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OSC Smile Moment of the Week Week Four Photo Contest Winner Photographer: Terry Jackson Sponsored by: The Oakville Beaver Age Division: U8 Boys Presented by: Emelia Dermott did ev- erything she could to pre- pare for her first boxing match. She devoted herself to her training. She worked on her technique in spar- ring sessions. She carefully monitored her diet. And then the fight start- ed and all that preparation went out the window. "As soon as the bell rang, (my opponent) sprinted at me and tried to punch my face off," Der- mott recalls. "I was like 'Whoa, what the hell?'" The lesson: Boxing is about making adjust- ments. At the American Boxing Confederation Youth Con- tinental Championships, Dermott faced boxers from across North and South America. Each came with their own unique style. "She's very eager to solve problems. That's very important being able to fig- ure out an opponent, espe- cially in amateur boxing," says her coach Ryan Ran- nelli. "You have to be able to do that on the fly." But the biggest adjust- ment Dermott would have to make had nothing to do with her opponent, but rather the venue. The tournament was held in Colorado Springs, Colorado, which is 1,839 metres (more than a mile) above sea level. "Halfway through the second round, I couldn't breath. And then I lost my legs. That's something that's never happened be- fore," the 16-year-old said. "Usually I have really good cardio." However she was feel- ing, Dermott didn't let it show, she kept moving, ini- tiated much of the action and it was Guatemala's Castellano Roldan that was clinching trying to slow the pace. "I never really thought about being a boxer, I used to do it purely for fitness. All my friends were good athletes and I just felt unfit and lazy," Dermott said. So when her dad started doing fitness classes, she tagged along. The classes were structured around boxing and it immediately struck a chord with her. "It was awesome," the Oakville boxer says. "It was exactly what I wanted to do." The classes were in To- ronto, though, so she start- ed to look for something closer to home. She ended up at a gym in Mississauga where the first time she walked through the door, she was greeted with "You're going to be an Olympian." "I am going to be Olym- pian," Dermott responded, though she had yet to fight in a ring. Training under Olym- pic medallist Chris John- son, Dermott developed her skills quickly. She soon went from training twice a week, to three times a week to seven days a week, some- times training for five hours. However, when John- son decided he was no lon- ger going to train female fighters, she was left looking for a new coach. While Dermott, enjoyed improving her boxing skills, there was another el- ement that was pushing her away from the sport. "He was really serious and he pushed me to keep going. But every day was like a Rocky movie where there was some hard thing you have to battle to get through," she said. "And I was 12 years old." The lesson: Boxing has to be fun. Her search for a new coach led her to Burling- ton's No Excuse Fitness and Boxing. "I walked in wanting to hate it, because then I could walk away," the Nel- son High School student said. "But I was doing pads (with Rannelli) and he was just a goof. I was laughing and we just instantly con- nected. I started the next day." As the Team Canada coaches adjusted her head- gear prior to her first fight at the Youth Continental Championships, Dermott did a little dance. Watching back home, Rannelli knew that was a good sign. Thirteen min- utes later, the referee raised Dermott's arm after she scored a unanimous decision. There are many miscon- ceptions that go along with being a boxer. Dermott is often asked "Could you beat me up?" "I don't do it because I like hitting people," the Nelson High School stu- dent says. "Yeah, I want to knock (opponents) out, but only so I'll win. I'm not an aggressive or violent per- son. I like technique and the skill, the same reasons people go into dance." Still, it's not often you see a ballerina take a jab in the nose, though Dermott says boxing is less danger- ous than other contact sports like football. And if her parents ever worried about their daughter be- coming a boxer, her broth- er helped her out. "He's an aerial skier, so he's set the bar pretty high for what scares them," she says. Besides, Dermott, a three-time Canadian champion, is pretty good at handling herself in the ring. She beat the South American champion, Ar- gentina's Oriana Sanchez in the semifinals in Colora- do. "She's very good at plac- ing punches and she mini- mizes her movement so it that gives her a lot of pow- er," Rannelli says. "She's 110 pounds but she hits like a 200-pound man." The lesson: Not every- thing is what it appears to be. In the Continental Championships 51-kilo- gram final, Dermott faced American Heaven Garcia. Again, Dermott prepared, but maybe a little too much. Knowing she was facing the 2015 junior wom- en's world champ affected how she fought. "I froze a little," Dermott said. "She wasn't as good as I had built her up in my head. I could have done way more. I walked away thinking, 'I could have won that.'" Though it was a compet- itive fight, Garcia scored a unanimous decision to take the Continental title. Dermott's silver medal still earned her a trip to the Youth World Champion- ships in Hungary in Au- gust. There she will put ev- erything she has learned into action. And her coach has no doubt the results will be impressive. "Emelia is always good at rising to the occasion," Rannelli says. "As the op- position becomes better, she rises to that level." SPORTS Lessons learned help Dermott prepare for youth worlds Boxer Emelia Dermott will represent Canada at the Youth World Championships in Hungary in August. Dermott defeated the South American champion on her way to a silver medal at last month's Youth Continental Championships in Colorado. Nikki Wesley/Metroland HERB GARBUTT hgarbutt@metroland.com