mean, it's cute.
01:09:59.539 --> 01:10:02.880
It's called a mandrake. And they scream and they
01:10:02.880 --> 01:10:04.680
like make you pass out if you scream or something
01:10:04.680 --> 01:10:06.939
like that. Oh, maybe I did get to that part.
01:10:07.180 --> 01:10:09.960
They are like kind of cute, right? Yeah. Well,
01:10:10.039 --> 01:10:12.000
no, they're like a little there. They're little
01:10:12.000 --> 01:10:15.390
like ugly men. The babies. Yeah, that's cute.
01:10:15.510 --> 01:10:18.069
And they grow up. They get to be teenagers. Okay.
01:10:18.609 --> 01:10:22.869
This is important stuff. Yeah. The whole Harry
01:10:22.869 --> 01:10:25.189
Potter thing. Okay, well, I think it is interesting
01:10:25.189 --> 01:10:28.550
that you listen to the books, like, during competitions.
01:10:29.890 --> 01:10:32.069
I mean, I know, like, Mac Room sometimes goes
01:10:32.069 --> 01:10:33.789
around and, like, asks people what they're listening
01:10:33.789 --> 01:10:36.850
to. So it would be very interesting if you got
01:10:36.850 --> 01:10:41.460
asked that. It's also during sessions. quite
01:10:41.460 --> 01:10:44.659
often yeah i think most people do music so that's
01:10:44.659 --> 01:10:48.600
that's good to know okay so let's get into some
01:10:48.600 --> 01:10:50.899
of the audience submitted question um the first
01:10:50.899 --> 01:10:56.579
one is from discord uh name is climber rph They're
01:10:56.579 --> 01:11:00.159
curious about shoes, not so much the brand, but
01:11:00.159 --> 01:11:02.560
how you wear them for comps. So do you wear the
01:11:02.560 --> 01:11:04.720
same pair for training and comps or do you have
01:11:04.720 --> 01:11:07.520
like a dedicated comp pair? And like how broken
01:11:07.520 --> 01:11:10.600
in do they need to be before you want to wear
01:11:10.600 --> 01:11:14.680
them in a comp and how worn is too worn? My shoes,
01:11:14.800 --> 01:11:18.699
I typically just wear, I start just a new pair
01:11:18.699 --> 01:11:21.840
right before I start a comp and then just wear
01:11:21.840 --> 01:11:24.630
them out like in training sessions. But I have
01:11:24.630 --> 01:11:28.850
found exactly five sessions is the time that
01:11:28.850 --> 01:11:31.470
my shoes are perfect for comps. Because they're
01:11:31.470 --> 01:11:36.989
just, you know, the Scarpa, the Dragos. So they
01:11:36.989 --> 01:11:39.489
get super soft. And so they need to be, like,
01:11:39.489 --> 01:11:42.130
just stiff enough. We do the same thing of, like,
01:11:42.149 --> 01:11:47.069
about a week before a comp, I'll break in, like,
01:11:47.170 --> 01:11:50.750
just, like, a few sessions. New shoes, like,
01:11:50.770 --> 01:11:53.779
10 days before. And it kind of becomes a problem.
