I watched a very good documentary which was part of CNN's "Latino In America" series of reports. It followed a young woman, Marlen Esparza, and her quest to get on the women's Olympic boxing team for 2012. She had the number spot at the Olympic trials until other challenged sued to have a shot. Esparza had to go to Colorado to face the other contenders in the ring.
She looked very good in training and during the fights the documentary highlighted. Esparza has some dangerous hooks, and she's a pressure fighter. I was rooting for her to go all the way. Then she lost to Christina Cruz, another Latina. It was the first time Esparza had ever lost a fight, and she had been involved with boxing ever since she was eleven years old. She's now twenty-two years old. She was crying, and I felt bad for her, too. But what can you do after a loss and/or missing out on a fight? I remember Ivy, a fellow member at my church asking me what I was going to do after I was denied an opportunity to have a bout a few years ago. "Go back to the gym and train," I answered. Esparza did the same thing.
I was impressed at the way she got up early in the morning to do roadwork, then hit the gym to do drills, spar, and lift weights. She also watched what she ate very carefully. "Wow, I feel like a lazy bum," I thought, comparing her every day training to my twice-a-week efforts and my half-assed attempts at adding a day or two more of exercise outside of the gym. But then, she's going for Olympic gold, and she has to be on top of the game. Esparza had to face Cruz again to get another shot at the Olympic team. "This is a lifestyle for me, but it's a hobby for her", she commented.
Esparza is a national amateur champion (six times), and she did beat Cruz the second time they met. I clapped and hopped in my seat. It warms my heart to see women advance in this sport. Gloria Peek, a prominent US Olympic boxing coach who was also in the documentary, commented, "Women have entered the last male stronghold."
No comments:
Post a Comment