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"  Seventeen: Rock climbing is such a cool sport, but not one girls typically think to explore. How did you get into it? Sasha DiGiullian: I started rock climbing when I was seven at my brother&amp;#039;s birthday party. We went to a local climbing gym and I just really liked it. Going higher and higher was so exhilarating! I think it also helped that I was better than my brother. 17: How did you keep rock climbing after that? SD: I joined the local climbing center in Alexandria, Virginia where I live, and just started gradually going there at first once a week, then twice a week, and gradually more often. One day when I was nine, I walked into the climbing center and a competition was going on \u2014 a regional championship. I had no idea there even were climbing competitions! Even though I hadn&amp;#039;t done the previous competitions to qualify, the judges let me compete, and I won in my category! Then, I started investigating competitive rock climbing and started training more seriously. 17: Do you work in a team? SD: There is no team. It&amp;#039;s an individual sport and that&amp;#039;s what I really like about it. Your success is driven by yourself and you&amp;#039;re not dependent on anyone else. 17: How do you train for competitions? SD: I climb, run, and do ab workouts. I do basic strength-to-weight ratio workouts like pull-ups and push-ups. Climbing really works your upper body and core, so you want to have really strong abs and strength-to-weight ratio. 17: Do you climb both inside and outside? SD: I do most of my climbing outside. My biggest accomplishment was doing an 80-feet-steep climb in the Red River Gorge. The route was graded a 9A, which is the hardest any female has achieved. 17: What do you eat to give yourself the energy you need? SD: Some of my favorite breakfast foods are bananas, oatmeal, and eggs, and I bring energy bars to eat when I&amp;#039;m climbing. The night before a competition, I eat a big pasta dish to carb up so I have energy to climb. The most important thing to have after a workout is protein. My favorite form of protein is fish. I love salmon. The way your body reacts to what you eat makes it worth it to eat healthy. A lot of it is just listening to your body and knowing how to fuel your muscles and giving yourself the energy you need to perform your best. 17: You&amp;#039;ve got such long hair! What&amp;#039;s your go-to hairstyle when you work out? SD: The French braid. It is so key! It actually holds better when your hair is a little dirty, so after working out you can put your hair in a French braid and you look totally put together. 17: What beauty products do you stash in your gym bag? SD: Even though rock climbing is pretty rugged, I&amp;#039;m actually quite girly! I always like to have my nails painted, even when I&amp;#039;m climbing. My favorite color is hot pink. 17: Do you like guys that are as sporty as you are? SD: I go for sporty guys. I like guys who are self driven and confident in themselves. Head to Sasha&amp;#039;s website to check out her upcoming climbs. Are any of you rock climbers? Is it a sport you could see yourself getting into? Share your thoughts below! "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.seventeen.com/health/a18103/sasha-digiulian-rock-climbing/>