01:11:53.819 --> 01:11:56.619
Like I realized during the full World Cup circuit,
01:11:56.779 --> 01:11:59.659
I had to keep breaking in shoes. Oh, wow. You
01:11:59.659 --> 01:12:02.420
did a new one for every World Cup? I think, well,
01:12:02.539 --> 01:12:04.760
they were close enough together, most of them,
01:12:04.819 --> 01:12:08.979
that I think I like, I didn't need a new pair
01:12:08.979 --> 01:12:12.060
every time. But it was enough to where like I
01:12:12.060 --> 01:12:14.420
now have like my bag is just like full of shoes
01:12:14.420 --> 01:12:16.890
that I just have to like, that are like. a week
01:12:16.890 --> 01:12:19.930
worn in should i gonna keep working through to
01:12:19.930 --> 01:12:22.909
get through them but i also like i wear them
01:12:22.909 --> 01:12:26.409
till like they start um like until they get a
01:12:26.409 --> 01:12:30.550
little hole or they start collapsing um and then
01:12:30.550 --> 01:12:32.989
i i get to like get rid of them earlier because
01:12:32.989 --> 01:12:36.149
my mom has the same size sheet as me and so i
01:12:36.149 --> 01:12:38.449
give them to her and says she'll wear them fully
01:12:38.449 --> 01:12:41.670
too so i get to have my shoes all the time and
01:12:41.670 --> 01:12:45.689
she's shocked because she cheated yeah Couldn't
01:12:45.689 --> 01:12:49.310
you just, like, wear through one pair and then
01:12:49.310 --> 01:12:52.869
keep that, like, slightly worn pair for comps
01:12:52.869 --> 01:12:56.109
only? Yeah, but I have, like, mental attachment
01:12:56.109 --> 01:12:59.090
to my shoes. And so I'm, like, I need them to
01:12:59.090 --> 01:13:01.029
be, like, the shoes that I climbed in the session
01:13:01.029 --> 01:13:04.329
before. And, like, I got used to them. So, like,
01:13:04.390 --> 01:13:06.649
have sweaty feet. So I need them. I'm used to
01:13:06.649 --> 01:13:11.890
climbing in, like, kind of wet shoes. And so
01:13:11.890 --> 01:13:15.279
once you, like, don't wear shoes for, like, a
01:13:15.279 --> 01:13:17.960
few days they get like hard yeah that's true
01:13:17.960 --> 01:13:19.800
and so i have to be in the same shoes because
01:13:19.800 --> 01:13:21.420
they have to have the right amount of moisture
01:13:21.420 --> 01:13:24.699
i probably also like tend to oxidize slightly
01:13:24.699 --> 01:13:28.420
yeah and so like ruins your your trust with your
01:13:28.420 --> 01:13:31.319
shoes yeah that is true it's like the rubber
01:13:31.319 --> 01:13:33.920
gets worse you gotta like get rid of that first
01:13:33.920 --> 01:13:37.119
layer or something okay um next one from instagram
01:13:37.119 --> 01:13:40.119
ellie joy climbs uh what is your favorite style
01:13:40.119 --> 01:13:43.979
of climb i love like swinging climbs i think
01:13:43.979 --> 01:13:47.020
that's so fun Well, I thought you were going
01:13:47.020 --> 01:13:49.460
to say slab, so it was actually. Well, that's
01:13:49.460 --> 01:13:53.060
like the other thing is I think I love slab because
01:13:53.060 --> 01:13:58.359
of like it's so like mental. Like I can think
01:13:58.359 --> 01:14:02.399
about like things and I feel like I really enjoy
01:14:02.399 --> 01:14:04.539
the thinking part of slab and also just like
01:14:04.539 --> 01:14:07.560
the movement. But I like, you know, I just love
01:14:07.560 --> 01:14:10.680
to swing. I used to, me and my little friend
01:14:10.680 --> 01:14:12.380
went around a youth team when I was like eight
01:14:12.380 --> 01:14:15.399
years old. like exclusively the entire session
01:14:15.399 --> 01:14:18.100
would only dyno for like months straight and
01:14:18.100 --> 01:14:20.460
swing around. Like I really like coordination.
01:14:20.760 --> 01:14:25.180
I feel like I'm really scared on jumps, but any
01:14:25.180 --> 01:14:27.699
dynamic movement I get like really scared on.
