Coronavirus In Minnesota: Shoreview Olympian Kyra Condie Training On Attic Climbing Wall
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Kyra Condie's Olympic dreams are on hold, for now.
"I've learned that I have really boring hobbies that I love. I've been doing so many puzzles, I've started knitting," Condie said.
Like many, this professional climber, and Shoreview native, is adjusting to life in isolation
"I've been sewing. It's like perfect for me, actually," she said.
RELATED: Shoreview's Kyra Condie Heading To Olympics In 1st-Ever Sport Climbing Competition
But unlike most of us, she's still training for the Olympics.
"I have a hangboard at my house, which is basically this wooden board with different grips on it, and you can keep maintaining finger strength and core workouts, pull-ups, stuff like that on it," Condie said.
But her hangboard is not enough. After the Olympic training gym in Salt Lake City shut down, she improvised, building her own climbing wall in her attic.
"It's really easy to do. A lot of body work at home, but it's harder to do that climbing specific stuff," she said.
Condie's invite to the Tokyo games will still count, and she's grateful she's a full-time professional athlete, unlike some Olympic hopefuls.
"There are a lot of people that are in harder situations than me, who put their whole life on hold, their careers on hold, or school on hold basically for 2020, and pushing it back is really hard on them," she said.
This speedbump on Condie's way to the games is an opportunity to persevere, with the mental strength of a world champion.
"Luckily, I really enjoy just training for training," she said. "I love the feeling of getting stronger and working hard, so I've been focusing on that and trying to get the true enjoyment out of the training."
The summer games will now be held next summer. About 57% of the athletes have already qualified.