Winning Look
The Latina athlete on lucky scrunchies, pre-game rituals, and competing in the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Shes embracing her tried-and-true life motto: smile and fight.
Did you ever think you’d be going to the Olympics?
I didn’t think it would ever be in the Olympics.
How does that feel?
It’s really exciting to just know that I’m testing out a new format.
[Im] excited to be one of the first to try it.
Can you walk me through your training?
How do you prep for the Olympics?
I’ve been trying to train like I would for any other year.
I can overthink, and doubt creeps in.
So, Im just trying to improve and be the best that I can be.
Have you had to deal with any sexism being a woman in a male-dominated sport?
[What Ive seen are differences] at the gym around people who dont really know about climbing.
I bet we could do that.
Id love to see you on this.
Can you tell me a little about your concept of using joy as a performance hack?
2021 was my first year doing the World Cup circuit.
I was just enjoying what I was doing.
After that I started smiling a lot more.
I use it to focus on the present moment.
How do you cope with failure?
Failure can be really hard.
It [helps to remember] it was one competition.
It doesn’t define who you are, it doesn’t mean you’re a bad climber.
You have another one in a week let’s stay positive and see what happens.
Maybe that was a big thing.
Last year it was over-training.
Is it hard as a competitive athlete to do less?
I feel like in climbing I’m used to doing more.
Having a roommate who is very aware about the importance of rest has been really helpful.
How do you take care of your mental health when dealing with the pressures of competing?
I want to have a good mindset.
So thinking positively, but being able to talk to my mom.
I tell her everything and it’s really nice to have her support when it comes to that.
What does it mean to represent Latinas in the climbing world?
Even if no one looks like you, that shouldn’t be a reason not to do it.
How do you hope your career will help inspire others to follow their dreams?
Climbing can be really rough on your hands.
How do you protect them?
Do you have any balms or lotions that you swear by?
There’s a climbing lotion calledRhino Skin Repair.
I often use that if my skin is thin.
They also have other products that can hydrate your skin, so that’s typically who I go to.
And I never put lotion on my hands.
I put lotion on my body twice a day, but I always wear gloves.
[Lotions] can make your skin soft and I don’t want soft skin.
It ruins the callous.
How does your beauty routine empower you before you compete?
I love doing my hair.
And sometimes I’ll put on hoops just because they make me feel good.
What’s going through your head while you’re putting your hair up before a competition?
I sometimes have to redo it a couple times.
My hair can be weird.
Do you have a scrunchie for the Olympics or a bow?
I do not have one yet.
I go through phases, so we’ll see.
It was this red velvet scrunchie for a long, long time.
Even though I had so many, I still always picked that one.
But it no longer speaks to me.
It’s had its time.
For the competition where I qualified for the Olympics, I brought back my first bow from 2021.
Do you have any pre-climbing skin care rituals the night before a competition?
I always kind of do the same skin care.
What are some of your favorite skin care products?
Olay has amorning vitamin C lotionthat smells pretty good, like oranges.
And then they have a nightly lotion and then a serum.
So I’ve been testing all that out the past week or two.
I have usedLubriderm body lotionfor too many years to count!
What does self-care mean to you?
Self-care means listening to my body physically and mentally.
What does “game face” mean to you?
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