01:14:27.859 --> 01:14:32.000
So this is going to make no sense. But like jumping
01:14:32.000 --> 01:14:36.239
on dual techs, I really cheat. Like I think it's
01:14:36.239 --> 01:14:39.079
fun. I'd be like dual techs. I think it's just
01:14:39.079 --> 01:14:42.210
like, or no techs. I think it's really. a fun
01:14:42.210 --> 01:14:44.590
style of climbing she's good at it is that i'm
01:14:44.590 --> 01:14:48.750
sitting absolutely like petrified of it so yeah
01:14:48.750 --> 01:14:51.750
it's a weird combo she's not being yeah she's
01:14:51.750 --> 01:14:54.069
figured out the technique of the no text hold
01:14:54.069 --> 01:14:56.289
it's like i don't get it i don't understand it
01:14:56.289 --> 01:14:59.310
yet what's the secret is it for like feet or
01:14:59.310 --> 01:15:05.029
hands or both well um i think standing on things
01:15:05.029 --> 01:15:08.210
quickly not like too violently but just putting
01:15:08.210 --> 01:15:11.539
your weight on the holds like very precisely
01:15:11.539 --> 01:15:16.340
and quick helps a lot there's like so many different
01:15:16.340 --> 01:15:19.199
things that help that we can really get into
01:15:19.199 --> 01:15:21.539
but we would be here for like an hour of just
01:15:21.539 --> 01:15:24.420
breaking it down like okay so then real quick
01:15:24.420 --> 01:15:26.359
that's the that's a foot thing what about like
01:15:26.359 --> 01:15:30.060
hands hands you have to there's different types
01:15:30.060 --> 01:15:34.140
of like notex and so like the the finish that
01:15:34.140 --> 01:15:38.550
they use some holds are better text yeah there's
01:15:38.550 --> 01:15:40.609
there's better no text that sticks better there's
01:15:40.609 --> 01:15:43.250
others in texas are way slipperier or slipperier
01:15:43.250 --> 01:15:46.789
um so you have to like kind of know the types
01:15:46.789 --> 01:15:49.750
of dual text and know how sticky you want your
01:15:49.750 --> 01:15:51.310
hands to be like how sweaty you want your hands
01:15:51.310 --> 01:15:53.850
to be so i'll have like a spray bottle that i
01:15:53.850 --> 01:15:57.630
like write my hands down sometimes but some holds
01:15:57.630 --> 01:16:00.750
or some types are better if your hands are like
01:16:00.750 --> 01:16:04.109
slightly chalky so you have to like figure out
01:16:04.750 --> 01:16:07.989
as what the hold demands, essentially. I would
01:16:07.989 --> 01:16:11.069
need to see more no -tex holds. I haven't really
01:16:11.069 --> 01:16:15.329
seen any no -tex holds at the gyms here. Yeah,
01:16:15.430 --> 01:16:17.609
they're slower to come into the gyms than I thought
01:16:17.609 --> 01:16:20.449
they would be. I end up climbing them because
01:16:20.449 --> 01:16:23.630
of the training center we climb at in California
01:16:23.630 --> 01:16:25.909
and also the Salt Lake Training Center. They
01:16:25.909 --> 01:16:29.029
have no -tex holds, so we climb quite a bit.
01:16:29.449 --> 01:16:32.310
Yeah, they're interesting. Develop a relationship
01:16:32.310 --> 01:16:36.239
with them. Okay, next one from Omar H5. Do you
01:16:36.239 --> 01:16:38.939
have outdoor rock projects? I haven't talked
01:16:38.939 --> 01:16:45.300
about outside at all. So honestly, I haven't
01:16:45.300 --> 01:16:49.699
spent that much time climbing outside. And I
01:16:49.699 --> 01:16:53.479
want to after I'm done comp climbing, because
01:16:53.479 --> 01:16:55.539
I really want to be able to travel and fully
01:16:55.539 --> 01:16:59.460
dedicate training to it. But I haven't had...
01:16:59.800 --> 01:17:02.380
Yeah, like I honestly have very little experience
01:17:02.380 --> 01:17:04.319
coming outside, so I don't have any projects.
01:17:04.659 --> 01:17:07.659
Same for you. Yeah, I have never really been
01:17:07.659 --> 01:17:09.220
outside. I've been outside like a few times.
01:17:09.880 --> 01:17:12.020
I think it'd be something I'd be good at. I could
01:17:12.020 --> 01:17:15.079
complement my style, but I don't really have
01:17:15.079 --> 01:17:19.560
a desire to go outside at all. So currently,
01:17:19.699 --> 01:17:23.020
no. That's fine. This is like the new generation
01:17:23.020 --> 01:17:25.939
of non -outside climbers. Okay, I don't know
01:17:25.939 --> 01:17:29.060
if it's not true. I want to. After I'm done competing,
01:17:29.380 --> 01:17:32.279
I want to be able, I like doing things with full
01:17:32.279 --> 01:17:35.439
focus. I don't like happening things. And so
01:17:35.439 --> 01:17:38.819
when I'm done comp climbing, I'm going to like,
01:17:38.859 --> 01:17:41.720
I want to travel and like, yeah, I think development
01:17:41.720 --> 01:17:43.640
is going to be super cool too. So neither of
01:17:43.640 --> 01:17:46.119
you have like gray chased outside at all? No.
