A local boxer is doing her part to see Nova Scotia represented at the 2016 Olympic Games, but she's going to have to rely on more than her own blood, sweat and tears. She's going to have to rely on someone else to bring to the ring the only thing she can't — money.
Her mom put her in gymnastics when she was a little girl but she hated it - Stephanie Walker just wanted to box.
"I don't know why," said the 22-year old Sackville native. "I've always been athletic. I played lacrosse, basketball, track... everything. I even tried Tae Kwon Do because I thought it would be like boxing but it wasn't. So I came here."
Here, is the Citadel Amateur Boxing Club in Lower Sackville where boxers come to train. Walker practically lives there and she's not afraid to work. She's been pushing herself her entire life. She trains twice a day five days a week. She said it's what she lives for and like nearly every athlete on the planet her dream is to compete in the Olympics.
Her coach, retired boxer Wayne Gordon, was an Olympic athlete and said Walker's dream is not just pie in the sky. He said she is skilled enough, strong enough and fast enough to do it, she just needs the support.
"We have the blueprint," he said. "But she needs to practice. She needs competition. We have all the tools except the money. We've been invited to training camps but we can't afford to go."
Walker is a world champion. She has had 48 fights and has won 40 of them. She's beat boxers who have gone on to compete in the Olympics. Unfortunately, 48 fights in eight years is just not enough to give her the training she needs to make it to podium, but she's not giving up — it's not in her and her coach isn't giving up either. He believes Walker is a champion and is a good role model for other people — especially girls — who want to get into the sport.
"She could be the poster person for the sport of boxing. She's intelligent, she takes care of her body. She doesn't drink or smoke or has ever done drugs. She would make her country proud as an Olympic athlete," he said. "She just needs a chance to reach that carrot."
For more information about Walker and the Citadel Amateur Boxing Club search them on Facebook.
blhall@eastlink.ca
