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Interview with Vicki Mellsop |
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What other hobbies / sports have you done? Netball was always my sport – I started when I was 7 and stopped when I was 27. I’ve also played a lot of basketball, touch and indoor soccer. I swam competitively when I was younger (way, way younger!!), dabbled in triathlon, duathlon, cycling, squash, body building and ultimate. I enjoy the gym, although I should probably go more often. Most of my free time is spent hanging out with my kids or studying. When did you start training at VUW? I started training at the start of 2004. After having my kids I had lost all motivation to exercise so I needed a new and fun way to get back into it. Initially it was only for fitness, I was NEVER going to fight…. What was your first session like? I loved it! It was challenging and hard work but heaps of fun. Why do you train / still train? Its fun! If you have to exercise you may as well enjoy doing it! I like the fact that I’m constantly learning and pushing myself. I’ve learnt and achieved a lot in the last 2 and a half years and that’s a really good feeling. What is your favourite thing about training? The best thing about the club is the team environment. Although technically this is an individual sport, I’ve always felt like part of a team. Even in a fight, although I’m in the ring by myself I know I’ve got the support and encouragement not only from the trainers, but other fighters and club members too. What is your biggest achievement? In terms of kickboxing my biggest achievement is fighting. I’ve always had a fear of competing so to get in the ring and actually go up against someone else was a huge step. For my first few fights the nerves started weeks before and I would spend the day of the fight freaking out, trying to find plausible excuses to pull out! After a while, even though I was still incredibly nervous I was no longer scared. I had found ways to better prepare myself mentally, so I was able to spend more time focussing on myself instead of my opponent. I’m proud of the fact that I leapt out of my comfort zone and even though I struggled with it for a while, I didn’t give up. It’s been a huge learning and growing experience for me. What is the best thing that happened to you since you started training? Believe it or not it was probably my first loss (my 5th fight). I was gutted because I underperformed and I knew as soon as the fight was over that I could have won. It took a few days of reflecting to figure out where I went wrong – I had given my opponent too much respect and was scared by her record/reputation. It was then that I realised that I was capable of fighting these girls; I’d trained hard, learnt a lot and I was actually pretty good! It made me realise that I can accomplish anything if I put my mind to it, and that attitude change has had a huge impact not only on my training but also in other areas of my life. What is your fight record / titles (if any)? 8 wins, 4 losses TBANZ North Island Light Featherweight Title WMC South Island Light Featherweight Title What are your goals at VUW? Now that I’ve retired from fighting my main aim is to just enjoy my training. Now that the pressure is off a bit I want to improve my sparring and hopefully not get hit in the face so much!
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