Interviewer:
And you may recognize the folks in front of you. We've got FrictionLabs Pro Alex Puccio and her beau, Robin O'Leary.
Robin O'Leary:
Hi.
Interviewer:
Our boy from the UK.
Robin O'Leary:
I'm from the UK. Yeah. It's sunnier here.
Interviewer:
FrictionLabs athlete, coach, man of the hour.
Alex Puccio:
Kind of a man of all trades.
Interviewer:
Man of all trades.
Alex Puccio:
You do everything.
Robin O'Leary:
Tackle them all, yeah.
Interviewer:
So we got the squad in the house. What's up? How are you guys doing?
Alex Puccio:
Pretty good. This is our first, well your first time at the OR Show in the US.
Robin O'Leary:
In Denver, yeah.
Alex Puccio:
In Denver.
Robin O'Leary:
So we've literally just come in so haven't had a look around-
Interviewer:
Okay.
Robin O'Leary:
... other than your booth.
Alex Puccio:
I mean this is the coolest booth so we don't have to look around anymore.
Interviewer:
Thank you. Thank you for that. Oh, it's... Well, we're psyched that you're here back in the States.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah. Back-
Interviewer:
Got to climb with Robin and Alex in Hueco this season.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah.
Interviewer:
It was really fun. And so it sounds like Alex is moving back to Colorado.
Alex Puccio:
Or I did move back.
Interviewer:
She's here.
Alex Puccio:
About a week ago or two weeks ago now.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah.
Alex Puccio:
Yay. I knew I would always end up back in Boulder.
Interviewer:
Puccio's back. We're psyched!
Alex Puccio:
Yeah, I... Except there's all boxes still. Actually, before we got here, my dressers got delivered in a million parts and we'll be putting that together this evening.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah. Fun times.
Interviewer:
Super fun.
Robin O'Leary:
Fun times.
Alex Puccio:
I know.
Interviewer:
Boyfriend project.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah. Straight from Salt Lake to here ... she fell asleep.
Interviewer:
We got a boyfriend project.
Alex Puccio:
This is real life.
Robin O'Leary:
Great company.
Alex Puccio:
I mean, climbing is fun but-
Interviewer:
Yeah.
Alex Puccio:
I need to adult. I need to do adulting things so-
Robin O'Leary:
We love making furniture so...
Alex Puccio:
No. We're really good at it. If you need to hire anyone, you can hire us now.
Interviewer:
Hire Robin for adulting.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah.
Alex Puccio:
Well, I mean, I can watch what. I read what to do and then he is the monkey that does it so-
Interviewer:
Okay, so you're a team.
Robin O'Leary:
That's how it works. That's how it works. Yeah.
Interviewer:
That could be your side hustle, putting together Ikea furniture.
Robin O'Leary:
I've got the spanner.
Alex Puccio:
I mean, we're pretty expensive, so...
Interviewer:
500 bucks an hour.
Robin O'Leary:
You can hire us now, I'll say.
Interviewer:
Yeah, chime in if you guys need some furniture built from Robin and Alex.
Alex Puccio:
It might fall apart but... Disclaimer, okay? So any of you know now.
Interviewer:
We're already got a shout out from DMC963 who says, "Well, Colorado is the best. So welcome back to Colorado." That's awesome, Alex. We're psyched to have you. What's first on the agenda, climbing-wise?
Alex Puccio:
Everyone always likes the question and as for me, it's honestly just to start hiking and get fit.
Interviewer:
Yeah.
Alex Puccio:
We did two days in The Park so far. Went to an easier day, which is the lowest part, which is Emerald Lake. And it was easy. It's fun for hiking.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah. I'm just getting used to the altitude.
Alex Puccio:
Yeah.
Interviewer:
Yeah. I'll bet you were, bro.
Robin O'Leary:
[inaudible]
Alex Puccio:
And then the next time-
Robin O'Leary:
I do two moves. I'm like...
Alex Puccio:
Oh no. Well, the next time was worse. Then me went to Upper. It's a lower and then upper that same day.
Interviewer:
What?
Alex Puccio:
And...
Interviewer:
Throwing him into the fire.
Alex Puccio:
Oh wait. I was... No he was doing better than me.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah. It's like one step forward, two steps sliding back.
Interviewer:
Really?
Alex Puccio:
Well, it's like the snow, so you're hiking up the snow and there's so much snow. I had my trekking poles and I had my hat on. I look like a real pro hiker for sure.
Interviewer:
Super pro.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah.
Alex Puccio:
And you're going up and I'm like, "Please wait for me. Please wait." So it was-
Robin O'Leary:
Until she stayed on our ass.
Alex Puccio:
It was like-
Interviewer:
Do you guys have the little ice trekkers that go on your shoe?
