Queen Underwood’s Quest For Olympic Gold!
Queen Underwood, AP Photo: Jack Dempsey
If you happen to have been in and around Seattle over the past couple of days, you may have come across a life-size poster of U.S. Women’s National Boxing Champion and Seattle native Queen Underwood in your travels.
Queen Underwood, 26, has been hard at work in her quest to win Gold in the 2012 Olympic Games in the 132-lb. weight class, one of three sanctioned for the debut of Women’s Olympic Boxing, and is looking for support as she trains full-time in pursuit of her dream.
Just now, Queen is in her final preparations for the upcoming Pan American Games Box-offs set to run from March 18-20, in Colorado Springs, Colorado at the Olympic Training Center.
The winners of this important event will be offered the opportunity to wear the red, white and blue at the upcoming Pan American Games qualifier in Cumana, Venezuela, March 25-30 — a first ever event for the games as Women’s Boxing makes its debut.
Queen hopes “to make history” in the Pan American Games, “by bringing back the first Gold Medal ever for Women’s Boxing.”
Queen’s pursuit of Olympic excellence is her true motivator, as well as the driver behind what Queen calls her training “lifestyle,” which includes nearly daily workouts at Cappy’s Gym in Seattle, upwards of six hours per day.
This sort of focused dedication to the quest for gold is in the manner of any elite Olympian, whether that athlete be a women’s gymnast, weight lifter or — thanks to the recent decision made by the International Olympic Boxing Committee, a female amateur boxing champion.
Along with the potential for triumph in the ring at the Olympics are the harsh realities of finding support and sponsorship in an era of continuing financial crisis.
Where “Queen Team” has come up with an edge is in reaching out to the public to help support Queen’s quest for gold through tax-deductible sponsorships, volunteer and in-kind support, small donations, and by building awareness of Queen’s dedication to the sport.
As Queen put it, “The Queen Team takes on the task to get money so I can train full-time.”
“It is my duty and my job,” Queen went on to explain, “All I do is box!”
Queen’s personal goals aside, she also sees herself as a role model to younger women and hopes to establish a high-profile not only to eventually pursue a professional boxing career, but importantly, to act as “a mentor to future boxers.”
Still and all, the Olympics mean everything to Queen: an opportunity to win the first Olympic Gold medal for Women’s Boxing in her weight class, a chance to put “Women’s Boxing on the map” and through her own examples of dedication, hard work and focus, the chance to show the world just what it really means to be a woman boxer.
For more information on sponsoring Queen, or just to check out her fabulous website click here. You can “like” Queen’s Facebook page here. And you can follow Queen on Twitter by clicking @Queenteam2012
Girlboxing 
There is just something about the Olympics that just brings out the best in people. Comittment, dedication, sacrifice…..the desire to go out and represent for your dreams and your country. It never ceases to amaze me and raise my ChampionZone score. It’s a dream come true to work with Queen on her “road to gold” and the accomplishment of her dreams. Hopefully when she’s done, the dream comes a bit more real for thousands of young women out there in the USA. Go Queen.
You are so right! And not only that, but the advent of Women’s boxing as an Olympic competitive sport is also providing a huge dose of respect for a sport that suffers from the slings and arrows, if you will, of folks who don’t “get” that it is serious and here to stay. Thanks for your comment!
Hey… we’ll all blaze a trail together! And even though I outweigh Queen by 50 lbs, and over half a foot… I WOULD NOT get in the ring with her! 😉 Anyone who has question should come and try and spend one week going through the work outs we’re putting Queen through. I’ve worked with several world-class athletes before, and it’s just another level of excellence most couldn’t comprehend unless they came out and did the work. Thanks for the article. Go Queen Team!
Queen is truly an inspiration to all of us on the Queen Team, and everyone she comes in contact with. Thank you so much for this fantastic article, you really captured the spirit of the champion and of the Queen Team. I hope everyone who reads this will be inspired to follow their dreams, and do great things!
Queen Underwood – Olympic history in the making!
Thank you so much for your comments. Queen embodies all that is best about America and by her example is proving out the confidence placed in our young women as Queen and her teammates strive to realize their dreams of Olympic gold in the debut of Women’s Boxing at the 2012 Olympics in 2012. We wish her all the best!