Rough Draft

Boxing Dream

The topic I have chosen to write about is my experience as a female in boxing.  The experiences and struggles that I faced during my time as a female boxer has shaped who I am today. I started boxing when I had just turned 16 years old. I was in high school living the same every day typical life.  The reason I chose to start was because I wanted do something different and jump out of my comfort zone. I had always been a shy, passive, laid back kind of girl. No one ever saw me as “tough” or someone who would be able to defend themselves.  This was all true but I never liked to admit it. I was also the girl who got straight A’s/ B’ in school. It was very important to me that school always came first. My parents were strict so they were always on my case about how I was doing in school. I never went out and had fun like most kids my age did. A part of this reason was because my parents were so strict with me and never let me do anything.  It was hard having such strict parents and this led to other problems such as getting bullied.

Growing up was hard for me and I was always trying to be something I wasn’t. Every year in high school my self confidence would get worse. I would always pick something out about myself that I didn’t like or I thought wasn’t good enough. There were so many stereotypes in my school and if you weren’t labeled popular you were pretty much doomed. I wanted so much to make something of myself and to be seen by others. I just didn’t know what to do with my life or what would be best fitting for me.

After awhile of pondering and trying different things at my school and finding everything to be boring it finally hit me that I should try boxing. I didn’t know too much about the sport of boxing. I only knew that boxers were portrayed as tough, fearless, and hard working people. I also knew that boxers were highly respected and that you were to never mess with someone in that sport. To gain some insight on the sport and get to know more about it I did some research. I looked up famous female boxers and read about them, I watched videos of some awesome fights, and I read some articles that really caught my eye. It amazed me the amount of accomplishments and how much recognition female boxers got. This was a truly intense sport but it made me want to try it even more. 

My decision to start boxing was defiantly a surprise to many people. People doubted me and told me that I would never last in the sport. Some of my family members even tried to talk me out of it telling me that I was crazy for even considering something so outrageous and dangerous. My parents were the most shocked about it and I had to do a lot of persuading to get their permission to start. All the negative feedback and comments that people told me only gave me more motivation and eagerness to prove them all wrong. This was something that I had set in my mind and was ready to do. I was ready to show people and most importantly myself that I was ready to leave my comfort zone and become a new person.  

I’m not going to lie, I was nervous about starting boxing. I knew this was going to be a challenge for me. It was going to take a lot of hard work and dedication in my life. I was already pretty busy with working at McDonalds and being a member in the band and cross country team.  I knew that I was going to have to make a lot of sacrifices in my life. I first quit my job at McDonalds which sucked because the money I was making there really helped me out a lot. I had to do it though so I could make time for boxing. I also quit the cross country team which was a surprise to many people because I had been running for years. This was by far the biggest sacrifice I had to make and it was extremely hard for me to do. I contemplated on my decision for quite a long time before I finally had made the decision to quit. Some other things I had to give up were time with my family and friends. I’m very close with my friends and typically spent the majority of my free time with them. They were upset when I couldn’t give them much of my time anymore and I knew that things were not going to be the same between us.

The first day I started boxing I was completely nervous and started rethinking my decision. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into and I was worried that I was not going to be good enough. When I walked in on my first day I saw a gym full of boys and this made me feel very out of my element. They all seemed intimidating and all had serious looks on their faces. I tried to pull myself together and make myself look confident. The first practice was defiantly the hardest. It was a two hour long practice with little breaks in between. I was having a hard time keeping up with everyone and this discouraged me. I wasn’t used to being the slacker because I had always been pretty good at sports. This was however an entirely different sport and it took a lot of more energy.

