Can you tell us a little bit about yourself outside of Muay Thai? What do you do for a living?

I am a physical therapist. I received my docotorate in physical therapy from Bellarmine Univerisity in December of 2008. Since passing my board exam in January of 2009, I have been working for an organization called First Steps through the state of Kentucky. This organization is part of Early Intervention programs throughout the U.S. which involves working with children age birth to 3 years old with gross motor delay, or who have a diagnosis which puts the child at risk for gross motor delay. I basically work with children in their home setting and consult/teach parents how to work with their children to facilitate normal development.

How do you manage a professional life and training? How much training goes into a typical week for you?

It is most certainly an intensive schedule, but I am very luck that my job provides me with a very flexible schedule that allows me to alternate training and working throughout my day. Generally speaking, I get up and see a few children in the morning, train at the gym for 2-3 hours, go back and see more children in the afternoon, go back to training for another 2-3 hours, go to another gym for some additional cardio (if I have a fight coming up and need to cut more weight!), and then I complete my paperwork from my day, go to bed, and get ready to start over again! A typical training session involves a 4 mile run to start, 1.5 hours of training which involves jump rope, and can include any of the following activities: partner drills, sparring, bag work, mit work, pad work, or clinch work. Roughly speaking, I’d say I train around 30 hours/week. (6hours mon, tues, wed, thurs; 3-4 hours fri, 3-4 hours Saturday, and 1.5-2 hours Sunday)

How was it you came to be involved in Muay Thai?

It was pretty serendipitous. I came to Louisville in 2003 to play soccer of university of Louisville ( I ended up playing 2 years there and then 2 years at Bellarmine University to pursue physical therapy). During my soccer years in high school, I supplemented my fitness in the off season by taking recreational boxing classes for fun. I missed it when I moved to Louisville and one of my class mates had mentioned a self-defense class she attended. I thought I’d give it a try. However, I never really got into the groin kicks and fish hooks! But despite my lack of affinity, I did not like how poorly I did on the ground fighting aspect of the class…so I went into an open gym night to try to roll with some skilled Jiu-Jitsu men. Unfortunately, none of the guys wanted to roll with a girl…but my present coach, Eric Haycraft, happened to be there that night and told me to try a Muay Thai class and see if I liked it. I loved it. Eric is a professional instructor and being a high level athlete with soccer, I could see the difference right away. The rest is history!

Why did you choose the gym you are at?

As previously mentioned, I sort of fell into my situation by first trying self-defense. However, I continue to choose the gym I am at because I truly believe it is one of the best gyms in the country…and most definitely in the state of Kentucky. My coach, Eric Haycraft, has literally dedicated his life to this sport and has been involved in it for almost 21 years in all aspects of the game: fighter, coach, gym owner, promoter, journalist, and most importantly, a fan…to create an awesome environment that supports the development of his students.

Have you had a chance to visit other gyms and see how your gym compares to those?

I have not had a chance to visit many gyms in the U.S. However, I have been very fortunate to visit a couple of gyms in Holland when overseas – Mejiro gym and Golden Glory. I would have to say that our gym is very similar to those 2 because our style is based off the dutch system. I think the main difference is that our gym in the states has to put a little more focus on the fitness and cardio aspects of fighting in order to compete at higher levels where the fighters have more opportunities to gain experience in the ring. To compensate for the lack of experience international fighters can rack up, we have to show up in superb condition.

How is your training different from other US gyms you have seen?

Since our gym is based off the dutch system, we work a lot with combining kicks and punches as well as focusing on using punches to find openings in order to be most effective. Our actual training involves getting used to being hit and building up our tolerance as well as overall composure. We perform partner drills which involve getting hit on the shell as well as absorbing kicks on our legs. We get lots of visitors from other Muay Thai gyms and backgrounds in the USA and it is very different for them, more physical. I get the impression that a lot of Muay Thai in the USA may be nt geared towards fighting. But most importantly, our training involves a great deal of fitness and cardio that each fighter is responsible for throughout the week…and then we all meet on Sundays to run sprints at the park with parachutes attached to us. My coach always tells us that we may not win the fight, but we will be well trained and able to make it through all of the rounds without gassing out and we won't get beat up!

How long did you train before you had your first fight? 2.5 years

When was that? March 2007

How many fights have you had? 19

How have you managed to fight so often?

My coach, he is wonderful at finding fights for me to make sure I stay active in order to build a career and my team also participates in a large number of tournaments which can involve multiple fights – they are a great way to gain experience as an amateur.

Have you fought internationally and where? Yes: Germany, Suriname, Spain, Holland.

What feedback have you received from the international promoters and coaches and opponents on your performance?

I have been very fortunate that many of the international coaches/promoters have been very receptive to me and my style. Unfortunately, there is a stigma attached to being an American Muay Thai fighter overseas which I feel precedes me in most cases and forces me to prove myself and dispel the skepticism. However, it seems to me that the more I fight overseas, the more recognition and respect I get. My second international outing was in Suriname. Suriname is a former Dutch colony. Dutch promoters and fighters do shows there throughout the year. Since my coach came up with the Dutch system this was my first time fighting in front of some of the Dutch coaches and fighters so I was very nervous not to let our gym down. After the fight I was still not sure what they thought until all the Dutch fighters were coming up to us. They were so suprised that Americans knew how to fight with the Dutch style. Ivan Hippolyte came up to me and told me I should fight in Holland! Fred Royers came to me and told me that he enjoyed my fight. Fred Royers is one of the most knowledgable guys in the world on kickboxing and Muay Thai. Germaine sat with us on the bus ride back to the hotel and told my coach that she did not know he knew Dutch style. I think my coach was very proud. Same thing happened in Amsterdam last November. This time we shared the locker room with Team Thailand, Yodsenklai, Bovy, Anuwat and Saiyok. It was very interesting to see these guys with hundreds of fights so calm in the locker room. After the fight Yodsenklai pulled me aside and had an interpreter translate what I did well. He basically said that I was doing poorly in round 1 and 2 but really truned it on 3,4 and 5. That was pretty cool. If that was not enough the owner of the Kaewsamrit camp took a liking to us and gave me Anuwat's shorts. It was very surreal.

