Page 16
— SPOKE,
Sports
2007
April 2,
Student an Olympian By STEPHANIE IRVINE
seems
children,
to
the making
in
be handling the
somewhat self-imposed pressure
A
cinderblock
non-descript,
building at
1253 King
Kitchener
home
is
A
Boxing Club.
to the
remarkably well.
ing though, considering the sheer
Waterloo
determination and dedication she’s shown since the beginning of her
E.
single, steep flight
stairs carries you up to the second floor gym where the whipping and snapping of skipping ropes and the sharp thump of gloves on heavy
career.
practice bags can be heard.
for a year
of
bright yellow and red walls
The
covered
boxing paraphernalia
in
not surpris-
It's
in
St.
“When
first started,
1
say
and the coach won’t even
you, won't teach you any-
hi to
ing
they don't really teach you
anything.
thick with perspiration.
they spend time trying to
of the club's
in the centre
single ring, a star
Mandy
Bujold
take her
I
somewhere
“When
she’s out-
side the ring she’s just this
little
when
they
petite
and then
girl,
actually see her train,
like she's
it’s
become
has
to help
Waterloo Boxing
me
everything, pret-
much everything,” says Taveena Kum, 21 of Kitchener. “If she ever ,
doing anything wrong or awkward, she comes over and helps
me
sees
Shows me some
out.
me
teaches
pointers,
different skills.”
In the ring, though,
it’s
a different
story.
you can’t see the punch,
“It's like
you just
feel it”
Kum. “She's
laughs
And
very quick.
a
Kum
if
you
hit
her hard,
you twice as hard.” is quick to add that Bujold
careful to fight at
is
same
force to be reckoned with in the
the
world of boxing. Bujold recently secured her spot on the national sen
her
as
level
sparring'
partner.
team
women’s
ior
more willing
to the
“She’s taught
In just three short years, this pint-
dynamo
show you
Mandy
warms up in the ring at the Waterloo Boxing Club. has her sights set on the 2010 Commonwealth Games
Bujold, a second-year business student,
After boxing for three years, Bujold already
and the 2012 Olympics.
she’ll hit
different personalities.”
sized local
if
ty
(for boxing), they’re pleasantly sur-
prised,” he says.
to, see
Club, however.
me
“Whenever
far
is
newcomers
isn’t the typical pic-
erful.
They want
something.”
Bujold
ture of a boxing champ. Her coach, Rick Cadilha, says most people think of boxers as athletes who are big, brawny and pow-
two
is,
you’re going to stick around before
being born.
is
At a slight five feet, 2 1/2 inches 19-year-old and 110 pounds,
how box-
“That’s
thing,” she said.
and large mirrors attempt to brighten up an otherwise dingy room. The air is heavy with humidity and
And
was kind
it
of like the old-school style where you walk in and you could be there
with a decisive
them, and maybe one will stay. At our club we have a lot of turnover." She adds you need to have the motivation and drive to be there, especially as a female - it can be intimidating working out with 20 guys, Despite that, she says she’s never encountered any discrimination.
All those
when
“Especially now, like
go
I
“They know who
says.
I
am
so
girl
ferent personalities.”
because
I
and they
all
train
intense
really
see that,” she says.
“They make little jokes, ‘don’t mess with her,’
like little
things, but they’re just having
fun with
since Bujold started boxing
“We always had bag
in
we’d play
in
early will
be travelling the globe for tournaments this year, including stops in Russia, Turkey and Hungary.
Both she and Cadilha these
fights
with
confidence they
talk
about
same easy when dis-
the
have
it
will be.
considered for international events, will
be
at
the
Commonwealth Games
in 2010 which Cadilha calls a walk in the park - and then she’ll go on to the 2012 Olympics. “She’ll win,” he says. “These next four years will give her enough
experience so
I
at the international level,
see nothing but a medal.”
Bujold,
the
from
with the guys, and
like
youngest of three
with
(at
practice.
the
same
my 1
club),
know
it’s
like target
that they're not at
think girls might be a
little
come up to the club,” she “When first did it, had to
shyer to
bring a friend.
I
I
You see
a lot of that,
younger girls will come up and there will always be two or three of
the
time to improve.
She’s
the
some-
never satisfied." That attitude can be a downfall sometimes, he says. “She’s hard on herself,” he says. “She puts a lot of pressure on herself.
I
don’t think I’ve ever seen
day she wanted to be like that, wanted to look like that when she
her 100 per cent satisfied.”
was
ly
fighting.
I’m the one on the national
team, and the younger girls are
looking
at
me
something
like that,” she says. good, finally finding
that’s
my
passion.
It
feels good.”
Gruelling workouts and hours of
Maybe one day Bujold be satisfied with
won
success
...
all
but
until she hears the
will final-
of her hard-
it’s
not likely
words “Canada
wins the gold.”
Photos by Stephanie Irvine
and
we knew
got
really
though.
New
her
When
the
into
sport,
- origimoved from
the family
from Port Hope Brunswick to Kitchener
in
2001, her 20-year-old brother Eric
going Boxing Club.
started
to
the
Waterloo
Bujold says she just remembers excited-he was about everything
he was learning and doing there. His
enthusiasm was contagious. After several months, right before
here.
says.
herselt
how
level.”
And there aren’t many female opponents to pick from around “I
just
who was on
the
starts
She pushes
it.
what we were doing,” she says. hit the bag just for fun, ahd I used to always like it.” It was one of her brothers who
nally
it.
“I like sparring
always around
all
started at the club,
national team and thinking
to stay
“We’d
I
With female boxing now being Bujold
did-
with me.”
Bujold says she enjoys coaching and helping others improve, but she loves to spar with people who are better than she is so she can learn
I
a future
wow. I'm so glad she
n’t fight like that
when they make me work,” spar she says. “A lot of the girls
cussing her future.
And what
oh,
like,
a boxing
our house so
pretend
1
Que.,
girl
“It feels really
as a child.
means Bujold
first
a
“Now
it.”
Fun has been the name of the
game
she
work hard
is.
she automatically
changing
She remembers with a smile seeing
his first fight, Eric
finger and that
was
broke his pinky the end of box-
ing for him.
"He
got a job and once his finger
healed, he didn't have time for box-
ing anymore,” she says.
to
much. “She works hard and she sees what her weaknesses are," he says. “I can point out her weakness and she doesn’t take it personally,
Mandy Bujold’s coach
when
good
Cadilha says that’s one of the key reasons he likes coaching her so
little
Rick Cadilha,
"They'll say things like ‘she
Hyacinthe,
a
and then when they actually see her train, it’s like she’s two dif-
She laughs and adds she has heard a lot of the guys talking about her, though.
February. This
she’s outside the
ring she’s just
feel
Despite her coach's claims to the
where she
“When
ever.”
trains harder than all the guys,’
to
Bujold. too.
natural and has to
respect me. Guys, girls, what-
ly
seem
training
contrary. Bujold insists she’s not a
sport for good, however.
they don’t judge me, they actual-
St.
listening to
youngest Bujold on the
to sell the
petite
to different clubs for sparring,” she
months of
her brother’s stories were enough
Mandy Bujold, 19, lines up a right hook while sparring at the Waterloo Boxing Club on King Street in Kitchener.
^