The Rumble on the Playground

 

"Listen up, world! I’m gonna tell you a story. A story 'bout the schoolyard, where the bees sting and the drama swings. 

 I'm just a little kid, mindin' my own business, see? When boom! This girl comes outta nowhere, chasin' this poor guy like he stole her lunch money. She's got fire in her eyes and dynamite in her fists. 

 They come barreling right toward me! This girl, she winds up, ready to knock his block off...and BANG! She connects! But not with him! No, sir! She connects with *me*! With *my* pearly whites! 

 My two front teeth? Gone! Dangling like ornaments on a broken Christmas tree! Blood everywhere! The pain? Like a thousand lightning bolts striking my face at once! I was down! Crying, hollering. Somehow I withstood it all. 

 Then, years later, BAM! I see Laila Ali and Jackie Frazier, tearin' it up in the ring. Punchin', slammin', takin' hits. 

 And I'm thinkin', 'Hold up! I remember pain! That lady who partially knocked out my two front teeth and left them hanging - I felt every ounce of that pain! How can these women take these hits like they're nothin'?' 

 That, my friends, is the mystery of the fight game. But even *I* can't explain that kind of toughness. But I know one thing: pain is a real monster, but it does not define you. Maybe...that's *part* of the answer. But when I saw those women in the ring, it was more than just toughness. It was determination. It was pushing beyond the limitations that society placed on them. It was claiming space, refusing to be silent. It got me thinking about the history of women's boxing. A history of struggle, of being denied opportunities, of fighting just to be seen. That's when I knew I had to learn more. 

I’ll be back with more. I’m Gail Nobles and you’re listening to The Championne Round.