01:17:46.460 --> 01:17:51.409
Actually, recently we went out. outside like
01:17:51.409 --> 01:17:53.750
a few months ago and it was like the first time
01:17:53.750 --> 01:17:56.609
in like two years and we both did our first 10
01:17:56.609 --> 01:18:02.010
within like a few tries and i was like yeah we
01:18:02.010 --> 01:18:04.390
could climb because i was curious how much how
01:18:04.390 --> 01:18:07.789
much we could climb outside yeah yeah where was
01:18:07.789 --> 01:18:10.829
it joshua tree it was good ego stroke or like
01:18:10.829 --> 01:18:15.010
we don't suck okay that's all i mean no i totally
01:18:15.010 --> 01:18:20.359
get that OK, good to know. Next one from Bryce
01:18:20.359 --> 01:18:23.000
Wayne. What effect does fan interaction have
01:18:23.000 --> 01:18:27.800
on your morale? So that's kind of new to me because
01:18:27.800 --> 01:18:33.760
of like I think I just haven't been like at that
01:18:33.760 --> 01:18:39.319
level of like known as a climber. And after Brazil,
01:18:39.439 --> 01:18:42.859
I had a lot more attention, which was really
01:18:42.859 --> 01:18:45.720
cool. And like everyone was so nice. And it was
01:18:45.720 --> 01:18:50.960
an insane life experience. But definitely, like,
01:18:51.060 --> 01:18:52.800
specifically for the Salt Lake World Cup, it
01:18:52.800 --> 01:18:55.399
was, like, a really hard mental thing for me.
01:18:55.439 --> 01:19:02.180
Because I think I got stuck in this, like, headspace
01:19:02.180 --> 01:19:05.779
of being, like, I need to, like, or people are
01:19:05.779 --> 01:19:09.539
going to expect me to do something that I can't
01:19:09.539 --> 01:19:12.180
do. Or they're going to think I'm this person
01:19:12.180 --> 01:19:16.500
and maybe I'm not. Just there was a lot more
01:19:16.500 --> 01:19:19.000
chatter in my brain of being like, what do people
01:19:19.000 --> 01:19:20.939
expect from me or what are people thinking about
01:19:20.939 --> 01:19:23.500
me that I just hadn't dealt with in a lot of
01:19:23.500 --> 01:19:26.239
years because of like, I think early teen years
01:19:26.239 --> 01:19:29.920
I had like struggled with that because of just
01:19:29.920 --> 01:19:32.220
like trying to figure myself out and like what
01:19:32.220 --> 01:19:34.340
that felt like in competition. And then like
01:19:34.340 --> 01:19:37.800
I said, I'm like low embarrassment threshold.
01:19:37.920 --> 01:19:41.699
Like I don't really think about that a ton. And
01:19:41.699 --> 01:19:43.260
so it was like the first time in a while where
01:19:43.260 --> 01:19:45.960
it was like really strong. And I had to, like,
01:19:46.279 --> 01:19:47.739
I had a lot of, like, really good conversations
01:19:47.739 --> 01:19:49.899
over that, like, period of being, like, okay,
01:19:49.960 --> 01:19:53.260
what do I care about in my climbing? And, like,
01:19:53.359 --> 01:19:56.760
also, what do I want to, like, show to other
01:19:56.760 --> 01:19:58.720
people? And I think at the end of the day, I
01:19:58.720 --> 01:20:01.380
was, like, okay, I just think authentic, whatever
01:20:01.380 --> 01:20:04.800
is happening is going to come off best and, like,
01:20:04.819 --> 01:20:10.739
yeah, also work best for me. But it was definitely,
01:20:10.760 --> 01:20:12.800
like, a weird thing that I'd never dealt with
01:20:12.800 --> 01:20:16.329
before. oh, people are looking or they feel like
01:20:16.329 --> 01:20:17.689
they're looking. I don't even know if they are
01:20:17.689 --> 01:20:19.930
or they feel like they're looking. What is that?
