At Western Washington University, a student-run boxing club is giving women and nonbinary students something most gyms rarely do: a place to throw punches, talk through their feelings and build community without hypermasculine pressure.
Femme Fight Club (FFC) meets every Thursday and teaches members the sport of traditional boxing, along with lessons in discipline and emotional regulation. The club is free, with gloves, bags and mitts provided.
Third-year marketing student Amelia Larsen started boxing when she was 12, and trained for about six years before taking a hiatus. After a period of personal challenges, she found herself turning back to the sport in January of this year.
“I had experienced a lot of negative experiences, particularly with men, that had affected my mental health,” Larsen said. “I was feeling angry at the world, angry at myself, and I was like, ‘I know there are other women that are feeling this way.’”
Second-year Western student Sophia Polley uses the student recreation center six times a week, and said it meets most of her needs, though it has some annoying drawbacks.
“If you go down into the lower weight room, you might see two or three girls in there, especially on the courts. I've only seen one girl playing basketball this year,” Polley said. “I know volleyball is really good with mixing coed, but especially in the weight rooms and any lifting area, it's gonna be very male-dominated.”
Larsen wanted to pick up boxing again, but felt most boxing gyms had a hypermasculine, sometimes toxic environment. After realizing the type of gym or club she was looking for didn't exist nearby, she decided to create one herself through the Western club system.
Western club activities advisor Daniela Reyes praised students who use the club system to meet their needs.
“What these students are doing is just building that community, starting that community and that opportunity for students. I think that definitely makes a big impact on somebody's experience here,” Reyes said.
Although Western provides clubs with training, free publicity, design resources, creative freedom and more, clubs aren’t considered athletic clubs until a year after their founding. As a result, FFC holds its meetings in Fairhaven College’s auditorium rather than Western’s student recreation center.
Some materials used during club meetings were donated, such as a few sets of gloves. Besides that, Larsen said she has paid all start-up costs herself, totaling just under $1,000 over six months.
“It took a long time because I was cutting shit out of my paycheck to be like, ‘all right, let's buy this bag.’ But now we never need to buy punching bags again, which is great,” Larsen said.
Meetings begin with members wrapping their hands with protective hand wraps, which absorb shock and stabilize the wrists and knuckles. They then introduce themselves before going around a circle sharing what made them mad that day, offering support and preparing for the workout.
Members then warm up, complete eight sets of punching combos “punching” the issues upsetting them, followed by some fast punching. Club meetings finish with sit-ups, push-ups and a plank. Larsen emphasized that the club doesn't include any sparring.
Beyond training and community, Larsen said charity is an important part of FFC. The club has participated in a meal train for Bellingham Occupied Protest (@bopmutualaid on Instagram), providing meals for unhoused Bellingham residents. Additionally, Larsen said the club plans to volunteer at a women’s shelter.
Students interested in joining or learning more can follow the club on Instagram at @wwufemmefightclub or visit their Western Involvement Network page for more information.
“It feels funny to say this when I'm the one who started the club, but it really does feel very welcoming and nice. It’s very communal, which is the goal,” Larsen said. “I would say to anybody who wants to take up boxing and is nervous to do so, this is probably the best and cheapest way to do so.”
Willow Jacobson (she/her) is a campus life reporter for The Front this quarter. She is a second-year marketing major and public relations minor. When she's not working on a story she likes to read or watch movies. You can reach her at willow.thefront@gmail.com.
