A sport that has evolved many times throughout even the past decade has taken America by storm lately, with big names like Floyd Mayweather and Amanda Serrano, all the way to popular social media stars such as Jake Paul. 

Wilsonville has no official boxing team, but we are special to have a few competitive boxers around the school. Kaede Young, a senior at Wilsonville High School, is one of those special athletes.

Young was introduced very early to boxing when she was living in Japan. “When I was young and lived in Japan, my grandfather owned a boxing gym, so I would hang out there for fun. I didn’t really start to get into it until around 6 or 7,” said Young.  

Training for Young is a huge part of her life: “Three days a week, I drive all the way to Portland, I get into the gym at about 5:30 to warm up.” Said Young. 

Young’s workouts usually start with a warm-up with her team, followed by bag work or sparring, depending on if she has a match that week. Young likes to take a cold ice bath to cool down after her workouts to reduce the swelling that comes with the sport.

Young spoke about her role models in the boxing space, saying, “A teacher that taught here last year, Mr. Christopher, was a big boxer in college and high school, so I really got to know him better through bonding over our shared experience of boxing,” said Young. 

Young, along with many other young boxers, are paving the way for a new generation of talent starting as early as elementary school to enjoy the fun and community that the sport of boxing brings. From her grandfather’s boxing gym in Japan to Wilsonville High School, one thing is clear: Young is just getting started in what is looking to be a very exciting career.