01:20:20.149 --> 01:20:22.710
Yeah, what does that mean for me? I would say
01:20:22.710 --> 01:20:25.770
I haven't had to deal with this really because
01:20:25.770 --> 01:20:29.569
I haven't had any interactions yet. So I think
01:20:29.569 --> 01:20:32.109
I'm at a different spot in my career. Most people,
01:20:32.289 --> 01:20:35.369
especially with Instagram, a few people with
01:20:35.369 --> 01:20:37.590
Instagram come over and recognize me or whatever
01:20:37.590 --> 01:20:40.729
in the gym, which was really cool. It's a really
01:20:40.729 --> 01:20:44.300
fun experience. It's fun to meet people. I would
01:20:44.300 --> 01:20:49.079
say I think it kind of bursts your bubble in
01:20:49.079 --> 01:20:52.439
a little bit in a way. Like that, like you have
01:20:52.439 --> 01:20:54.760
a sense of like anonymity or in the gym or whatever,
01:20:54.899 --> 01:20:57.560
like you're just kind of doing your thing. And
01:20:57.560 --> 01:20:59.539
like having people come over makes you kind of
01:20:59.539 --> 01:21:01.159
like realize you're like, oh, people are like
01:21:01.159 --> 01:21:06.779
me being stupid in the corner. So I think that
01:21:06.779 --> 01:21:09.039
makes it a little bit generally just being like
01:21:09.039 --> 01:21:11.779
in certain areas, being like a strong female
01:21:11.779 --> 01:21:15.350
climber. you just will get more attention in
01:21:15.350 --> 01:21:18.170
the gym. And I think, like, I've seen you over
01:21:18.170 --> 01:21:20.569
the last few years, like, figure out, like, oh,
01:21:20.609 --> 01:21:21.909
okay, how does that feel? Like, what does that
01:21:21.909 --> 01:21:25.529
look like for me? And be able to get over it,
01:21:25.550 --> 01:21:27.949
basically. Yeah, it's a little bit of pressure.
01:21:28.689 --> 01:21:31.850
Kind of the feeling that people know that you're,
01:21:31.850 --> 01:21:35.649
like, good, so if you can't do something, it's
01:21:35.649 --> 01:21:38.529
like... I don't know, like a competition opportunity.
01:21:39.189 --> 01:21:41.949
Yeah. No, I have this like weird thing that I've
01:21:41.949 --> 01:21:44.750
had since I was like little thing. Like I really
01:21:44.750 --> 01:21:48.470
want people to think like female climbers are
01:21:48.470 --> 01:21:51.529
like really impressive. And so whenever I'm like
01:21:51.529 --> 01:21:54.970
compared to like a male climber or like in an
01:21:54.970 --> 01:21:57.090
opportunity like that where it's like, oh, people
01:21:57.090 --> 01:21:59.359
are watching. and they know I have results or
01:21:59.359 --> 01:22:01.819
whatever, I'm like, okay, I need to represent
01:22:01.819 --> 01:22:04.479
like pretty good everything I can. Oh, yeah.
01:22:04.739 --> 01:22:06.399
People are clever, they're strong, and it's like
01:22:06.399 --> 01:22:11.439
so not realistic in the slightest. But I think
01:22:11.439 --> 01:22:13.539
that, especially when I was like her age, I was
01:22:13.539 --> 01:22:15.239
like, oh, I don't know how to deal with this.
01:22:15.380 --> 01:22:18.619
Yeah, I totally get that. It's like this feeling
01:22:18.619 --> 01:22:21.779
that you are representing like an entire body
01:22:21.779 --> 01:22:24.579
of people. Yeah. It's like a lot of pressure
01:22:24.579 --> 01:22:28.029
for no reason. Yeah. Just because people say
01:22:28.029 --> 01:22:30.130
the stupidest things. I think that's kind of
01:22:30.130 --> 01:22:31.909
probably what it brought up. Just hearing people
01:22:31.909 --> 01:22:34.909
be like, oh, female climbers are like pro climbers.
01:22:34.949 --> 01:22:36.329
Like, oh, I could beat them on this and that.
