December 10, 2024 // Diocese

‘Blessings’ come from Women’s Boxing Club

Clare Hildebrandt

Reporter

The most invigorating and intimidating aspect of boxing is the presence of another person. When entering the ring, there’s another person waiting for you, according to Anna Prest.

Baraka Bouts, with Baraka meaning ‘blessings’ in swahili, is a club at Notre Dame University where women train, spar, and compete in boxing. The proceeds from their tournaments go to Holy Cross Missions, sponsoring the construction of schools in countries like Uganda.

As the largest all-female club at Notre Dame University, Baraka Bouts trains tens of female athletes in the sport of boxing, performing rigorous exercise routines in training sessions.

On November 18th, the club held its Semifinals in the Duncan Student Center, an opportunity for members to show off their skills. Hundreds were in attendance, cheering on their favorite boxers.

The proceeds from the event go to Holy Cross Missions, specifically their outreach in East Africa, providing for the needs of the congregation’s secondary schools.

Anna Prest, senior at Notre Dame University and President of the Baraka Bouts club, has been participating for four years. As the president, she enjoys seeing the girls grow and flourish in the sport.

“Boxing is a sport that builds confidence and gives you the life skill of self defense,” Prest explained.

Most athletes are new to the sport of boxing, so the club spends much time with technique. The members spend much time in training at least 3-5 times per week.

“We have the actual boxing training aspect where we have women attending practices at least 3 to 5 times a week to develop their boxing skills. We usually do a high intensity training workout for the first half, and then we’ll transition more into the actual boxing technique,” Prest told Today’s Catholic.

The club came about in the late 1990s, as the counterpart to men’s boxing club, Bengal Bouts.

 “We were kind of founded as a female counterpart to our brother club, the Bengal Bouts in 1997,”  Women were only invited to Notre Dame in 1972, so it started much later than the boys’ group.”

 Layann Wardeh, practice captain for the club, and junior at the university, competed in the semifinal competition, winning her round by unanimous decision. Throwing multiple uppercuts, she performed skills learned in training.

Joining Baraka Bouts was not a difficult decision for Wardeh as she practiced another contact sport, tae kwon do, in high school.

“I had initially planned to join the martial arts club because I played tae kwon do throughout like middle school and high school. Then I saw the boxing club and thought ‘this looks interesting.’ I saw they fundraise for the missions in Uganda and once I learned more about the club, I was immediately hooked.” Wardeh told Today’s Catholic.

She found the transition to boxing, though, to be more challenging than she originally thought.

“In tae kwon do, ninety eight percent of the time, you use your legs to kick. You can throw a singular punch but even then, the placement of your feet is so different.  The coaches would always keep telling me ‘don’t pull your head back’  because that’s how you defend in Tae Kwon Do and whenever I did, I’d get hit every time.”

Regular practices and sparring with friends, helped Wardeh to develop her skills during her freshman and sophomore years.

As she became more involved in the club, she was given the opportunity to visit one of the Holy Cross secondary schools in Uganda. Baraka Bouts proceeds and donations provided the school with new science labs .

She spent eight weeks serving at St. Joseph’s Hill secondary school, which is staffed by priests and brothers of Holy Cross.  .

“I  went to one of the two schools we fundraise for and it was so enriching to see how our club has a direct impact there. I saw the lab we helped build and also sat in on classes,” Wardeh told Today’s Catholic.

” We were teaching mathematics at the school, so I had the role of teacher to the kids. Many of the students were close to my age, though, so I also built friendships when I was there. We were not just mentors and teachers to the students… They wanted to talk to us.”

The students at St. Joseph Hill secondary school students were very curious about life in the United States.

“They call America the other side. So they’d be like,’ how is it there on the other side? What foods do you eat?’ They had a lot of questions for us.”

Wardeh experience seeing first hand how her career in boxing helps those in need profoundly affected her. It was a joy for her to give. The children in Uganda gave her much insight into life at home.

“As a culture, they are very full of  life and reminded me to enjoy it. They care so much about everyone and were so kind and welcoming from the first moment we stepped on to their campus,” shared the boxer.

It made her reflect on her childhood in the United States.

“In the States and across developed countries, we often grow up focusing on things they want. We say ‘I want this or that thing.’ The kids in Uganda  did not have much economically but still wanted to share. Even not having much, they would offer what they had.”

Cutlines

JPG1: Boxers walk out for their scheduled match wearing robes on November 18 at Notre Dame’s Duncan Student Center

JPG2: The boxing ring for the semifinals for Baraka Bouts takes place in a ballroom above the Duncan Student Center. Hundreds attend and cheer on their favorite boxers.

JPEG 3: Wardeh steps into the ring with her opponent above the Duncan Student Center. Hundreds attend and cheer on their favorite boxers.

JPEG 4: Wardeh and her opponent bow to the crowd as they cheer for their performance in the Duncan Student Center

JPEG 5: Prest steps into the ring to coach boxer in the Duncan Student center of notre dame

JPEG 6, 7, 10: Two women face off in Baraka Bouts fundraising event in the Duncan Student Center at Notre Dame

JPEG 8, 9. Students cheer on their classmates as they face off in the ring in the Duncan Student Center at Notre Dame.

 Students cheer on their classmates as they face off in the ring in the Duncan Student Center at Notre Dame.