Alex Puccio:
No, we didn't have that. It kind of-
Interviewer:
That helps a lot.
Alex Puccio:
Didn't. I mean, in two weeks, three weeks, it'll be a lot of better.
Interviewer:
It'll be fine. You'll be fine.
Alex Puccio:
I mean it was fun.
Robin O'Leary:
Are we going to climb with you in The Park?
Interviewer:
Definitely.
Robin O'Leary:
Next month?
Interviewer:
I'm 100% ramped to climb with you guys.
Alex Puccio:
FrictionLabs team outing.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah. Nice.
Alex Puccio:
We're getting fit together.
Interviewer:
Yes.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah.
Alex Puccio:
But yeah, that's my agenda right now is to get fit.
Interviewer:
Okay.
Alex Puccio:
Climb outside. I've done a lot around the Front Range so I'm having some... I wouldn't even say really projects yet, things that I... It's like I've done everything at this certain level and for me to get to the next level, I want to be stronger than I was before and I'm not as fit as I was before. So it's like I need to build the steps back up.
Interviewer:
Well, you're still looking fit.
Alex Puccio:
Thanks.
Interviewer:
What is the top... What would be top priority though? Like what's top of your list?
Alex Puccio:
Like once I feel strong and ready?
Interviewer:
Once you feel strong and ready.
Alex Puccio:
Depending on when that happens, there's a few things in The Park, I guess, scattered around but I haven't tried or done yet. There's this new project or I guess this new climb that Giulano just put up on the Jade Boulder.
Interviewer:
Jade Boulder. Jade Boulder... So hot right now.
Alex Puccio:
So I mean I... For me, it's like I need to go see something, see if I can reach everything and if I can reach it, that means in my mind, it's like, "Okay, well, if I can't do the move, I just need to get stronger." So I'd like to check out that.
Interviewer:
Rad. It's a hike.
Alex Puccio:
I haven't been there yet. We'll see if I can survive the hike first.
Interviewer:
Have you already done Roundhouse?
Alex Puccio:
Roundhouse. Is that the 7C+?
Interviewer:
Yeah.
Alex Puccio:
Yeah, I've done the-
Interviewer:
Jimmy's Thing. Did you do Shining right by Roundhouse?
Alex Puccio:
Yes. There is another exit to the Shining.
Interviewer:
Yeah. That's really good.
Alex Puccio:
So there's all these other things scattered around that are... been put up over the last few years, so I'll just maybe go try those.
Interviewer:
Cool. That's awesome. Robin, what did you climb on your first trip to The Park?
Robin O'Leary:
She'd just show me around, so....
Interviewer:
Did you get on the The Kind? Did you do The Kind?
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah. We did that and then we did the... It's arete, like this V8 arete and what was that V7 route thing that was quite fun.
Interviewer:
It's Tiger Stripes probably.
Robin O'Leary:
Tiger Stripes. That's right.
Alex Puccio:
There we go. That's all Emerald and then Upper... Upper was buried. You couldn't... Oh no. Not Upper. Lower was buried. You couldn't even-
Interviewer:
Not much.
Alex Puccio:
You can't climb really.
Interviewer:
Tommy's dug out though, right?
Alex Puccio:
Yes.
Interviewer:
Did you guys do it?
Alex Puccio:
It was a weird landing because there was a hole.
Robin O'Leary:
There were these big crevasses.
Interviewer:
Yeah. It can get weird right now.
Alex Puccio:
Yeah.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah but it was fun.
Interviewer:
What'd you think? Was that your first time to The Park?
Robin O'Leary:
So it was really cool and then-
Interviewer:
Psych was high?
Robin O'Leary:
The fellow Brits were up there, weren't they?
Alex Puccio:
Yeah.
Interviewer:
Oh yeah. I saw you had a Brit squad.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah.
Alex Puccio:
We all went up to Top Notch.
Interviewer:
Oh good.
Alex Puccio:
That was fun. I try to repeat that one.
Interviewer:
That's such a good boulder.
Alex Puccio:
Yeah.
Interviewer:
Even the Top is so fun. I haven't done it from the start.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah.
Interviewer:
Doing those top moves.
Alex Puccio:
That move is the best move.
Robin O'Leary:
How fast were you?
Interviewer:
I've done everything except for that first move-
Robin O'Leary:
Be the best move.
Interviewer:
... down the Boulder, except I haven't done the Boulder.
Alex Puccio:
You did the cool part.
Interviewer:
Yeah.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah but I'm essentially just looking forward to being shown around.
Interviewer:
Good.
Robin O'Leary:
I come back on the 19th of July. I'll bring Matt Phillips, Paraclimber. So we do the World Champs in Briancon and then the next day we're flying out here.
Interviewer:
Sick.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah and I'm bringing another paraclimbing coach.
Interviewer:
Bring your oxygen.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah. Yeah. I can see some over there. I'm going to take some.