01:22:36.409 --> 01:22:39.829
And it's like, yeah. That's annoying. Okay. Next
01:22:39.829 --> 01:22:45.010
one. And then one more after that. ZYXWL2015
01:22:45.010 --> 01:22:48.909
asks, how does it work financially for you as
01:22:48.909 --> 01:22:54.289
a pro? I'm figuring it out. Yeah. It is really
01:22:54.289 --> 01:23:01.899
hard. I think. My mom is amazing. And she supports
01:23:01.899 --> 01:23:07.619
us through everything. Because, like, being in
01:23:07.619 --> 01:23:10.680
school and climbing, I can't work. Like, it wouldn't
01:23:10.680 --> 01:23:13.420
be possible for me to have a job. Without a serious,
01:23:13.539 --> 01:23:16.119
like, sacrifice on one of the ends. Yeah. Getting
01:23:16.119 --> 01:23:20.939
lost working. Yeah. And I'm, like, I'm graduating
01:23:20.939 --> 01:23:22.739
school soon. So I'm trying to figure out, like,
01:23:22.739 --> 01:23:25.869
what does that look like for me? And honestly,
01:23:26.010 --> 01:23:29.930
I'm trying to figure out the world of sponsorship
01:23:29.930 --> 01:23:33.630
and what that looks like and how to get that
01:23:33.630 --> 01:23:39.250
and how to manage it. And if I'm being completely
01:23:39.250 --> 01:23:44.489
honest, it's really confusing. And I know a lot
01:23:44.489 --> 01:23:48.149
of, I've talked to tons of other comp climbers
01:23:48.149 --> 01:23:50.109
or just climbers in general about this. It's
01:23:50.109 --> 01:23:53.619
just confusing and hard. I think there's been
01:23:53.619 --> 01:23:57.500
a lot of success for getting financial support.
01:23:57.699 --> 01:24:03.579
It helps a lot through USA Climbing. I got some
01:24:03.579 --> 01:24:05.279
funding for some of the World Cups, which was
01:24:05.279 --> 01:24:09.760
really helpful. Made a huge difference. But yeah,
01:24:09.880 --> 01:24:15.180
just generally, my mommy. It's definitely, the
01:24:15.180 --> 01:24:18.539
financial is insane. You have to have time left.
01:24:19.199 --> 01:24:23.100
It's just, yeah, it's a lot of money. It makes
01:24:23.100 --> 01:24:26.319
some serious financial, like, sacrifices to choose
01:24:26.319 --> 01:24:28.420
which one you're going to get. Yeah. I think
01:24:28.420 --> 01:24:33.180
we're very lucky to have, like, someone who,
01:24:33.279 --> 01:24:36.220
like my mom, who's just like, this is what we
01:24:36.220 --> 01:24:39.359
want to do. This is where we spend all our money.
01:24:40.279 --> 01:24:44.420
Not replacing our walls. And, yeah, like the
01:24:44.420 --> 01:24:46.579
U .S. doesn't really sponsor athletes in the
01:24:46.579 --> 01:24:49.140
same way that some other countries do. But it's
01:24:49.140 --> 01:24:52.760
good to hear that you... Got some from like USA
01:24:52.760 --> 01:24:55.239
Climbing for the World Cups. Yeah, it's beautiful.
01:24:55.600 --> 01:24:59.180
Was it like just enough to cover your like travel
01:24:59.180 --> 01:25:03.319
and like plane ticket, housing? It's kind of
01:25:03.319 --> 01:25:06.539
weird because of it depends on like not quite
01:25:06.539 --> 01:25:10.539
performance, but like sometimes they give it
01:25:10.539 --> 01:25:12.340
just a team and then sometimes it switches from
01:25:12.340 --> 01:25:14.539
the year and like there's all this like intricacy
01:25:14.539 --> 01:25:17.680
of like how they do funding. Like for some World
01:25:17.680 --> 01:25:19.760
Cups, everything was covered. And then other
01:25:19.760 --> 01:25:23.079
World Cups, nothing was recovered. And so it's
01:25:23.079 --> 01:25:25.840
like all over the board. Like, yeah. Well, good
01:25:25.840 --> 01:25:28.460
luck to you there. Someone sponsor me. Yeah,
01:25:28.500 --> 01:25:33.960
please. Okay, last one. Not as serious of a question
01:25:33.960 --> 01:25:37.460
from I'm Ken Lin. Does Sovarae always get the
01:25:37.460 --> 01:25:44.760
middle seat when traveling? Yes. 100 % yes. No,
01:25:44.779 --> 01:25:46.760
it's actually how your mom does. Yeah, my mom.
