Quesnel’s most feared puncher is back training at Two Rivers Boxing after a month away from town.
The boxer had been working on improving their skills at an exclusive boxing camp in Ireland and another specialized camp in Sooke.
This terrifying fighter isn’t a burly, heavy-handed, 250 pound man who is covered in tattoos.
She’s a red-headed 12-year-old with a great smile and a sunny disposition. Get her in the ring, however, and that disposition clouds over very quickly and her opponents find out where Britynn “Hurricane” Carter gets her nickname.
The tropical storm crossed the seas for the first time to join a nine-day training camp at St. Brigid’s boxing gym in Edenderry, Republic of Ireland.
The small country is well known for its pugilistic tendencies and Carter, with her auburn locks and quick hands, fit in perfectly.
“All of it was so great,” Carter says.
“I boxed every day and had new people to spar all the time.
“It was really cool seeing all the different styles.”
Teams from Hungary, Italy, France and elsewhere were on hand to take in the camp.
Canadian fighter Benny “The Jet” Swanson and his daughter Maddy also joined in the training.
“They’re pretty technical,” she says of her Irish coaches, “so I was able to pick up some more technical stuff to do.”
While Carter never felt uncomfortable in the ring, she did start longing for the familiarity of Quesnel by the end of the trip.
“I missed home,” she says, “I cried on the sixth day I was there.”
Her mother Tami Carter was not faring much better.
“It was really, really hard,” she says. As soon as Carter flew back to British Columbia, her mom drove her straight from the airport in Vancouver to Sooke Boxing Club on the island, where she spent three weeks.
“They’re talking about possibly moving her down [to Sooke], so this was like a tester for it, but I’m not ready for that.”
“She wants to go places so we want to make that happen for her. Right now she’s training seven days a week, which is probably too much, but she’s driven.”
Carter enjoyed her time a little more in Sooke, as her best friend and closest competition, Jill Doucet, trains out of the club that her mother Ellen helped found.
The two fighters often travel together when a match presents itself. As they are considered top of the table in the province, the pair have make their way to different states and provinces to get the match-ups they desire.
While in Sooke, Carter worked on being a little more unpredictable.
“I step in with my one foot and throw the jab,” she says, describing her typical entrance to an exchange.
“And after that I go right in. They were saying to switch that up a little more.”
One thing that will remain predictable is Carter’s confidence.
“I think I’m going to do awesome in my next fight!”
Local fight fans interested in seeing Carter work her magic in the ring will hopefully get their wish on November 24, as Two Rivers Boxing hosts Rumble 25.
sports@quesnelobserver.com
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