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.

Guest links:

Nekaia’s Instagram

Sovarae’s Instagram

Reference links:

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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