friendly
competition
competition
On the competition floor, there are no friends. Right? Climbing is an individualized sport that not only requires deliberate mental and physical execution but careful and constant calculation of your competition’s, too. It would be easy to show up, perform, and collect your medals without so much as a word exchanged, but Kyra Condie and Alex Johnson’s relationship is far from that; it’s had many different facets over the years: coach/athlete, competitors, teammates, training partners, and finally, friends.
“I'm definitely a lone wolf by personality, in life and in training, and have always preferred to climb or train alone, or only with people in my close circle, but there was definitely a moment that sort of hit me in the face realizing we were both training and working towards the same goal—and that it was possible that we could both achieve it. For me, that was when we became allies in my mind.” -AJ
PROUD COACH
“Kyra has some of the most impressive strength I've seen, specifically her hands and fingers—it blows me out of the water. She also works harder than anyone I know. If it takes her 18 attempts to get to the top of something in a four-minute round, so be it, she'll get to the top in 18 attempts, but she will get to the top. From the day I met her (I think she was 11) I always said she had huge potential, and I saw something super raw in her, and she's really living up to it. Her dedication outshine anyone, and the hours she puts in show that.” -AJ
“I think Alex is really good at making people feel heard and included. As a coach, Alex always did a wonderful job making me feel like a peer and not just another kid at the gym. I remember having conversations with her when I was 11 or 12 where she made me feel super accepted in the world of climbing and competitions.” -KC
“I’ve always admired Alex’s want to win. I think in the past, I’ve been a bit ashamed of my own competitiveness and pushed down my outward want to win, but in reality, at these competitions, we are all competitors—of course we want to win—competitions would lose their value if we didn’t all have that want. Alex has taught me to embrace that competitiveness without losing any integrity.” -KC
“SHE HAS AN UNWAVERING CONFIDENCE IN HERSELF, HER TRAINING, AND HER INNATE ABILITIES THAT ALLOWS HER TO COMPETE AT HER FULL CAPACITY, AND EVEN SOMETIMES ABOVE HER FULL CAPACITY DURING COMPETITIONS. HER COMP HEAD-GAME IS RIVALED BY FEW OTHERS AND IS REALLY IMPRESSIVE AND FUN TO WATCH.” -KC
IN IT TOGETHER
“This entire past season, we talked strategy, shared recovery tools and protein packs, brought stuff for each other overseas if someone forgot something, and if one advanced into semi-finals and one didn't, we could separate our own disappointment to be there to support the other.” -AJ
“Qualifying rounds at world cups are always split into two different groups, each one climbing on completely different problems, and Kyra and I were always in different groups. This allowed us to truly root for the other, as our individual performances had no effect on each other. We could grow a stronger friendship towards each other and just be teammates.” -AJ
STRENGTHENING EACH OTHER
“Kyra is stronger than me, it's a quantifiable scientific fact, so I have to rely on movement and strategy to do things that she can power or pull through. That definitely makes it fun and interesting for us climbing and training together, but I think in a cool way.” -AJ
“One of my favorite parts about the 2019 season was getting to know Alex so much better and being able to call her one of my best friends.” -KC
“KYRA IS LOYAL AND RESPECTFUL, SUPER SENSITIVE, EMPATHETIC, AND HAS A BIG HEART. IF THERE'S EVEN THE CHANCE SHE MAY HAVE HURT SOMEONE'S FEELINGS, IT EATS AWAY AT HER UNTIL SHE FIXES IT. SHE'S A NATURAL LEADER, BUT IS ALSO FULLY CAPABLE OF ADMITTING WHEN SHE ISN'T AN EXPERT ON A TOPIC AND CAN TAKE CUES, LISTEN, LEARN, AND GROW. SHE ALWAYS STANDS FOR WHAT SHE BELIEVES IN, EVEN IF IT COULD CAUSE WAVES. SHE'S A GOOD FRIEND WHO MAKES HERSELF AVAILABLE IF ANYONE NEEDS HER.” -AJ
“I think what's so special about climbing, is that you can be really competitive but not towards people, more so with your own self, or against a climb. The grit, fight, and try-hard have to do with wanting to get to the top, and wanting to perform, rather than wanting to beat someone or wanting someone else to fail or do poorly. And if you’re lucky, you get to share and be supported by allies who are in that same pursuit.” -AJ
