Former MYAF pupil boxes clever to win gold!
Conditions in the icy north were no match for England's top female boxers, who came from all over the country to Manchester for the finals of the 2011/12 National ABAE Female Championships. The finals included a wealth of talent, from novices with only skills bouts under their belts to seasoned England representatives. Amongst the talented sports women was our very own Carys Artingstall, a former pupil at the MYAF and a huge success story already.
Car's began boxing when she started attending the MYAF just over a year ago and it was quickly evident that she had natural talent and ability. This, combined with her positive attitude, not only 
meant she thrived within the MYAF, but also started on the path to what will hopefully be greatness. The staff at the MYAF could see her potential and worked hard in conjunction with Donna Shaw the coach at Macclesfield Boys Boxing Club in honing her skills along with positive encouragement. Carys initially struggled with her confidence in both life and the ring, but with the help of MYAF and Donna she is now achieving so much in life which she may well have not been able to do before. An all round sportswoman Cary's is now working as a Community Mentor/Coach at Macclesfield Town Football Club and boxing regularly for Macclesfield. She is a credit to herself along with Macclesfield and the MYAF is very proud of her.
After winning her Gold at the finals Carys reflected back on her year, "I was kicked out of school and was getting into trouble all the time. My coach Donna took me training every Friday (with the MYAF Groups). At first boxing gave me something worthwhile to do; it kept me out of trouble and off the streets. Now I've got a gold medal. I've turned my life around!"
Donna Shaw, Carys' coach, believes that Carys could be the next big hit in women's boxing and believes she has what it takes for her to compete for the United Kingdom in the future. So watch this space as we are sure she will make every success of her life and will inspire others just as the MYAF and boxing inspired her.