I know it is a cliche of a question but are the women trained any different in your gym?

Absolutely not! We train the same as the boys! Obviously if I am sparring or doing drills that involve taking impact with a guy that’s got 70 lbs on me, he’s not going to try to hit me as hard as he can…but he still hits hard to help me get better at being able to take punishment…and I get to practice punching and kicking as hard as I can! Comparatively, I am most likely faster than the bigger guy, and so he can benefit from my speed in addition to my experience and knowledge. Everyone works and learns from everyone on our team. We all have something to offer our teammates.

Did your coach have any experince with female fighters or were you the first?

I believe that my coach has had some experience with female fighters in his past, and he has also coached 2 other girls during my time with him.

Do you think there are any major differences between male and female fighters?

Weight cutting for females is way harder than for males!

I see that you have fought on the same card as Germanie de Randamie. Germaine is the top pound for pound female in the world right now. Did you get a chance to meet her?

Yes…more than once. Actually, I was lucky enough to get to sit and talk with her in my hotel room before my fight in Amsterdam while her friend braided my hair. I really look up to her. She has done so much for female fighting and it was so wonderful to get to hear her thoughts on Muay Thai. I was also lucky enough to have her visit me in my locker room after the fight to question me and give me some pointers. Her knowledge is priceless to me.

Have you met other famous fighters fighting abroad?

Yes: Fred Royers, Ramon Dekkers, Rob Kaman, Mike Zambidis, Andy Sour, Anuwat, Yodsenklai, Malaipet, Bovi, Julie Kitchen, John Wayne Parr, Manu Ntoh, Farid V., Ryan Simpson. Like I said my coach is very tied into the sport so it seems like wherever we go I keep getting introduced to all these people that I later find out are huge stars in the sport. And over the years that I have been training we have had Rob Kaman here in Louisville twice as well as Ramon Dekkers and John Wayne Parr. I have had a chance to tarin with all these guys!

Do you have any pre-fight rituals you go through or favorite fight outfit?

I like to think that I am not superstitious…and sometimes pre-fight time is a little crazy given the setting and circumstance which does not always allow me to have the necessities, but I like to have a large iced coffee an hour or 2 before my fight for extra energy. As far as an outfit is concerned, I have not really established an image at this time, but I will say that I like to walk out in my bra and shorts without a robe or anything to take off before getting in the ring. I like to be ready to go and not waste time getting started.

When it comes to opponents what have been some of your toughest fights?

Kaitlyn young was my first tough fight and very early in my career – she was incredibly strong, and she interrupted my punches with tons of middle kicks to my ribs. Kat Johnson (I have fought her 2x) is also a really tough opponent to fight because of her size, her punching power, and her unorthodox fighting style. But fighting internationally is a whole different pressure and the ladies are more technical due to the fact that they can fight so much more. In Spain I won the WKA World Title against a gal with more than 30 fights.

Aside from fighters you have faced are there ladies whose careers you follow?

Germaine de Randamie, Julie Kitchen, and Lucia Rjiker. However, I am a huge fan of great fighters male or female and follow their careers as well.

How would you advise other women fighting in America if they wanted to pursue a muay Thai career? How can they fight often like you have? How can they get international recognition?

First off, buy a pair of running shoes, all of the running and cardio is the ugly/boring side of the sport that is so often overlooked and underappreciated, however, it is such an important aspect and the easiest way to accelerate the learning process…it is much easier to learn the technique if you are not constantly exhausted from performing repetitions! And then, there is consistency. You have to train all the time, not just a couple days/week. Once you have laid the foundation and are able to protect yourself in the ring, you can start to gain your ring experience by competing. Once that starts, try to stay as active as you can to take fights- but make sure you and your coach are being smart about the fights you agree to and that they are good matches for you to grow/learn from. And finally, international recognition goes hand in hand with being active and training consistently. Once you have established yourself in the U.S. as a legitimate fighter, you can start to try to build a career in other countries. Lastly you have to have a good coach. And that goes above and beyond a person that can teach you techniques, you have to have a coach that knows how to bring along a fighter and is connected in the game enough to have the connections to get international fights.

Finally what are your goals with Muay Thai?

My goal is to keep competing at as high a level as I am capable of and see where it takes me. I think too many Americans go professioanl too soon. Amateur boxers have hundreds of bouts before they go pro. Most US Muay Thai fighters have a handful. i am preparing for my 20th amateur fight on Feb 20 in Hampton Virginia, for the WKA United States Title. It is a five round bout with no gear. I fully expect in antother year to have 30 plus amateyr fights. Then we will look at professioanl fights. I am fortunate enough to have a career in physical therapy that I also love (and which also supports me to fight). Therefore, if my fighting career ended tomorrow, I would be happy at the run I’ve had, but I would also be happy to continue my career working with children. Muay Thai has already given me so many opportunities that I am truly thankful for, and I am so excited to see what else could come in the future.