Cindy Boniface leading the way for female boxers with trailblazing coaching achievement
BOXING trainer Cindy Boniface has always been a trailblazer when it comes to sport — even though she didn’t set out to be.
Local Sports Stars
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CINDY Boniface has always been a trailblazer when it comes to sport — even though she didn’t set out to be.
“I grew up attending a local Catholic school where I got the strap as a little girl because I used to play soccer with the boys at lunch time,” the Punch Blackbelt Pro Gym Randwick owner said.
“I’m not that old but that’s how things were, so boxing was not something I thought would be available to me and was certainly never offered to me.
“I had done other martial arts but there was just something different about boxing, it’s much more disciplined that what people think.
“It’s not all violence and aggression it’s quite controlled and there’s quite a lot of strategy to it; I’m a thinker so I enjoy the physical and mental challenge and the diverse groups of people.”
True to form, Mrs Boniface has just become the first woman in NSW to pass the AIBA 1 Star Coaching Course, and is this week’s Local Sports Star nominee in the Service to Sport category.
“We are so far behind the other states — the Combat Sports Act didn’t change until 2009, so until then women were prohibited from competing in boxing or kickboxing in NSW.
“I haven’t done the 1 Star course just for me — I’ve done it for other women who have battled behind the scenes in boxing, which is still a male-dominated sport.
“I always see my job as just to be a facilitator, it’s not the end of the journey, just the start of opening more doors.
Mrs Boniface started working at the boxing gym 12 years ago before the original owners moved interstate, opening up the opportunity for her to make the leap from manager to owner.
It’s now become much more than “just a place to fight,” with Mrs Boniface working with kids coming through rehab with neighbour The Ted Noffs Foundation, as well as Youth Off the Streets and the department of juvenile justice.
She is also continuing to encourage other young women to get involved in boxing with ongoing programs including the Fighting Femmes amateur boxing event to be held on August 12.
“We actually had a girl in the gym a couple of years ago who wanted to spar against other girls, so we decided to open the doors, and we got 3 or 4 in the first time,” Mrs Boniface said.
“A few months later we had about 30 girls from other gyms and some of their coaches come along for the free training session.
“We get a lot of camaraderie coming through, they’re very supportive of one another.”
The Fighting Femmes event will be held on August 12 from 11:30am — 2pm at Punch Blackbelt Pro Gym, Level 1, 115 Avoca St Randwick. For details visit facebook.com/bbpgym/
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