01:25:47.140 --> 01:25:50.640
She, Nikaya, is like a very touchy person. So
01:25:50.640 --> 01:25:53.380
she'll fall asleep on you, like no matter what.
01:25:53.899 --> 01:25:56.199
So I don't really like having the middle seat
01:25:56.199 --> 01:25:58.800
because that means that she's sleeping on top
01:25:58.800 --> 01:26:02.079
of me the entire plane ride. And sometimes I'll
01:26:02.079 --> 01:26:04.680
make her sit in the middle or my mom's in the
01:26:04.680 --> 01:26:06.720
middle. But yes, typically it is me in the middle
01:26:06.720 --> 01:26:10.399
seat for sure. She's tiny. She's 14. And like
01:26:10.399 --> 01:26:13.119
this wide. She's fine. She can be in the middle
01:26:13.119 --> 01:26:15.520
seat. Yeah, I think that's probably also why
01:26:15.520 --> 01:26:19.140
people don't know that you guys are like sisters
01:26:19.140 --> 01:26:22.840
because you're very different sizes. Well, kind
01:26:22.840 --> 01:26:26.239
of. She's like, I'm 5 '2", but I'm built more
01:26:26.239 --> 01:26:30.060
like this. She's like a little tiny person, you
01:26:30.060 --> 01:26:33.579
know? Wait, how tall are you? Me? Yeah. I'm 4
01:26:33.579 --> 01:26:37.000
'10 and a half. Actually? Yes. I just mentioned
01:26:37.000 --> 01:26:40.199
myself. Wait, I don't remember that at all. Okay.
01:26:40.680 --> 01:26:44.600
Small people come from a small family. How often
01:26:44.600 --> 01:26:47.600
do you find that that makes climbs more difficult
01:26:47.600 --> 01:26:50.680
for you in the comp scene? It has a huge impact.
01:26:51.079 --> 01:26:54.460
I think it makes things, typically it's not as
01:26:54.460 --> 01:26:57.159
black or white. Like you can't do the move because
01:26:57.159 --> 01:26:59.720
you're short or whatever. I just find that it
01:26:59.720 --> 01:27:02.619
makes it more difficult a lot of the time, especially
01:27:02.619 --> 01:27:05.380
coordination wise. Like, moves are just going
01:27:05.380 --> 01:27:08.239
to be harder if you're tall because you have
01:27:08.239 --> 01:27:11.619
much more time in the move to, like, find the
01:27:11.619 --> 01:27:15.899
technique. Like, I have to have more power and
01:27:15.899 --> 01:27:19.119
it's a quicker move for me to get the jump, if
01:27:19.119 --> 01:27:22.060
that makes sense. My mom always tells me, she's
01:27:22.060 --> 01:27:25.840
like, my comp road or whatever is going to be
01:27:25.840 --> 01:27:28.800
much more, like, up and down. I'm going to have
01:27:28.800 --> 01:27:31.239
much more big upsets and stuff just because there's
01:27:31.239 --> 01:27:34.829
going to be... inequality in the setting i think
01:27:34.829 --> 01:27:38.489
frankly an impossible job in many like circumstances
01:27:38.489 --> 01:27:42.390
to set completely even i think just some of the
01:27:42.390 --> 01:27:45.470
consistency is harder just like there's a just
01:27:45.470 --> 01:27:47.930
can't be a move where it just doesn't work as
01:27:47.930 --> 01:27:50.770
well or it was heinous yeah it's just also so
01:27:50.770 --> 01:27:53.489
hard to spot whether a move is like think of
01:27:53.489 --> 01:27:56.430
all the setters are like 510 like it's just going
01:27:56.430 --> 01:28:00.659
to be harder to spot if moves are in unfair But
01:28:00.659 --> 01:28:03.560
yeah, like in gyms, I notice it being a problem
01:28:03.560 --> 01:28:06.479
significantly more. Wow. Yeah, I really didn't
01:28:06.479 --> 01:28:09.220
realize you were that short. Usually when I meet
01:28:09.220 --> 01:28:11.199
people who are like under five feet, it like
01:28:11.199 --> 01:28:13.800
