Round 1

When I was in the 6th grade I had a P.E. teacher tell me I was exceptionally strong and should look into joining the junior high track team. I never considered myself to have any sort of athletic prowess outside the swimming pool and maybe the little league field. Plus the idea of track and field scared me more than other sports because that meant running. It was practically built in the title. For a chubby slow kid, individual competitive sports were not something that I saw myself doing. But I figured it can't hurt to try it out once, a sentiment that for some reason I haven't been able to shake since then. I don't specifically remember my first day, rather my first years on the track team. A lot of running, side aches, trying not to throw up, maniacal drills, dreading the sound of a whistle and coming in laste EVERY time. What kept me going was, after the sometimes humiliating hours of conditioning, I would get in the shot-put or discus ring, where I got the dose of reassurance that I belonged there.

Now take that scenario and subtract the dose of reassurance and that is where I found myself this week, trading in the throwers ring for the boxing ring. No need to re-read. I did say boxing. Before you have a panic attack, mom, let me first say that it is all non-combative. I am just training, learning, and sometimes wanting to die. I am the only one that can't do at least one pull-up, one of only three girls there, I come in last in the sprint drills and my left knuckles are sore only because I can't get my left hook right. I know I don't innately belong there, and to be honest probably would not have gone back if it wasn't for intense positivity and encouragement from from trainers and other people in my class. Not that I needed the encouragement from them, I just needed to know that they weren't annoyed I was there. Thanks guys. Oh, and the pink boxing gloves were kind of a perk too.

If you are looking for why, I don't really have an answer for you. I have a cool friend that is a real boxer at another gym and that fact put the notion in my head. It pushes me to my outer limits physically, and for some reason I dig that (probably because of Jr. High). It's kick A exercise. And it's something I've never tried and know nothing about, just like rugby, SCUBA, solo international travel, and quite a few other good things in my life at one time were. So we'll see how long I can survive it. I am pretty much sore all over my body and question whether I will be able to walk down the stairs to go home tonight. But as long as they'll have me I plan to return. For a while anyway. I'll keep you posted.