Moncton boxing club hopes to encourage more females to join
With members of all ages, sizes and genders taking over the gym at FISTS Boxing Club, it’s about more than just learning how to throw the perfect punch.
For many of the members, it’s about gaining confidence.
“When I was 12 to 14, you’re not really comfortable in your skin,” said two-time Canadian National Champion Alyssa Pellerin-Boudreau. “Honestly, as a girl, your body changes and you don’t know where to put yourself so boxing brought that confidence in being OK in your body and say, ‘You can be strong and it’s actually nice and fun to be strong.’”
Training is also about pushing personal boundaries.
“I like it a lot,” said 15-year-old Claudia Maniraguha, who joined the club last year. “I expected it to be hard, but it’s a lot more cardio than I expected.”
Another key theme of boxing is helping pave the road for others.
“It is the first time women have been allowed to compete in boxing at the Canada Games, so it’s real exciting for all the women from every province and all women in boxing,” said 16-year-old Lily Brown, who has been boxing since she was only 9-years-old.
Entering uncharted territories, Brown is hoping for a win as one of the first females to compete in the ring in P.E.I. in just a few weeks.
“I think it’s just important to show that anyone can do it,” she said. “Just because you’re a woman doesn’t mean you have to do more dainty sports or even just not do sports at all.”
Brown admits she’s a little nervous to be taking on such a significant competition so close to home with familiar fans in the stand, but she’s trained for this.
“Honestly, when I’m in there, you don’t really think. It’s all left down to what your body remembers. It’s all muscle memory,” she said. “When I do think in there, it’s remembering how to breath correctly and move. Remember to throw your combinations and move.”
“It’s good discipline, it’s a good workout. It really tells you a lot about yourself, especially when you’re getting ready to do the sparing,” said coach Jeremy Orr. “That’s another level, and competition is a different level altogether.”
He says, overall, boxing just helps bring out the best in people and FISTS has always focused on more than just the sport.
“It’s always been about kids that have trouble, that’s what FISTS stands for, its ‘First In Stopping Tough Streets, and it’s a real home for kids to come and just make connections with the people and get that discipline,” he said.
Although Brown has competed in the past, finding other women to fight against isn’t always easy.
“There’s not a lot of females in the sport, which I never really understood why,” said Maniraguha. “I guess it’s always been seen as a guys’ sport because it’s fighting so it’s more manly, I guess, but I think girls should be doing it too because I don’t see a difference.”
Maniraguha has been begging her mom for two years to join the sport. Now it’s an activity they do together.
“I would recommend this sport because it makes you feel a lot more confident, just knowing that you’re capable of defending yourself, plus it’s a good workout… honestly it’s just a good sport,” she said.
Although she plans to pursue medicine when she’s older, Maniraguha is hopeful boxing is something she can stick with as well, with plans to compete in just a few months.
“If I’m in boxing, then I’m not thinking of anything negative at all, because I’m completely distracted,” she said.
However, now it’s about finding someone who she can compete against. It’s a problem that Pellerin-Boudreau ran into when she competed as well.
“I’d say that’s pretty much where the difficulty was in training,” she said. “You’re always training with guys and not girls and it’s different. Fighting a guy is different because they’re most likely more heavier then you, faster than you and then when you go to fight a girl that’s actually your height, it’s different. You’re not going to use the same techniques as much.”
Pellerin-Boudreau eventually went on to win two Canadian National Championships in 2005 and 2007.
“Jump in, don’t be afraid,” she said, offering advice to upcoming boxers. “Everyone is here to train and be accepted.”
However, getting more females involved is something that FISTS is hoping to change.
Classes run Monday, Wednesday and Fridays from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m., along with special sparing classes every second Saturday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Still so much love between us,' Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Trump's lawyers grill ex-tabloid publisher as 1st week of hush money trial testimony nears a close
After prosecutors' lead witness painted a tawdry portrait of “catch-and-kill” tabloid schemes, defence lawyers in Donald Trump's criminal trial on Friday sought to dig into an account of the former publisher of the National Enquirer and his efforts to protect Trump from negative stories during the 2016 election.