Boxing

When my fellow boxing buddies look at me, they see me as the one girl who didn’t give up and won the ten-day tournament, the boxing champion of 2010.

I remember when I first started boxing. It was the summer of 2009, about three or four weeks before I started 7^th grade. The first month was nothing but the same routine over and over again, just practicing my punches and how high or low to go. And of course, I jumped rope everyday for about ten minutes. The first day, you can bet that I was totally and completely sore! I had never in my life had been that sore… ever! If I moved my arm, my leg, or even moving my shoulders, I could feel the pain and I winced every time. Let me tell you, I was not in shape and I was definitely not used to this kind of work out. But, as time flew by, I became better and better. Extremely better.

After the first two or three months of nothing but the same routine over and over and over again, my coach finally decided it was time to get me into the ring. All I can say about the ring is that there, things get seriously rough. Not as rough as a professional boxing match but almost as rough. Scary, right? Well, “scary” wasn’t the word to describe what I was feeling when I had my first match. My heart was beating faster than a three year running towards the ice cream stand and I was shaking crazier than a Chihuahua. My first match was breath-taking, and seriously intense. My competitor was this gigantic girl, probably three feet taller than me (I was 5’2 then) and seemed as high as Mount Everest! Okay, that’s really dramatic, but I remember feeling as small as new born baby. And boxing against her wasn’t fun either. I have to say, that was the first day I was really beat up. To my surprise, I won. I beat this gigantic girl within 3 minutes after countless times of being punched, pushed, kicked, and shoved. It was a miracle.

It was like that for another three or four, maybe five matches later on. As time passed, I began to get the hang of boxing and how to win. Boxing became easier for me because I always had a strategy for each boxer I’d box. When it came to small or average sized girls, I’d use my fake right under hook and a swipe from my left leg. When I’m in a match with a not-so-average or small sized person, I’ve learned to not use any kind of leg swipes on them, no matter what! I’ve learned to just use left and right hooks or just punch the heck away. And of course, I cannot forget to duck, whether I’m boxing a not-so-average sized person or a giant. It’s crucial if I don’t, because without ducking, I could get so many injuries on my face even if I’m blocking.

With all my different strategies for different sized people, I finally entered my first boxing tournament this summer of 2010. It was the 10 day Boxing Tournament of 2010 for Girls. You could not believe how excited, how happy, how… ready I was to finally box in a tournament! My coach had been informed me five weeks before the tournament and that the tournament wasn’t just going to be in one place, but five different places! The first two days of the tournament were in Houston, two days in Dallas, two days in El Paso, two days in Galveston and two days in Dumas. (Notice how they’re all in Texas!) It was so amazingly awesome, staying in hotels, practicing in different gyms and experiencing the victory each day of the tournament. It was a miracle when I won my very first match and I can definitely say that it was a beautiful miracle that I won the 10 day Boxing Tournament of 2010 for Girls.  It was a success, a victory that never would have crossed my mind, let alone my attention.

Now, I’m still in boxing and my coach is getting me ready for the next tournament which is during the spring break of 2011. If I’m ready, I’ll be going to California, but I’m not sure which part, but if I’m not, I might be going to Louisiana or nowhere at all. But, my point is, boxing has been one the most successful activities I’ve done in my life. Boxing is my life and I love it.

Aly Miranda

Tags: aly, blog, boxing, girls sports

Category: Her Sports, Sports