Junior Loralye Stevenson competed in France on behalf of the USA Olympic Rock Climbing team. Stevenson competed in a combined competition which included speed, lead and bouldering. At the age of fifteen, Stevenson accepted the challenge her coach gave her to compete at an adult competition.
“I had to prepare my mindset for competing on a national level at only fifteen years old,” Stevenson said.“It was hard to compete against adults because they were bigger and stronger than me. They had so much more experience.”
At the age of eight, Stevenson began climbing and at the age of thirteen, she began competing. One night on a whim, her brother took her to a climbing gym to get out of the house and a new passion took hold. Little did her brother know, she would frequent that climbing gym for years after. She earned money in previous competitions she has won.
“The hardest part is keeping up with it and making sure your hands are all good and the cost in general because it is a really expensive sport to be in,” Steveson said.
To prepare for the competition, Stevenson trained four to five times a week and practiced a circuit workout. The athletes do dynamic climbs, static climbs and then a two-hour workout that ends in cardio. Stevenson’s coach felt motivated to help her train, as she wanted to witness Stevenson’s success.
“I had to use my prize money [from prior competitions] to go to France but I got paid for the flight and everything,” Stevenson said.
She anticipated placing in top twenty, but Stevenson won fourth place overall in her division. The competition in France was the largest competition Stevenson had ever competed in.
“I learned that you can’t let others bring you down and you have to do your own thing. You can’t worry whether someone did better than you,” Stevenson said.
