May 16, 2013 by Johnie Gall

Growing up in Arizona, Sierra Blair-Coyle frequented the local outdoor mall. Unlike most young girls, however, it wasn’t the promise of a new pair of jeans that drew her there—it was a rock-climbing wall. At age 8, Blair-Coyle began climbing routes that would eventually lead to a spot on her local climbing gym’s team and send her hurtling toward a career as competitive rock climber. And make no mistake: Sierra climbs to win. She was the youngest qualifier for the 2010 World Cup and just last year placed seventh at the 2012 American Bouldering Series Nationals. There’s no doubt about it: the 19-year-old Arizona State University sophomore is having a moment.

“My biggest professional goal is to help climbing become more mainstream,” Blair-Coyle tells Grind, noting that there’s been an increase in climbers over the past few years. And perhaps it has something to do with Sierra, who certainly seems to have captured the attention of other young, female climbers. And why not? The stunning blonde—who prefers to climb in shorts and a sports bra, a ribbon in her hair—looks like your average college student. She gives an intimidating sport a friendly face and an “if I can do it, so can you” approachability, a combination that makes her a perfect ambassador for Roxy’s Outdoor Fitness collection, an opportunity that allows her to share her climbing knowledge through blog posts for the surfwear brand and partake in photo shoots in remote locations.

“The highlight of my career was deep-water soloing in Maui,” Blair-Coyle says of her most recent jaunt with the Roxy team. “Roxy has given me so many incredible opportunities, like attending photo shoots [and] visiting the headquarters.”

Catalog shoots aside, Blair-Coyle has some serious goals on the horizon—and a serious training plan to help attain them: “My average week is crazy,” she explains. “When school is in session, I usually strength train in the morning and climb after class. I’ll climb and train for two days, then take a rest day.” With a few difficult climbs—a V9 and a 5.13 route—under her belt, Blair-Coyle has every right to keep her feet in the gym and her eye on gold, a looming reality if the Olympic Committee votes her way. “I would love for climbing to become an Olympic sport,” she says. “I will be the first athlete there trying out for the team.”

We’re keeping our eyes fixed on the podium.