Interviewer:
You're eyeing it.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah. So I mean, I want to find some blocks that he can do and then yeah, just getting fit as well and rock shape.
Interviewer:
That'll be fun. For those of you who don't know, Robin is a Paraclimbing coach and coaches the National Paraclimbing Team.
Robin O'Leary:
Yes. So I coach the GB Paraclimbing Team.
Interviewer:
Cool.
Robin O'Leary:
I was a coach, some of the youth team and some of the senior team members.
Interviewer:
Rad.
Robin O'Leary:
And just general members of public that decide to climb. So-
Interviewer:
So how did you guys meet? Because Alex obviously isn't a Paraclimber, but what happened? Did you guys meet at... at some-
Robin O'Leary:
We met at the World Champs in Innsbruck.
Interviewer:
... bangers and mash. Where were you at?
Robin O'Leary:
We had some bangers and mash.
Alex Puccio:
I just liked that English accent, I guess. Give me an accent. I don't know.
Interviewer:
Oh damn.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah. Inside knowledge.
Alex Puccio:
Actually it was at... It was at the World Championships and I saw him and I was like, "Who's that new... "
Robin O'Leary:
She came onto me.
Alex Puccio:
He had a GB shirt on. I was like, "I know all the GB team. I haven't seen him before. Who's that?"
Robin O'Leary:
Who is this guy?
Alex Puccio:
And then-
Robin O'Leary:
And then her chat up line was that she missed the pie in the UK.
Alex Puccio:
It took me the whole 14 days until at the very end, after scouting him the whole time like, "Oh he's there."
Interviewer:
Yeah.
Alex Puccio:
Like I've been noticing and then I was like, I went up to say hi. And then basically that was it.
Robin O'Leary:
That's it and then we climbed the next day.
Alex Puccio:
Yeah.
Interviewer:
Robin. Robin wins the game. Robin's got some game.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah. She climbed with the Para Team and she was super nice and humble and just from there.
Interviewer:
Oh, that's cool. Hung with the other climbers.
Alex Puccio:
Actually the Paraclimber, like the whole Paraclimbing Team was older than you are so I went to climb with you and then I barely spent with him the whole time climbing.
Robin O'Leary:
I bet you I didn't even speak to her.
Alex Puccio:
It's just like-
Interviewer:
What? So then he ain't got no game. All right, well we got a lot of hearts coming in for that story. Thanks for sharing. That's super cool.
Interviewer:
Feel free to chime in folks if you have any questions for Alex and or Robin and a shout out from Zach Cole Three. He said that the... You and Daniel in the mellow video for Swizzy, it was sick.
Alex Puccio:
Thank you.
Interviewer:
He said, "That shit's sick."
Alex Puccio:
Yeah. That was a really fun dynamic because I've been Daniel's friend since I was 14 years old. We've gone on several trips together and kind of grew up in the competition scene together but never been on a month and a half long climbing trip. And it was funny because they said I was the mom in the house, which I had to pick up every morning. I'd made them pancakes and coffee.
Interviewer:
That was nice of you.
Alex Puccio:
I mean, and I don't know. I kind of liked doing that stuff so I'd be the organizer for sure. But I have to say Daniel is one of the most humble and amazing people to go to go on a climbing trip with and for how strong he is being one of the best climbers in the world-
Interviewer:
Hands down.
Alex Puccio:
Every time we went to my project as well, he'd split the day up and he would be so helpful and I wouldn't even expect it. He'd be like, "Here, try this," or power spot me, put the pads down.
Robin O'Leary:
Brush the holds. Yeah.
Alex Puccio:
Brush the holds off. He was so nice and amazing to be with. And I think that was really cool. And he'd just be sitting not doing anything for a couple of hours and then we would trade, and then I'd go to his project with him and then do the same thing and it was a really awesome dynamic. So...
Interviewer:
Good.
Alex Puccio:
Yeah.
Interviewer:
That's not easy to find even with-
Alex Puccio:
No.
Interviewer:
... not world-class climbers.
Alex Puccio:
Yeah. I mean-
Robin O'Leary:
She's the Dream Team.
Interviewer:
And with world-class climbers.
Alex Puccio:
Climbing is kind of a self... It's an individual sport and it can be quite selfish.
Interviewer:
Yeah.
Alex Puccio:
I think people can be selfish without realizing it and not trying to be.
Interviewer:
Sure.
Alex Puccio:
Even though I'm not trying to be mean and we're all guilty of it from time to time at least. But I think that was really cool because I think especially becoming a professional athlete in probably any sport, you have to be a little bit more selfish at times.
Interviewer:
Definitely.
