 Photo source: USA Boxing The 2024 Women's National Championships in Lafayette, Louisiana did not disappoint. I flew in to New Orleans and after a day of sightseeing there and dinner with my dear friend Tasha made the two and a half hour drive to Lafayette. It was hot and muggy in Lafayette and New Orleans and it was the Jazz Museum and Cafe Du Mond that saved the day during my time in New Orleans. For only $8, I was able to cool off and see a number of art exhibits in the 3 story building down by the river. Cafe Du Mond has the best beignets in New Orleans and for $10 I was able to have 3 delicious, warm beignets and a refreshing ice coffee. I had lunch at Cafe Fleur de Lis and dinner at Luke's in the French Quarter. Crawfish etouffee for lunch and gumbo for dinner were my choices and they both were fabulous. There's nothing like New Orleans cuisine.  The Women's Nationals started for me with a two-day coaching clinic to receive USA Boxing Silver Certification. It was taught by the fabulous Julia Gshwind. She runs the Austin Women's Boxing Club and in addition to teaching the clinic, she had 5 boxers competing in the tournament. I truly enjoyed the clinic and learned a lot about planning a year of training for a boxer depending on their goals. It was a nice mix of information about USA Boxing training principles for high performance, hands on activities, and reflecting on one's own practice and what you can do to improve it. One of the reasons I wanted to go to this certification was to meet and learn from Julia. She is definitely an inspiration for me. She had the vision and persistence to start an all women's boxing club at a time 17 years ago when there was no guarantees it would be successful. But she made it so and is also a successful coach trainer at USA Boxing. It's rare you get to meet another woman who is so invested in the sport of boxing and for so many years. We are few and far between. On Friday of the clinic, Julia asked if I would be interested in helping as her second as she had four fighters competing on Saturday and was there alone. I felt humbled and honored and took the necessary steps to get registered as a coach. Her team of boxers was equal part talent and sweetness. Julia has done a wonderful job creating a sisterhood in boxing. I had a blast helping in the corner.  On Friday, I went to the Mitt Competition and met up with Kim, a Raleigh fighter who came down to the tournament by herself to help her train. I also ran into Coach Font and Coach Tasha from Fontaneaux Boxing in Fayetteville who had three fighters entered into the tournament. The most impressive thing about this tournament was that it was all about getting the women who came to the tournament as much experience and as many bouts as possible which is critical for developing female boxers and a program that grows. The women who came were entered in the tournament by weight division, age and experience level with a novice and elite division. But they also had additional matched bouts so women could get additional fights with boxers around their experience level and weight. Even if they lost their fight early on in the tournament, women could continue to fight additional fights with some women fighting every day of the tournament. There were also a number of impromptu sparring sessions. You really can't underestimate the value of a female boxer to be surrounded by other women who have the same passion for the sport. I got to watch the first session of boxing competition session on Saturday. The skill level was impressive. There are some really talented boxers from all across the country and the talent coming from the under 18 competitors speaks to the future of women's boxing. I realized at the tournament that the boxers who were the most talented and experienced were the ones whose coaches had a plan to travel to get their boxers the fights they needed to grow. It's a tough thing in boxing. There is not a traditional season or pathway for competition. Coaches have to actively seek out matches that are the right ones for their boxers and find a way to pay for the travel that is required. No easy feat. This has especially been a barrier for female boxers as the local competitions in any given region can be few and far between. The Women's National Tournament hosted by USA Boxing is an important step in building women's amateur boxing. I hope it continues to grow and be a space where female boxers get to shine. Webpage: https://www.usaboxing.org/events/2023/july/22/usa-boxing-womens-championships Photos: https://geosnapshot.com/e/2024-womens-national-championship/  Comments are closed.
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AuthorYvonne Caples is a Learning Experience Designer who is passionate about making learning meaningful and engaging for all. Posts
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