Sport climbing is a massively-popular event that's among the newest Olympic sports, having debuted in Tokyo three years ago. You're pitted against a field of world-class opponents, against unforgiving time, and against gravity. It's a test of crafted physical strength and rapid problem solving.

Olivia Banez with Guam Climbing told KUAM Sports, "If you're willing to put in the work to make your forearms and your fingers strong, those are the things that you really need for climbing that you don't really get in other sports."

Your objective is to negotiate a daunting three-dimensional course where the obstacles are constantly modified and repositioned, so you could train 10,000 times at the same gym and never face the same wall twice. Michael Khan, who co-founded Guam Climbing with Olivia's husband Noah, said, "The climbing community is very small, so they're very tight. They know each other - when they come here they climb and then they sit down, rest for a little bit, and then climb again. So during that period when you're resting, you're actually like talking to other people and making sure that you know how to finish an obstacle."

And Vicky Ysrael, a member of our Guam National Climbing Team, added, "This is an amazing growing sport, so it's going to be really cool to see some Island folks be able to climb, because it's in our blood."

It's also insanely addictive to watch – and supporters in the ground-level gallery get HYPE.

Olivia Banez added, "Any body type can do it, but the best one is probably a bit taller. A good body weight-to-strength ratio, like you're more skinny but you're more strong. That's kind of hard to accomplish though, so even if you're a bit bulkier, if you have bustle you can still get up the wall pretty well."

And iron sharpens iron, so our roadmap to the Olympics means getting international reps under out belt, leveling-up our caliber, and building community. it's no surprise that the latter is where we're already shining.

Ysrael is doing her part to develop the sport with participation, conditioning and attitude, saying, "It means a lot to be able to be a female to represent the climbing community. It's huge for me because honestly, females are really strong, and we're here to prove that."

So we're looking at Los Angeles in 2028 to send a team to the Olympics.