Meagan + C Lad - SPONSORED belayers?!

Meagan Knecht and C Lad are both level 5 belayers in the USA who are also helping out with belay training videos for World Climbing. In this episode, we’ll debunk the myth that women can’t belay men or heavier climbers, we’ll learn about the problems with Assisted Braking Device (ABD)requirements in gyms, and of course, we'll talk about how to get into high level belaying and how they became SPONSORED belayers thanks to Trango.Guest links:USA Belay InstagramC Lad's InstagramMeagan's InstagramUSA Belay YouTubeReference links:Wujiang 2025 Belayer Aiding ClimberThank you Mad Rock for sponsoring this episode! Use code 'notrealclimber' for 10% off your ENTIRE order, even if you're a returning customer! https://madrock.com/Learn more about the podcast at www.thatsnotrealclimbingpodcast.comFollow on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thatsnotrealclimbingpodcastJoin the FREE community in Discord! https://discord.gg/QTa668g8zpJoin Patreon for a welcome gift, deleted scenes, and question priority: www.patreon.com/thatsnotrealclimbingpodcastTimestamps of discussion topics0:00 - Intro1:29 - Mad Rock Shoutout!!2:19 - Excitement for Pan-American series4:21 - Getting into climbing and belaying14:02 - AUDIENCE Q: Difference between an avg vs elite belayer?20:26 - Work that allows the flexibility for travel22:48 - How to get into belaying at a high level27:43 - Setting the standard for World Climbing34:36 - ATC vs ABDs in gyms39:06 - The belayer's unique pivotal role43:41 - Snugroping?45:28 - Athlete interactions48:00 - Dual-belay system52:44 - Is it too late to become an Olympics belayer? 56:42 - Being sponsored as belayers1:01:54 - Why is belaying para the best?1:08:46 - Routesetting that makes belaying harder1:14:25 - AUDIENCE Q: What's it like to walk up to an Olympian and belay them?1:16:59 - AUDIENCE Q: Favorite venue to belay at?1:18:33 - Where to find the beladies and words of wisdom