Sometime past midnight I went to say thanks and goodnight to one of my friends hosting the 'renovated kitchen party' and ended up capitulating to staying a bit longer because a tiny fierce woman I didn't know insisted I owed it to her. Her name is Foxy, and when I say fierce I don't just mean that she crackles with energy like lightning in a jar, but she does, I also mean fierce in the ring. Foxy is her boxing name and she is one of the many amazing women currently jumping and jabbing at the Newsgirls Boxing Club in Toronto. http://www.torontonewsgirls.com/tng_main/index.php
Savoy Howe founded the Newsgirls in 1996, starting with one night a week in a boys club and claiming a permanent fulltime home of their own in 2006. Her infectious passion, dedication and positivity have made her a real hero to just about everyone who has come in contact with the club. The mission of the Newsgirls is to provide a safe and positive space for women and trans people to explore the sport of boxing, and perhaps the most amazing part of the gym is the Shape Your Life program."Shape Your Life (SYL) provides women and trans survivors of violence with an opportunity to participate in a recreational boxing program. Physical exercise, reducing social isolation, exploring healthy aggression and expressing anger in a safe place can help survivors heal from violence and regain control over their lives. Shape Your Life aims to empower survivors by building self esteem and community through the sport of boxing." http://shapeyourlifeboxing.com/
Now I don't box, I'm not even a real fan of watching boxing, but I do love and admire the spirit of Savoy and my friends and the other women and trans boxers at the Newsgirls. They are nothing short of amazing, and pretty fun to party with truth be told. So back to Foxy. "What's your boxing name?" she asks me. "Oh, I don't box." I reply. "That's ok, what's your name?" she settles for and so I tell her it's Robin. She tilts her head, thinks for a half second and says triumphantly "Hood! Your name is Hood!" I laugh and say again "but I don't box." Undeterred she beams and tells me "that doesn't matter, your name is Hood." And so maybe it is. I like it.
