ESPN – How the Blackfeet Nation Boxing Club is fighting to save the lives of Native American women

In 2003, one year after I was born, my dad, Frank Kipp, founded and opened the Blackfeet Nation Boxing Club on the Blackfeet Reservation in Browning, Montana. I grew up at the boxing club. I found my strength at the boxing club. I gained confidence at the boxing club. And, most importantly, I discovered my purpose at the boxing club.

My dad started the club for the youth and the young adults on the reservation to keep them out of trouble, to keep them away from drugs and alcohol. Over time, the club became more of a refuge for young girls and women in the community. It became a place for girls like me to learn how to stand up for themselves, provide new outlets beyond the status quo and ultimately learn how to protect and defend themselves.