Chaylee Armitage may not be the biggest in stature of the boxers at the Red World Boxing Club, but she certainly stands tall in terms of her work ethic and dedication to the sport of boxing.
It’s certainly been a journey for Armitage to get to where she is today, but those efforts have earned her nickname “Little Bit” from Red Wolf Boxing Club head coach Bradock Koch.
Koch says he has seen major strides both in the ring, and outside the ring from Armitage.
“Before you talk about her, you have to talk about the change in her. She was really timid, shy and didn’t really assert herself at all. This year, after she got into the ring once, she was frightened and then overwhelmed by the experience. She’s had a whole change and she’s a different person now. She wants to box. She’s working hard and she’s outworking the boys.”
Armitage, who turns 14 next month, says the sport of boxing gives her something to work towards and the support she has received from both her coaches and fellow boxers at the gym has helped improve her self-esteem.
“I think it’s made me more confident in who I am. I have people around me that really support me. I think that’s really nice no matter what happens outside of boxing, when I come here, I’ll know be supported and I’ll have the confidence to do things. I think it’s really fun getting into shape and all that. I really enjoy that.”
When Armitage first began her training with the Red Wolf Boxing Club, Koch thought she wouldn’t last. He says he thought “Little Bit” would be done within a month of the start of her training, but she has proved him wrong. Now, she pushes every other boxer at the club to improve.
“I wouldn’t have believed it,” Koch says. “I thought I would see the end of her in three weeks when she first came. She was too timid, and I thought there was no way. She proved me wrong. She picks everyone up by her attitude. She’s sunny and also, they don’t want to be left behind by someone as small as her. She’s a real bonus for us.”
Armitage has worked her way into being one of the top boxers with the Red Wolf Boxing Club, gaining commendations from her boxing coach. She likes the fact she fits in despite her small stature.
“Bradock doesn’t give a lot of compliments out so when he does, I know that I’m doing this right,” Ermitage says. “I like knowing that I’m fitting in, because I’m pretty small. I like being able to fit in with everyone and to be one of his top boxers, means a lot.”
Armitage is currently training for the provincial championship set to take place on Jan. 21 in Regina. She has been training with fellow Red Wolf Boxers Cole Ahenakew and Lukas Tamayo.
She says she has leaned a lot from training with the duo.
“Cole is obviously amazing, so I have someone to look up to then and people to train me. When I started to do hand pads with both Cole and Lukas, I really learned a lot from how they move and how they do stuff and it really paid off.”
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