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Oakville grad squares off to fight in Brazil continued from p.1 took a lot of knees to the face. This is not uncommon in the sport, as fighters often look beaten up after a contest. Yet it's not a deterrent for the Queen Elizabeth Park High School graduate who now calls Toronto home. "I love it. It feels great when you have a really strong team behind you, when you have that push that can push you to be better. You have to have the right mindset for it. By no means is this for everybody," she said. "Some girls will be very skittish about sparring and striking things like that, but once you ease into it and understand that it doesn't really hurt to get hit, you can move past that and keep on going." Kirsh has always been drawn to physical training. As a teen, she got into conditioning and working out. She attended OCAD University for photography and curating. However, when she finished post-secondary school, she was drawn back into the gym. "I was just always very drawn to the physicality of it. I went from there. I gave it a try once and said, `This will work pretty well'," she said. Kirsh works out at Empire MMA, where she also happens to be the manager and teaches conditioning and women's muay thai classes. She gets into the gym at 11 a.m. and leaves by 10 p.m. The MMA fighter has been training for had the opportunity to take a pro fight and I said, `Yep, no problem'," she said. Her opponent, Aline Nery, had the advantage as she had several fights under her belt, but Kirsh won with an arm bar submission. Through the Fight Xchange, the Canadian team travelled to Rio De Janeiro for nearly two months, where they trained in a Brazilian gym. The documentary chronicles the Canadian team's skill development and their bonding with their Brazilian team. "I learned about the importance of teamwork and how really close-knit the MMA community really is. It's great to bond with your teammates. It's important to have that support system behind you to be successful," she said. Aside from training, the Canadians also had the chance to do a bit of exploring too. "We had a bit of time to ourselves. We were obviously dieting during that time and not really high on energy, but we still made the rounds. We hung out on the beach," she said. For the Fight Xchange's airing schedule, visit www.superchannel.ca. 3 | Thursday, June 27, 2013 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Kara Kirsh faces her pro fight opponent Aline Nery. photo courtesy Kara Kirsh Interlocking Tumblestone, Retaining Walls, Garden Installation, Sodding & Excavating, about three and a half years in striking and jiu-jitsu. Her first opportunity to fight came in March 2012 through the Fight Xchange. "I actually didn't do anything amateur. I trained every day, several hours a day and I plus more Call for FREE Estimate (905) 827-8158 · www.rogerslandscaping.org Brought to you by the merchants of Bronte Village BIA OAKVILLE'S CANADA DAY Monday July 1, 2013 Bronte Heritage Waterfront Park Event Access Restrictions: Road Closures: · Nelson St. and Jones St. closed south of Marine Drive 6am-11pm · Lakeshore Rd Closed at 8pm (from Great Lakes Blvd to Third Line) · Parking restrictions as indicated in the Event Zone will be enforced Pier Closure: · No access to the Pier in Bronte Heritage Waterfront Park after 5pm · These measures are in place for public safety given the large number of people attending this Oakville wide event. For more information please call: Bob DeHoog Road Corridor/Permit Coordinator Town of Oakville 905-845-6601 ext.3337 www.oakville.ca/townhall/pn-13jun25_1.html