Some girls compete in beauty pageants. Others try boxing. Junior Mckenna Kelsey uses boxing as a way to quit beauty pageants.

“I box because at first, when I was little, I was doing beauty pageants and I was like ‘Well, this is really girly,’” Kelsey said. “I want to get into something that’s more me and I guess that’s what it is. That’s more me. That’s more something that I want to do because it’s really technical and you have to be smarter than the other person and faster and stronger. It’s more fun for me.”

Not only has boxing been a way to avoid competing in pageants, but it has also been a way of coping with personal issues.

“When I was little I was going through some hard stuff so boxing, you know, helped me a lot with my anger and stuff,” Kelsey said. “I find peace and calm and quiet out of punching somebody and not being in trouble for it.”

Kelsey enjoy competing, but she also finds joy in watching her friends compete.

“My favorite thing is going out and watching my friends compete,” she said. “I love to compete myself but my favorite is to watch my friends. Especially my friends that are super shy, and once they get into that ring they absolutely shine.”

Kelsey is based out of Arizona but recently moved to Manhattan. She competes in Laughlin, Nev. She has a fight coming up over spring break that is one of three mandatory fights for moving up to the next division. As of right now, she is in the 3AA division and hopes to move up to a 2AA class.