Sophie has been climbing for over two decades, starting in the Peak District and indoors in the UK before moving to Australia in 2004. She has a long history of competing as a Youth Athlete in both countries, and her experience led to her studying Exercise and Sports Science at University, for which she is now accredited (AES).  

She has been involved as a coach at a state and national level for almost four years, and has worked with lead and boulder youth squads throughout that time. Her passion for the sport and its growth saw her join the board for Sport Climbing Victoria for two years, where her focus was child safety in sport and supporting current and future athletes and coaches. Bouldering is her lifetime love, for which she has three years’ experience setting and trains for regularly around her work as a coach and AES.

National Team Coach  - Monique Forestier

Monique Forestier has been climbing for over 23 years. Initially introduced to indoor climbing, she was instantly a fanatic and proceeded to compete in several National and International World Cup events. Her attention shifted to outdoor climbing where she pushed herself to her highest limits on several outstanding lines in Australia and around the world.

For the past nine years she has been coaching climbing and more recently has held the position of NSW Head Coach. She is passionate about coaching climbing and has full engagement when it comes to facilitating athletes to be their best.

She coaches a junior development team at SICG at Villawood and conducts weekly strength and conditioning classes for climbers up in the Blue Mountains where she is based.

Sarah has been climbing for around 20 years, and she currently lives and works in Sydney. Sarah has qualifications in Medicinal chemistry and Medical sciences, as well as a Certificate IV in Fitness (personal training) and Yoga teacher training. She is currently employed as a climbing coach, route setter and yoga instructor. 

Sarah is passionate about climbing and bouldering, and has been to many locations around the world. While not competing in climbing herself, Sarah has worked with many athletes to achieve their goals in a variety of competitive sports, and is passionate about continuing to do this in the growing areas of climbing. Sarah is a strong advocate for making climbing accessible for all, and shares her knowledge and experience to help athletes in following their dreams.

Open Team Physiotherapist - Justine Walker

Justine is a musculoskeletal physiotherapist with special interest in climbing and rheumatology who has been practicing in the private musculoskeletal field since finishing her university studies at the end of 2014. Her current focus is working with the Sport Climbing Australia directors, coaches and athletes to help establish protocols regarding injury risk assessment and management, as well as provide treatment at national training camps and competitions both nationally and internationally.

Being a climber herself for the past 6 years, Justine understands the demands of climbing, both physically and mentally, and is keen to combine her passion for health and climbing to assist our athletes to stay at their physical peak leading into the world cup competitions and beyond to the 2020 Olympics

Justine has been working closely with the competition circuit across the 2017 period, covering the National Bouldering and Lead/Speed competitions, as well as the NSW equivalents and a National Youth Training Camp held across 2 days. She utilises a number of treatment modalities in her rehabilitation, including real time dynamic ultrasound of muscle groups, dry needling, myofascial release, kinesiology taping and of course climbing specific functional exercise prescription for strength and conditioning.

Youth Team Physiotherapist  - Kathryn Kaminsky

Katie is a Sports and Exercise physiotherapist with over 8 years’ experience working with climbers at all levels of participation and competition. She has been a keen recreational climber for more than a decade, and opened her own climbing physiotherapy clinic, Katie Kaminsky Physiotherapy, in Melbourne in 2016. She has worked at multiple State and National climbing competitions, as well as in other elite and sub elite sport. Katie also sits on the Sport Climbing Victoria board and is an active member of the Para climbing community including at a State and National level. 

Katie recently completed her postgraduate Masters of Sports and Exercise Physiotherapy and has a special interest in climbing hand and shoulder injury management. She is undertaking research into the rates and types of injury that our current Australian competitive climbers carry and looks forward to further developing this research to aid our climbers in ensuring optimal performance on the wall. She takes a pragmatic approach to injury management and prevention with a focus on climbing-specific exercise and conditioning and prioritises educating climbers regarding physical health in order to help them climb at their best.