Alex Puccio:
If you're training or climbing, whatever you want to do to get to where you are, you have to be really focused and dedicated. But I mean, I think you need to have a balance too and climbing with him on that trip, like I know yes, I think I'm strong, but they're like a whole other level and we're not always on the same climb. So I didn't know how it was going to go, but it was like really amazing. So I enjoyed that trip a lot.
Interviewer:
Very cool to hear. Very cool to hear. Shouts to D Woods for being a homie and supporting everybody and-
Alex Puccio:
Yeah. He's in Brazil right now.
Interviewer:
He is a machine that is... He's so strong. So here's a question for Alex and this is coming from Andre Ziu? Andre Vu. Andre Vu. What do you think of Daniel's tattoo?
Alex Puccio:
Oh my gosh.
Interviewer:
Great question.
Robin O'Leary:
Great question.
Interviewer:
Great question, Andre.
Alex Puccio:
I mean, would I get it? No, but that's my personal... Like it's not... But I also wouldn't get a neck tattoo or whatever, but it's like, I think it's cool that he... And I think I'm a very nonjudgmental person. So not even like... I haven't even made a single joke about it or anything because it's like some people are going to love it. Some people are going to hate it and that's just Daniel and he does what he wants to do.
Robin O'Leary:
He's doesn't mind either. It's cool.
Alex Puccio:
And I think that's cool and that's just him and his individuality and he's not going to... If someone is like, "I'm not going to like that," he doesn't care.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah.
Interviewer:
Sure.
Alex Puccio:
So I think that's awesome and I respect him.
Interviewer:
Yeah. He's just going to do what he's going to do and it's all good. It's all good.
Alex Puccio:
So I think, yeah, I've heard so much talk, but I'm like, "I really don't have an opinion." I'm like, "I see him all the same." I'm like, "That's awesome. Like you're not going to let other people influence you to or not to do something if you want to do it." So...
Interviewer:
I asked Matt Gentile about it. Matt's got a bunch of tattoos and he thought it was sick.
Robin O'Leary:
Nice.
Interviewer:
He thought it turned out really well because it looked so real.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah, everyone says it looks so real.
Alex Puccio:
Oh my gosh. It does look real. I think as tattoos go, just like pieces of art, I think it's really well done and it looked really realistic and cool. So the picture's really nice.
Interviewer:
It's pretty sick. All right. We got some other questions coming in. Oh yeah. Let's just let D Dubs be D Dubs, you know what I mean? It's all good. Zach Cole Three. How well do you know Shawn Raboutou? Good question.
Alex Puccio:
I know him, I get pretty well in some regards. I coached him for a little while on Team ABC when I was coaching there. He's kind of un-coachable. I will say it. He was one of the... And he knows it. I had to kick him out of practice a couple of times and he was the class clown. He came to practice to goof off because he's like, "I know, I don't learn anything or be here. I'm really strong." And you know, you're young, one, and he just, he's a boy and he was 15 and so he just wanted to be cool and be the class clown. And I'm like, "Oh my God, Shawn, you're making my life hell right now."
Robin O'Leary:
And I've heard people say the same thing about you.
Alex Puccio:
Whatever.
Robin O'Leary:
Unteachable.
Interviewer:
Truth. Truth.
Alex Puccio:
Maybe it's like... Whatever. I remember texting Robin like, what do I do? And he's like, "Kick him out of practice." I'm like... So he like made my life hell a little bit, but I actually really enjoy climbing with them once I wasn't coaching him anymore. And we're actually just... peers. We're climbing together, having fun. He is so humble as well.
Interviewer:
Nice.
Alex Puccio:
He doesn't go after something just for the grade or tries to find something that he can do with a hard number attached to it. I mean, of course we want to push ourselves and find the next challenge for us, but he's super low key, super humble and he just climbs because he loves climbing and does what he wants to do so I think he's a lot like Daniel in that way except he still is that goofball and class clown. He'll always have that. He's the trickster. He likes to make jokes and stuff and sometimes he can be like that annoying little brother.
Alex Puccio:
I even see Daniel and him. Daniel's like, "Yeah, he just started punching me or doing something or poking at me," and Daniel will push him down on the ground. He'll be like, "Leave me alone."
Interviewer:
[inaudible]
Robin O'Leary:
Alpha male.
Alex Puccio:
Yeah. It was just so funny but Shawn just likes to joke around with people.
Interviewer:
Just being himself.
Alex Puccio:
Yeah.
Interviewer:
That's cool.
Alex Puccio:
He's funny. I like him.
Interviewer:
That's good.
Alex Puccio:
I really respect his climbing, so...
Interviewer:
Yeah. Very talented. Comes from Didier and Robyn.
Robin O'Leary:
The genes. The genes, yeah.
Interviewer:
That's the genes right there. Yeah.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah.
