Four years ago, 26-year-old Terris Smith tried boxing for the first time.
“It was pretty random, I was just down at Studio 4 and one of the trainers held up pads for me and I really liked that,” Smith said. “And then I did Fight for the Cause and that was my first fight and I just knew that I loved it and I wanted to compete ever since.”
Smith, who came out of Boxing Canada’s 2019 Super Channel Championship last week with a silver medal, said she trained very hard to get to where she is.
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The national championship was held in Langford last week at the Bear Mountain Resort. Smith is from Victoria and said it was great to be able to fight with a big crowd of supporters cheering her on.
As a female in boxing, Smith went into the competition with less fights under her belt than her male teammates. She had 10 fights before making her debut at the national championships.
“Sometimes it can be hard to find a fight but the whole team here is super supportive and I got to spar with the guys and another girl here who is my number one sparring partner,” Smith said.
To help her prepare, Smith and her coach went to Los Angeles to fight two California State champions and get her ready for her biggest competition yet.
“We were super busy going into nationals we started with the provincials in December and then we trained pretty hard after that,” Smith said. “We were super prepared for the nationals.”
Getting into the ring is definitely nerve wracking for Smith but as soon as she gets into the ring she said she focuses on the fight and her nerves slip away.
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While she didn’t win gold this time around, she’s aiming for it next time and said she learned what skills she should improve on for the future.
While she’s eager to get back to training, Smith said she’s been told to take the week off and rest before getting back to it.
Smith said she isn’t sure why not as many females are into the sport but her advice to those that are interested is to go for it. Besides being a great workout, Smith said it’s a fun time and that coaches like hers are willing to work people of all levels.
“Give it a go,” Smith said. “You can always get into recreational boxing, I definitely recommend it.”
shalu.mehta@goldstreamgazette.com
