Tags: Womens boxing. Boxing. Sports. Commonwealth Games.
A GAME OF CHESS
When Taylah Robertson’s grandmother encouraged her to take up boxing at the age of twelve, none of those close to her or for that matter, Taylah herself, could have ever imagined what was to happen in the following seven years.
Taylah began taking boxing lessons at a Bribie Island gym and at first regarded it as nothing more than an enjoyable sport that would keep her fit but, as she began to show a natural ability, she began sparing with the boys and then had the opportunity to partake in a fight. ‘When she was just going there to take boxing lessons and train, her mother Cassandra and I were not really concerned,’ Taylah’s dad Cameron told me.
‘Then one day she came home and told us that she was going to fight and we both just felt sick. As it turned out, after a few fights where she held her own and started to do well, we felt a bit better about her being a boxer and now, although we still get a bit worried, we are just incredibly proud of what she has achieved,’ he said.
Cameron explained that once Taylah had progressed as far as was possible with the local gym, she placed herself under the guidance of Cooroy coach, Mark Evans who is also the Queensland coach. Obviously, this meant a demanding amount of travel for Taylah’s parents until she finally got her driver’s licence and as the frequency of her training increased along with her success in the ring, Cassandra and Cameron made the decision to relocate to the Sunshine Coast in order to lessen Taylah’s travel time.
It seems that there has been absolutely no stopping this young lady as far as her determination to be successful is concerned and, since she began to compete, her successes in the ring to date are an indication of her determination and commitment to the sport. As well as winning several Queensland titles, Taylah has won the Celtic Cup in Ireland and her success in Poland earned her the Black Diamond Cup.
raising funds
More recently, Taylah set her sights on being included in the Australian team at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and, after taking out the 51kg Australian Women’s Championship late in 2017, she has qualified to represent Australia at the Games. An obviously proud Cameron told me about how much time his nineteen-year-old daughter spends training to be a successful competitor. ‘Taylah trains three times each day, six days of the week,’ said Cameron. ‘Her skill as a boxer has been honed by training at the Australian Institute of Sport and recently in The Philippines.
Taylah treats boxing like a game of chess and plans her strategies very carefully. She is confident that she will win gold at the games and of course, we have bought tickets for every fight,’ he added. He also said that Taylah has her first fight on April 11th. One very important issue that is faced by every athlete who embarks on the journey to turn their favourite sport into a career is being able to source adequate funds and this quite often relies on the generosity of sponsors.
Cameron pointed out that there have been many businesses that have assisted Taylah in her journey and the local sponsors include Sunshine Fencing, Sell Exclusive and Richardson & Wrench as well as Knobel and Davis and Dallas Arthur at Tycrete. In her own efforts to fund her career, Taylah has had “Team Taylah” shirts (see photo) printed and has been selling them to her supporters.
He explained that anyone who would like to purchase one of these shirts should email Cassandra. [email protected] to arrange the purchase.
Following the Commonwealth Games, Taylah’s next goal is to be successful at the World Titles and, as the ultimate ambition, she is determined to win gold at the next Olympic Games. On behalf of the community in which she grew up, we at The Bribie Islander would like to congratulate Taylah on her achievements so far and wish her every success at the Commonwealth Games.
Other Articles
https://thebribieislander.com.au/local-martial-artist-attempts-guinness-world-record/
https://thebribieislander.com.au/lawn-bowls-club-sport-ages/