Interviewer:
Here's a question for both of you from Sleep Lock Powder. Thank you, Sleep Block Powder. Oh, we'll get, sorry, we'll get to you Sleep Block Powder. This is from Luis in Block and Luis asked, "Do you have a timetable for nutrition before, during and after competition?" So maybe we start with Robin and then come over to Alex.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah, it's interesting. See, I've worked with a lot of youth climbers, and competition climbers. When it comes to nutrition, I always think it's best to seek out professional advice. All of the athletes I've worked with and they say, "Hey, I need some help with my nutrition." The intensity of the training or this, that and the other has increased. I always refer them straight to a nutritionist or dietitian].
Interviewer:
So talk to a nutritionist.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah, I think so. Anything that I give would just be my opinion and at the moment there's so many different opinions of this diet and that diet.
Interviewer:
Yeah. Yeah.
Robin O'Leary:
I don't think I know enough, to be honest, to say this is the right answer. And I know some people love having a good breakfast before for a competition. etc.
Interviewer:
Got it.
Robin O'Leary:
And some people like having less to eat.
Interviewer:
Yeah.
Robin O'Leary:
How about you?
Interviewer:
Yeah, how about you, Alex? You have a timetable? I know that you, no matter where we're at, even in El Paso, you're looking for Whole Foods, so...
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah, that's the basic diet.
Alex Puccio:
I mean, if you eat at Whole Foods, it has to be healthier, right?
Robin O'Leary:
She's got an app that tells her.
Alex Puccio:
I think that was the worst marketing strategy they could ever have done is when they started putting the calorie count and all their desserts. You're like, "Why do you do that?" I remember-
Robin O'Leary:
There's vegan cookies.
Alex Puccio:
Well this is a funny thing because there are vegan chocolate chip cookies. I'm not vegan. The vegan chocolate chip cookies from Whole Foods are so much better than the normal ones.
Interviewer:
Yeah.
Alex Puccio:
I think they add more sugar or something.
Robin O'Leary:
It's true. Have you had one?
Interviewer:
They're good.
Robin O'Leary:
So good.
Alex Puccio:
I remember I used to keep track of... In my diary of my calorie count for the day and write down everything that I did eat. Just to know. Not to like stop myself from eating, but more just to keep note of how I'm eating, especially when I'm training harder. And I remember I would just guess on things and I'd be like, "Oh, one cookie. 150 to 200 calories." And then they started putting calorie counts on things and it'd be like, it's 400. And I was like-
Interviewer:
Overwhelming.
Alex Puccio:
Yeah. Well, then it was just so-
Robin O'Leary:
I had two yesterday, so...
Alex Puccio:
Yeah. And then it'd be like a treat or something. I would just make stuff up and I was like, "Wow, I was real wrong on everything." I could have added a thousand calories for my day, like what I actually took in. But I just love sweets. So for me it's like trying to... I say everything in moderation is the best.
Interviewer:
Yeah.
Robin O'Leary:
What about for a comp day?
Interviewer:
Yeah, for a comp.
Alex Puccio:
For a comp, I still say the same. Okay. So I like to do everything in moderation but if I had to climb in the morning, I don't like to have... I like to eat something but I don't want to be sitting heavy.
Robin O'Leary:
Stodgy.
Alex Puccio:
So maybe a tiny-
Interviewer:
What's a typical breakfast before comp?
Alex Puccio:
I'd say normal of maybe a couple scrambled eggs.
Interviewer:
Okay. Some protein in there. Nice.
Alex Puccio:
And then maybe a little side of like oatmeal and berries.
Interviewer:
Okay.
Alex Puccio:
I always have my coffee in the morning. I just love coffee. I can't do anything without coffee. Like two to three a day at the least.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah. You don't want to speak to her before she's had her coffee.
Alex Puccio:
First thing, a good... Coffee. But yeah, coffee / breakfast ... And then try to hydrate as much as possible.
Interviewer:
Cool.
Alex Puccio:
Afterwards... During competition, I feel like you expend more energy because you're just, you're nervous, you're trying harder, you're warming up and then you're climbing and so I think, I mean how I feel least I'm so much more hungry.
Interviewer:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Alex Puccio:
Even if I do a competition you think, "Oh, well it's only five boulders per round." So if you're in training session, you're like... You think you're going to be burning more energy but maybe you do or maybe it's the same. I'm not sure. I just feel it after a competition. I'm way more hungry than I am after just a two or three hour training session.
Interviewer:
Sure.
Alex Puccio:
So I think there's a lot to go into that. And so after, I try to be gluten-free. I'd say gluten-less. I am so... I mean, maybe I won't eat pasta or something for dinner, but it'll like have sweet potatoes or rice or like I usually try to have a carb in the evening, like a protein, carb and vegetables.
Robin O'Leary:
Not too heavy.
Interviewer:
So sounds pretty balanced but not too heavy.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah.
