Grace Penney has long been a boxing fan who even dreamed of being an Olympian in the sport.
Wrestling, though, was the first sport she conquered en route to the boxing ring.
Penney, 20, a lesbian who lives in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood and is a sophomore at DePaul, wrestled on the boys' team at Lyons Township High School, where she graduated in 2010. She even was a state champion.
"I was a good wrestler. I felt real comfortable wrestling, in a combat sport," said Penney, admittedly an aggressive child.
After graduating from high school, Penney gave boxing a try—and quickly was hooked.
"Boxing has been more than I expected," she said. "I knew that I would like it; I just didn't realize how much a part of my life it would be, it would become. I definitely would not be the same person without boxing in my life; it's taught me a lot, particularly discipline.
"The most challenging part of boxing is just the fact that I'm so small. I'm only five feet tall and weigh about 105 pounds, and I'm mostly sparring with men, and they always are bigger and taller than me; that can be difficult."
Penney had her first official fight earlier this year—and she won the three-round bout.
"I trained for three months for that fight and when I finally got in the ring, I was surprised how comfortable I felt. I was really composed and just used my technique," she said. "That was one of the best feelings I've had in my life because I had worked so hard and, at that moment, I realized I had something—boxing—that I couldn't live without.
"Before the fight, I was nervous how the crowd would affect my performance, or the adrenaline. But that didn't happen. I stayed really focused; it was a great performance."
That victory pushed her into the finals for the prestigious Chicago Golden Gloves Championships, set for April 11-13 at The Cicero Stadium, 1909 S. Laramie Ave.
"I'm really excited; I can't wait for that [fight]," Penney said. "I keep visualizing my opponent, which is a big part of boxing. I feel comfortable and confident in the ring, mostly because I've been working so hard for the past few years. I've sparred and trained with some really tough guys, and I don't think I'll have to face [opponents] as tough as those I train with and against. I'm confident that I can win.
"If I were to lose, I'd still be proud of myself because I competed, but I am very confident that I will win."
Penney is right-handed in the ring, and uses her speed and agility to her advantage. "I like to counter [my opponent] a lot; that's really important to me, to my style. I'm a patient fight; I don't like to go out there and go crazy. I work at my opponent's weaknesses," she said.
Being gay has not been an issue in boxing, said Penney, who struggled with her sexual orientation while wrestling in high school.
"I wouldn't say that everyone was open-minded at my high school," she said. "It also took me a long time to come out at my old gym because I wasn't sure how I would be treated, if [being openly gay] would affect my training. When I did come out [at my former gym], they were totally fine with [my sexual orientation]. It's been the same [response] at my current gym. Ultimately, they didn't care, and I think that made a huge difference, a huge deal to me.
"I couldn't imagine living with that [obstacle], and am so happy I don't have to. It's a huge deal that I can totally be myself with the people at the gym."
Penney was dating a girl in high school, and the only person she came out to was the other female on the wrestling team.
"I was worried if the guys knew, what they'd say," Penney said. "It was weird. … I knew I was doing something that I loved, wrestling, but I couldn't really be myself, which was really weird—and I struggled with that. I didn't know if [being gay] would be tolerated on the wrestling team. I really don't know if it would have been a problem for the other guys on the team, but I thought about it, perhaps because I was more self-conscious at the time. But I did show them that I really did care about the sport, that I took it seriously, that I wanted to compete."
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