Cheerleading, dance, soccer, volleyball and softball. Most sports fit for a female, but for freshman Julia Spooner, those were not enough.

“When I was little my parents put me in Taekwondo to be able to defend myself,” Spooner said. “And then, one day we were watching the Olympic fighters and I decided I wanted to do that”

After seeing the Olympic fighters, Spooner was inspired to try it herself. She signed up for a couple of classes and after that she knew that she loved it.

“I have been fighting since I was six years old on and off, but the past 3 years I have been more dedicated,” Spooner said.

The dedication to the sport can be fun, but a challenging process. Her time has been committed to this sport and preparing for competitions.

“I train about 16 hours a week. While training we will do drills to practicing our kicks and punches and we also fight each other to practice,” Spooner said. “We also do a lot of ab workouts. We have competitions every month or every other month.”

Most people know fighting is a sport, but most people don’t realize is what goes on in the ring, and how someone can win.

“When you fight, you go into the ring and put on a bunch of gear, and you try to get the most points by punching and kicking the opponent,” Spooner said. “It is a one-minute round, with 30 second breaks, and you have three rounds to see who gets the most points.”

Fighting, boxing, and wrestling can be pretty common for males, but for females the competition is lacking.

“I practice mainly with boys because not many girls do it,” Spooner said.

The reason for this to be uncommon is because people who fight are massive and built with muscles unlike some girls.

“I love watching my daughter fight and do what she loves,” Michelle Spooner said. “But I always get nervous when she steps into the ring. I don’t want her to get hurt while fighting.”

Although girls can be athletic and strong, they are sometimes underestimated.

“People are always surprised that I am a fighter considering that I am short and I’m a girl,” Spooner said. “They always doubt me.”

She is also a well-known fighter, holding many titles.

“I have won first place in State two years in a row, and I also got second at Nationals,” Spooner said.

All her family members support her but her younger brother fights along the side of her.

“It’s super fun to fight with my sister,” Haydn Spooner said. “We can help each other get better all the time.”

Some people only do a certain sport because they are good, and some do it because their parents did it, but Spooner takes on this sport for various reasons.

“I love all the people I fight with including my own brothers who are eight and twelve years old,” Spooner said.  “Overall I just love the competitions and the feeling of it.