really stands out to me. And I guess that didn't
01:28:13.800 --> 01:28:18.079
stand out to me. So maybe of tall energy. I don't
01:28:18.079 --> 01:28:20.619
like being short at all. So it's a good thing
01:28:20.619 --> 01:28:24.659
to hear. Look, always guess that like, like they'll
01:28:24.659 --> 01:28:27.399
guess that she's like five foot and then I'm
01:28:27.399 --> 01:28:31.770
five six. and faster those heights no that seems
01:28:31.770 --> 01:28:35.250
like I get that like you give off five six and
01:28:35.250 --> 01:28:42.710
five foot energy thank you I'm not yeah maybe
01:28:42.710 --> 01:28:45.890
that's why I think that helps okay well that's
01:28:45.890 --> 01:28:47.869
all the questions I had then thanks for joining
01:28:47.869 --> 01:28:51.069
me today um any like last minute thoughts or
01:28:51.069 --> 01:28:54.609
words of wisdom there's something really interesting
01:28:54.609 --> 01:29:01.590
about like um being siblings in and having like
01:29:01.590 --> 01:29:03.930
something that's like a shared interest. Um,
01:29:04.109 --> 01:29:07.069
like I think we are the extreme of that, of being
01:29:07.069 --> 01:29:10.449
like having dedicated everything. But I think
01:29:10.449 --> 01:29:13.909
my family in general has really been like able
01:29:13.909 --> 01:29:16.409
to stay much, much closer because of climbing,
01:29:16.510 --> 01:29:20.130
like my mom climbs and all my siblings climb.
01:29:20.409 --> 01:29:23.869
And I think that's why I get so like, obviously
01:29:23.869 --> 01:29:25.949
I'm excited about climbing for so many different
01:29:25.949 --> 01:29:30.260
reasons. But I always, like, I really hope for,
01:29:30.300 --> 01:29:33.079
like, in my future, like, when I have a family,
01:29:33.119 --> 01:29:36.319
like, I can climb all together with my whatever.
01:29:38.039 --> 01:29:40.300
But I would really encourage, like, families
01:29:40.300 --> 01:29:42.859
to, like, go climb together because there's a
01:29:42.859 --> 01:29:46.220
type of side -by -side play that you can't get
01:29:46.220 --> 01:29:47.819
in a lot of other places where it doesn't matter
01:29:47.819 --> 01:29:52.159
what you're doing. And it just adds a place of
01:29:52.159 --> 01:29:55.310
commonality. That's really cool. Awesome. Okay,
01:29:55.310 --> 01:29:58.050
well, thank you for answering those questions.
01:29:58.149 --> 01:29:59.710
Do you want to let people know where they can
01:29:59.710 --> 01:30:03.970
find you and for sponsorships? Oh, yeah. So my
01:30:03.970 --> 01:30:13.109
email is... No, my Instagram is nekaia .sanders.
01:30:14.289 --> 01:30:17.010
And then my Instagram is sovrae, so it's just
01:30:17.010 --> 01:30:21.229
S -O -V -A -R -A -E. And then that's it. Awesome.
01:30:21.329 --> 01:30:23.210
I will add the links to those in the description.
01:30:23.949 --> 01:30:25.869
Thank you again. It was amazing to talk to you
01:30:25.869 --> 01:30:29.109
guys. Thank you for having us. Thank you so much
01:30:29.109 --> 01:30:31.550
for making it to the end of the podcast. Don't
01:30:31.550 --> 01:30:33.590
forget to like and subscribe if you enjoyed.
01:30:33.810 --> 01:30:37.430
Otherwise, you are a super fake climber. If you're
01:30:37.430 --> 01:30:39.869
listening on a podcasting platform, I'd appreciate
01:30:39.869 --> 01:30:42.590
if you rate it five stars and you can continue
01:30:42.590 --> 01:30:45.390
the discussion on the free competition climbing
01:30:45.390 --> 01:30:48.369
discord linked in the description. Thanks again
01:30:48.369 --> 01:30:49.550
for listening. Thank you.