Alex Puccio:
Yeah, and then have... I'll even have cookies and cake or whatever when I'm climbing as well and-
Interviewer:
Just to get some calories in there.
Alex Puccio:
Yeah or just because I like it and it makes me happy.
Interviewer:
Oh shit.
Alex Puccio:
So good.
Robin O'Leary:
Yup. Yup.
Interviewer:
Okay. So listen to your body. Stay hydrated, Luis. And it sounds like Alex's beta is a little bit lighter than normal so you're not going with any kind of gut-bombing.
Alex Puccio:
Yeah, because then you just want to sleep sometimes if you're overfull. You're just like, "I'm going to pass out."
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah, in your food comas.
Interviewer:
Just chilling. Thank you so much. That's awesome. Awesome beta. And, oh from Bad Bad Dank 27-
Robin O'Leary:
Bad Dank.
Interviewer:
... asks, "How did you like the Earth Treks Inglewood comp?"
Alex Puccio:
It was really cool. It was an interesting format that I've not done before, but it was like you didn't feel it was cool to have all these athletes come together and not have the pressure of being like, "Oh I want to win," or "I want to do this," because no one really won or lost.
Interviewer:
Yeah.
Robin O'Leary:
So the format for those who don't know, you have five boulders, right?
Alex Puccio:
So there's five men boulders, five female boulders in each boulder problem... So all 10 boulder problems had $500 attached to it. And so every girl that it'll say did each boulder problem that... So boulder one, if there's five people to do it, that 500 got divided between all five so you would each make a hundred.
Interviewer:
Oh. Cool. That's fun.
Alex Puccio:
So it goes the same for the guys then the same for the girls. And then if you're the first person to top the boulder, there's a little green tag at the top and you took that and it was like an extra hundred dollar bonus.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah. Yeah.
Alex Puccio:
But they were hard. Only three boulders out of our five got done.
Interviewer:
Yeah.
Alex Puccio:
I was the only one to do one of them then so I made all of the money in that one, just lucky and it was... That was nice.
Interviewer:
Matt Fultz said the boulders were really hard.
Robin O'Leary:
Really hard.
Alex Puccio:
They were so hard. And then this other one, one of ours, almost everyone did, I think. And then in the third one that got done, three people did, so, and then the other two, no one... Yeah.
Interviewer:
So you walked away with...
Alex Puccio:
700.
Interviewer:
700 bucks? Nice.
Alex Puccio:
Yeah, it was not too bad.
Interviewer:
That's pretty good.
Alex Puccio:
It was there. It was fun.
Robin O'Leary:
She spent it at Whole Foods.
Alex Puccio:
Well-
Interviewer:
Straight to Whole Foods.
Alex Puccio:
Paycheck.
Robin O'Leary:
That was just two stops at Whole Foods.
Interviewer:
Cookies.
Alex Puccio:
But I think, yeah, it was crazy. Like some people, Allison Vest, her fingers were bleeding so bad.
Interviewer:
Really?
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah.
Alex Puccio:
It was gross and they were just bleeding at the end.
Interviewer:
Just the new holds or what?
Alex Puccio:
Yeah. And the volumes and everything and you're just like... They were-
Interviewer:
That texture.
Alex Puccio:
Pissing blood. It was so gross.
Robin O'Leary:
A good problem, and a cool wall, eh? Everything was awesome.
Alex Puccio:
Yeah, oh the Gym is designed really well.
Interviewer:
Yeah, that Gym's crazy, right?
Robin O'Leary:
Huge.
Alex Puccio:
It was our first time there and it's so big.
Interviewer:
55,000 square feet. It's the biggest gym in North America right now.
Alex Puccio:
Oh, wow.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah.
Alex Puccio:
Yeah. We didn't even see all of it.
Robin O'Leary:
It's massive.
Interviewer:
Cavernous. It's cavernous.
Alex Puccio:
We only saw part of it.
Robin O'Leary:
You get lost in that.
Alex Puccio:
I'd have just liked to go there and check it out again. And I'll definitely be training at some point when I... going to do some more competitions. But I mean, I'll climb mostly outside for a while and then maybe a few weeks before competition start training inside for it and then maybe training at more gyms.
Interviewer:
Yeah. Yeah. It's fun. We have so many options now on the front range to go climbing. It's crazy.
Alex Puccio:
I know. Too many. A little bit.
Interviewer:
So we had this... We had this question yesterday. Do you ever feel like maybe the climbers should just be all together, men and women should be climbing on the same boulders?
Alex Puccio:
I mean, I think it'd be cool to like do a few more competitions that are kind of like that to see how it goes.
Interviewer:
Do you ever look at the men's problems and you're like, "Man, I really want to try that."?
