Budding pugilists box clever

Roebourne District High School girls are learning how to pack a punch with a new boxing program.

Students are put through their paces by Peak One Boxing Club assistant coach Claire Hale every Thursday with skipping, strength and conditioning work and traditional boxing techniques.

“They are building strength and fitness slowly over time and they’ll learn self-defence,” she said.

Hale said boxing was a great sport for women and was included at the 2012 London Olympics.

“The students are at an amateur level but it’s good to see there is a future in it if they’ve got the talent or they want to progress,” she said.

“The girls can see myself and other women competing in the State and women go internationally as well,”

Hale said learning about boxing’s positive role models had planted a seed of possibilities.

The weekly classes are part of Roebourne District High School’s Girls Academy, which started earlier this year and is run through Role Models Australia.

It focuses on building health, wellbeing and self-esteem through a range of activities.

Principal Erica Prosser said the classes were another support mechanism for students.

“The academy is about building up girls into leadership positions, whatever that leadership position might be … it might be family leadership or doing things in the community,” she said.

Ms Prosser said the academy also encouraged school attendance by making school a supportive and fun place to be.

“There is also an expectation by the academy that the girls will come to school 80 per cent of the time or more (in order to take part),” she said.

“It’s about building that up as an expectation.”