Kainai student sets the bar high, in the ring and out

Cherie Shot Both Sides, a 15-year-old amateur boxer from Moses Lake, is fast becoming a positive role model for other young girls her age.

She is a Grade 10 student at Kainai high school in Cardston, where she resides. After graduation, she said she wants to enroll in a registered nursing program at a school in Calgary, but also wants to continue with her boxing.

Shot Both Sides began her training at the age of 14, but she said she was interested in boxing when she was much younger.

"I was always there trying to train, but my dad would keep kicking me out," said Shot Both Sides. "One day he was telling me about his boxing career and I told him that I wanted to follow in his foot steps, and so from there he started training me."

Her first bout was in January 2005, where she won by technical knock out. Since then, she has had four bouts and two exhibitions, all of them ending in knockouts.

"I kind of want to make it to the big times, but for now I'm enjoying what I do and that's boxing and meeting new people," said Shot Both Sides.

A typical training day involves Shot Both Sides working on the punching bag, speed bag, skipping and running. She trains every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m.
"You have to train hard because you never know who you are going to run into," said Shot Both Sides. "I think that's what boxing really teaches is discipline, discipline to train on your own when you are not on your training days and go for a three-mile run."

Shot Both Sides competed at the provincial championships in Lethbridge in November 2005. This fight would've put her at six bouts, but it ended up being an exhibition fight because the officials couldn't find another opponent in her weight category.

At that time she weighed 111 pounds. They matched Shot Both Sides up with a girl she had fought and won against twice before.

"I was pretty upset about this, so they found a different opponent," she said. "She was 126 pounds and they can only let seven pounds slide in order for it to be a fight, so it was an exhibition match, therefore nobody won or loss. We fought the first and second round but she didn't want to come out the third round."

Prior to getting into the ring and up until the first punch is thrown, Shot Both Sides said her mind is blank. However, when she sees a fist coming towards her she thinks about her training, "like my jabs, uppercuts and fakes."

Shot Both Sides said there have been a lot more girls coming out to the Blood Tribe Warriors boxing club to train.
"I get nothing but young girls coming out who have heard of Cherie and who know her," said Dexter Bruised Head, volunteer head coach for the club, and career counsellor for the Blood Tribe Employment and Skills Training.

"I know this girl is going to make a difference and she already has, basically with the young girls on the reserve who are maybe inspired to come out and join the boxing club," said Dexter Bruised Head. He volunteers his evenings and weekends to train youth who are interested in boxing lessons, but most importantly he helps them to get back into school or find employment.

"Our mission statement is to create young athletes, but also using that type of discipline to further their education as well," said Bruised Head, an ex-boxer. "If the youth don't want to pursue their education or employment, then they are not allowed in the club. I've had to put my foot down on that because in the past I've boxed with some boxers and that's the only thing they want to do, is box. Some of them would quit school and quit their job to just box amateur and you can't make a living doing that."

When asked if he sees a possible boxing career for Shot Both Sides, Bruised Head said definitely.
"Oh my God, I probably see an Olympian," he said. "I probably see her definitely turning pro. She has never gone past two rounds because she stops all the girls in the first or second round."