Alex Puccio:
Well, I used to do the guy's problems even after our comps were over and not to show them up or anything. I just think they look cool. But I think one of the biggest things is that the average height difference between men and women you even see in competitions like World Cups, especially like the shortest men that are the height of some women that are like the guys are 5'5" sometimes they get hosed on the boulder problems.
Interviewer:
That's a great point. Matt Fultz has a 6'4" ape.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah. Morphology. He's massive.
Alex Puccio:
So I think it's just-
Interviewer:
It's insane.
Alex Puccio:
... a little, yeah, and I think if they, the setters would have to set in a way that wasn't about height really or equal it out with... And I think it's hard when you do a dyno, of course, if you're taller, the dynos are not going to be so far, so the average height for women is way shorter than average height for guys. I think that's going to become... Yeah, that's the biggest challenge.
Interviewer:
So that's the tricky part then. It's not just about inclusivity. It's more about how do we set for everybody.
Robin O'Leary:
You just have to be able to do techy slabs.
Alex Puccio:
Oh no. No. No. No. And I don't want a bunch of techy slabs. I'm actually not that bad at some-
Interviewer:
Just all slabs!
Alex Puccio:
... but still, it's like, I do like a slab-
Robin O'Leary:
I like a slab but every block is a slab.
Alex Puccio:
But I want some power in there. I just want it to be...
Interviewer:
Yeah, buddy.
Alex Puccio:
Yeah, and so, I don't know. I think it could be... I just think it'd be cool to have a couple of competitions a year that you integrate the men and the women's category together and then have a showcase. I think that'd be cool.
Interviewer:
Yeah, showcase. That's a good way to put it. This comes from Sleepwalk Powder. She says, "What's up Alex and Robin. Awesome to see you in OKC. Thanks for swinging through and doing some camps."
Robin O'Leary:
Oh. Oklahoma.
Alex Puccio:
Oklahoma.
Robin O'Leary:
That was fun. Yeah. Yeah, we did some coaching clinics.
Interviewer:
Oh, sorry. It's a dude, Sleepwalk Powder.
Robin O'Leary:
Sleepwalk Powder.
Interviewer:
Anyways, he said, "Thank you."
Robin O'Leary:
It was awesome.
Alex Puccio:
That was really fun. It was a really nice gym in Oklahoma.
Robin O'Leary:
Threshold Gym. Yeah.
Interviewer:
Zack Cole Three asks, "Chipotle" question mark.
Alex Puccio:
Chipotle? I do like Chipotle. Chipotle's good.
Robin O'Leary:
I went a couple of week ago, yeah.
Alex Puccio:
I've introduced him to Chipotle and it's a good great late night thing where it's like when you don't... You're like-
Robin O'Leary:
When Whole Foods is closed.
Alex Puccio:
Yeah, when Whole Foods closed. It's a good second option.
Interviewer:
Okay. Last question and we'll wrap her up here. Thank you so much both for taking the time.
Robin O'Leary:
And thank you.
Interviewer:
Luis and Block asked again another question from Luis. "Do you have mental suggestions for a 10 year old boy climbing in lead, so he doesn't have to be so nervous before a competition?" Yeah. What's your mental prep or-
Robin O'Leary:
It's a good question. 10 year olds as well.
Interviewer:
Yeah.
Alex Puccio:
Yeah, I mean, so I started when I was 13 so... But I think it's all the same... When you start, honestly, no matter how old you are. I think it's like, for me I was always super nervous. I'm still super nervous to realize I like to say, well, don't ever expect the nerves to go away because I get that question asked all the time when I'm coaching clinics, like privates, whatever. The kids, adults, anyone, especially trying to get into competition, how do you deal with nerves, make them go away?
Alex Puccio:
Well, first of all, I don't think they'll ever go away. Ask any professional climber. They're always nervous or a professional athlete doing competitions. It's how you use that nervousness and I think we direct that energy into your performance. So maybe go out there and think things like, "Okay, it's fine if the competition doesn't go my way this time." Go out there and try to have fun like you do in a training session and realize there'll be another competition, no matter how good or bad you do, there'll be another one and then another one.
Alex Puccio:
So knowing that, for me, took the pressure off of that single competition I was at. I'm like, "Okay, well, even if I bomb this one, there'll be another one," and that's okay. So that allowed me to relax a little bit more, have more freedom in my climbing and I think mentally, just not have all my eggs in one basket because there are so many baskets to put your eggs in. You can keep on.
Interviewer:
Keep on.
Alex Puccio:
Yeah, just going. And it's-
Interviewer:
Keep on going. That's cool. That's a good way to look at it.
Alex Puccio:
I mean, that's what I told myself and really believed it when I was young and I still say that now and I just turned 30 so the years go by so fast. But yeah, I'm still saying that.
Interviewer:
Alex Puccio 30.
Alex Puccio:
So yeah, just keep on trying to do your best at every competition and have fun with it. I think if you're having fun then that's going to keep you going and psyched to do the next one and next one.