The first couple of weeks starting out in boxing were intense. The practices were two hours long with little to no breaks in between. I had never worked so hard in my life and my body was the most sore it had ever been.  Not only were the practices long but it was almost every day of the week. I knew I was giving up a lot of my time but I never realized how hard it would be to dedicate myself for that long. Being the only girl in the gym was hard starting out. I was told that most girls who started out didn’t make it long and often gave up within weeks. I didn’t want to be that girl that gave up and I wanted to prove to them that I was there for the long run. I didn’t get much respect from the team starting out because they saw me as just a weak girl that was in there to just hook up with boys. The coaches didn’t give me much attention the first couple of weeks and it felt like I was invisible. It was hard being stereotyped by everyone but it gave me more motivation to prove them wrong.

            As weeks progressed and time went by things started to get easier. I started to get more respect from the team and the coaches. They noticed me and started to help me out more. I also was able to endure the practices more and I was becoming stronger. I started to feel a sense of belonging and it felt right being there. My family and friends started to be more encouraging towards me and gave me more support. My mother surprisingly came to my first day of sparring which was a big deal to me. Things were really turning around and I even started to fight not long after.

            I feel like boxing has defiantly changed my life and has made me the person who I am today. Although starting out was rough for me and I didn’t get much support from anyone it was all worth it. I am a lot stronger and aggressive. I’m not that shy, scared girl, who I was back in high school that always got walked all over. I can actually stand up for myself today and do things for myself. I feel a lot better about myself and I’m more comfortable in my own skin. People see me as a different person and have more respect for me. My family and friends give me more support and it feels good getting that encouragement from them. Making the decision to start boxing was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I never knew that one sport could change my life so much.  I may not get to box as much as I would like to right now with being in college and having a lot of work but I hope to one day be a boxing coach and help girls like me.

I did a short interview with some of my family members that included my mother, my brother, and my grandmother. I first asked them, what was your reaction to me wanting to start boxing? My mother, Tammy Sprouse stated that she was unhappy about me wanting to start boxing and she had negative feelings about the whole thing.  She said that she thought I was crazy at this point and was in disbelief.  My grandmother, Connie Shaffer agreed with my mother about being upset and didn’t want me to go through with this. She said she was scared for me and didn’t want me to get hurt.  My brother, Troy Harmer on the other hand was all for me about doing boxing.  He stated that he was excited and that he wanted me to beat some girls up in the ring. The next question I asked them was how did you honestly think I would do in boxing? My mother, Tammy Sprouse said that she didn’t think I would last long because I wasn’t the type of girl who would even fight.  She said she saw me as a passive, shy, nice girl who would never lay a finger on anyone. She went on to say that she thought I wouldn’t even last a week in there and that I would be home crying to her about the whole experience and how I hated it. My grandmother, Connie Shaffer stated that although she was unhappy with my decision to start boxing she knew I was a dedicated girl and thought I would do okay if I tried my best in it. She also said that she disagreed with what my mom said about me not lasting long and said that she thought I would last as long as I truly wanted. My brother, Troy Harmer was nothing but positive once again with his answer and said that he thought I would make it for a long time and said he saw me doing great things in boxing. He said he believed in me and only wanted what was best for me in the sport. The third question I asked them was how do you view me now in boxing? My mother, Tammy Sprouse stated that although she was unhappy and didn’t want me to start boxing in the first place she was proud of how far that I have come. She told me that she was surprised that I have lasted for four years but now says that if I lasted this long I can do this for more years to come.  My grandmother, Connie Shaffer stated that she now viewed me as a totally different person. She said she saw me as a lot stronger and more outgoing than what I used to be. Finally, my brother, Troy Harmer  said he was beyond happy with the person I’ve become and says he sees happiness in me he never saw before.  

The purpose of this interview was to show you different views and opinions on how my family felt about me being a boxer. As you can see my mother was the most controversial about me wanting to get into boxing. My grandmother was unhappy with my decision to start boxing but she was supportive unlike my mother was. Finally, my brother was all in for me doing boxing and was supportive through the whole experience.

Work Cited

Harmer, Troy. Personal interview. 17 April 2014.

Shaffer, Connie. Personal interview. 17 April 2014.

Sprouse, Tammy. Personal interview. 17 April 2014.