St. Albert boxer Susan Haas is slugging it out to represent Canada next year at the Summer Olympic Games.
“It’s a tough road but I’m going for it,” said the reigning Canadian champion in the 69-kilogram weight category.
Haas, 26, has to successfully defend her title at nationals and win box-offs at the end of the year, then place in the top eight at the 2012 world championships.
“You can’t have a bad day. It’s going to be a little more intense for sure. Everyone is kind of converging on the Olympic weight classes,” said Haas, who is 41-9 in the ring. “Box-offs is essentially nationals part two. There will also be quite a bit of competition at worlds so placing in the top eight is a big deal.”
Female boxing will make its Olympic debut in London, England, and Haas wants to be part of history.
“I didn’t even know women’s boxing wasn’t even in the Olympics when I was younger. It was absurd to me that it wasn’t,” she said. “It’s taken us a while to get there.”
The Cougar Boxing Club pugilist believes she has what it takes to make the Olympic team.
“I definitely have power but I’ve been trying to grow as a boxer too and so far everything is really coming together. My movement has improved by a million times. I’m thinking a lot more in the ring. I’m not just going in and treating every fight the same and just throwing punches. I’m going in and analyzing as a boxer,” said Haas, a bachelor of arts student who is majoring in political science at Grant MacEwan University. “I’m dropping one course at school to make a little more time in hopes of qualifying, as well as seek out sponsors to help out with the financial aspect of it.”
This week, the Paul Kane High School alumna is trading leather at the 11th annual Ringside World Championships in Kansas City, Mo. Haas was hoping to fight Andrecia Wasson of the United States, the 69-kg world champion, but she moved up into the 75-kg division for the prestigious tournament. Instead, Haas had a bout scheduled Friday against an Edmonton opponent from the Beverly Bronx Boxing Club and had another tilt on tap at the end of the tournament.
“This tournament is more for preparation. I’ve got a trip to the Ukraine coming up in September. That one is with Team Canada and I will be fighting the national champions from other countries,” said Haas, who has competed internationally before in Russia, Ecuador and Brazil.
The two-time junior national gold medallist and three-time senior champion started boxing at age 13 in St. Albert because she wanted to punch people. Workouts were held at Leo Nickerson School and Pierre Rousseau was her coach.
Haas later joined the Cougar stable of boxers, but stayed away from the ring for six years after a loss at nationals in 2002. She eventually rediscovered her love for the sport and, in 2009, won the 64-kg Canadian crown, then jumped into the 69-kg division and captured the senior national championship.
“Boxing is really more than an activity. It’s kind of a way of life. It gives you discipline. The atmosphere at the gym is fun and very goal-orientated. It gives you direction and purpose,” said the recipient of the Barney O’Connor Award as the 2009 athlete of the year in boxing, as selected by the Edmonton Combative Sports Commission.