Interviewer:
Nice.
Robin O'Leary:
It's a good question. Yeah, I work with a lot 10 year olds that are competition climbers and it's a tough time for them because there's the same that they put so much pressure on themselves. But I think like Alex said, you always have to expect, like game preparation, expect to be nervous, but the preparation is key. Just doing comp simulation and all of the training that goes through. A lot of the most successful kids in the UK have this mentality when they're going into a competition... "Some of the routes have been the best routes that I'll ever try." So it's like when you go to the gym, you've got a new set. You're like, "Oh my God, this is exciting."
Interviewer:
Yeah.
Robin O'Leary:
So yeah, you're going to be nervous, but you're going to be climbing on some of the best problems, best routes. Super fun.
Interviewer:
That's a cool way to think about it because I know a lot of surfers get real excited when they go to contest because in their heats, there's-
Robin O'Leary:
Good breaks.
Interviewer:
... usually maximum four people out there and usually and sometimes just two and your surfing the best waves in the world that are usually super crowded and you get to surf pipeline with two people out. So that's a really cool way to look at it.
Alex Puccio:
Yeah.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah. It's not a bad thought. Brand new and the coolest holds...
Interviewer:
That you get to climb on really good routes that are brand new.
Alex Puccio:
That is what I tell myself. That's another part of what I tell myself as well.
Interviewer:
I love it.
Alex Puccio:
I always think it's not me against so and so.
Interviewer:
Yeah.
Robin O'Leary:
It's true, yeah.
Alex Puccio:
It's not me against this person or that person so take that part away from it. It's me against the climb. Like if you go out there and you do all your climbs, you do it in the first try, you're going to win. So regardless of how this person or that person does, it does not matter whatsoever.
Robin O'Leary:
It's not about them.
Interviewer:
I love it.
Alex Puccio:
And it's just like these setters come here to set these cool challenges for you so think of every climb as a challenge and you want to try to beat that challenge.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah.
Interviewer:
Awesome. Really great question Luis.
Robin O'Leary:
Good advice.
Interviewer:
Thank you so much. Thank you both for the advice.
Robin O'Leary:
Thank you.
Interviewer:
I want to give you guys our new base layer.
Alex Puccio:
Sweet. Thank you.
Interviewer:
Alcohol Free Secret Stuff.
Robin O'Leary:
Thank you very much. Yeah, I love this stuff.
Interviewer:
It takes about 90 seconds to dry. Put it on before anything else and it goes on. It stays on like paint.
Robin O'Leary:
It's the alcohol-free one.
Alex Puccio:
Here. You can try it now.
Interviewer:
Yeah.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah. It's been my favorite.
Interviewer:
What are you, are you a chunky or a fine type?
Robin O'Leary:
I'm the Bam Bam.
Interviewer:
You're a Bam Bam?
Robin O'Leary:
I'm the chunky little fella.
Interviewer:
I think Alex is a Bam Bam too.
Alex Puccio:
No way. I'm Gorilla Grip.
Robin O'Leary:
She's Gorilla Grip.
Interviewer:
Oh really?
Alex Puccio:
He's Bam Bam.
Interviewer:
All right. Thank you, ma'am.
Robin O'Leary:
Thank you very much. It's good stuff.
Interviewer:
And some Gorilla. So that's what's up. Thanks everybody for tuning in.
Robin O'Leary:
Cool. Thanks, man.
Interviewer:
Yeah, of course.
Alex Puccio:
Thank you.
Interviewer:
Of course. Alex Puccio, give her a follow. What is it? Nine time, 10 time world... National Champ?
Alex Puccio:
It's 11. Something like that.
Interviewer:
11 time National Champ. How many World Cups?
Alex Puccio:
Two.
Interviewer:
Two World Cups. That's so sick though. Man, those world cups look so hard. And then Robin is the GB Paraclimbing coach so-
Robin O'Leary:
That's what we'll be doing, more clinics out here in the future.
Alex Puccio:
Yeah.
Interviewer:
Clinics together. That seemed really cool.
Alex Puccio:
Yeah.
Robin O'Leary:
Keep an eye out.
Alex Puccio:
It's lots of fun.
Interviewer:
Awesome. Thank you so much. Thanks everybody for tuning in.
Alex Puccio:
Bye guys.
Interviewer:
Again, we're here at the FrictionLabs booth at Outdoor Retail, day three. It is winding down. Thank the Lord Jesus, because I'm really tired. Anyways, thanks so much squad.
Alex Puccio:
Thank you.
Robin O'Leary:
Yeah, thanks for all the cheers.
Interviewer:
And we out.
Robin O'Leary:
Peace.
Alex Puccio:
Sweet.
Robin O'Leary:
Thanks, man.
Interviewer:
Okay, let's go and get you guys some food.
