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A kick with a punch
Former Bellarmine soccer player transfers skills from the pitch to the ring
Former Bellarmine soccer player transfers skills from the pitch to the ring
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By Leilana McKindra
The NCAA News
The NCAA News
Last fall, Lindsey Scheer’s quick feet helped the Bellarmine University women’s soccer team notch a school-record 14 wins and the program’s first appearance in the Great Lakes Valley Conference championship game. Since then, Scheer has exchanged her starring role on the soccer field for center stage in ring as an amateur kickboxer.
Scheer competes in a discipline called Muay Thai, which features punches, kicks, elbows, knees and standing grappling (though knees and elbows to the face are disallowed). Matches consist of three two-minute rounds, and contests are scored similarly to boxing matches.
Scheer’s journey from the pitch to the ring began nearly three years ago when she was a sophomore soccer student-athlete at the University of Louisville. That’s when she decided to take a self-defense class with a friend.
“I boxed at home a little bit just to cross train when I was playing soccer. I really liked it. I thought I’d try self-defense since I liked the cross training aspect,” she said. The gym also offered Muay Thai, and at a coach’s invitation, she tried it and was hooked.
Though Scheer had never heard of Muay Thai before, she is rapidly making a name for herself under the guidance of Eric Haycraft, who has been both a fighter and a coach. Because soccer was the priority before she concluded her collegiate career and graduated from Bellarmine, she has been training full-time only for about a year. Rigorous sessions that average two to three hours each day six or seven days a week, include running, jumping rope, sparring, bag work and calisthenics.
Scheer relies on Haycraft to determine the fights in which she enters. Some are tournaments, but on other occasions —such as her first fight in Atlanta — she is on a card. As her reputation grows, she said others may begin seeking her as an opponent. Scheer said finding opponents can be tough for female fighters, especially for higher weight classes, but she said interest in “fighting sports” is on an upswing that has and will continue to draw women.
For Scheer, winning is nice, but it’s the experience she’s after. “The more fights you get, the more experience you get. I’d rather lose a good fight than win a mediocre one.”
So far, Scheer has six fights under her belt and is already credited with at least one title. In July, she defeated Gizeley Andrade to capture the 60-kg open division in the World Kickboxing Association’s North American Amateur Combat Sports Championships in Richmond, Virginia. The victory also qualified her for the world championships in Karlsruhe, Germany, in August, where she lost by decision. That opportunity, though, was anything but a loss.
“I got to see the styles from a lot of different countries,” she said. “Usually the United States is behind in Muay Thai because fighting here isn’t like fighting in Europe. There’s a lot more opportunity there. I was competing against girls who have had many more fights than I have and maybe in different disciplines,” said Scheer.
Though she currently attends school to become a physical therapist, Scheer isn’t completely ruling out the possibility of turning pro in kickboxing.
“I’m interested if the time comes,” she said. “If I can do it and continue with my profession, I’d be all over it.”
Former Bellarmine soccer standout Lindsay Scheer is finding success in the boxing ring as an amateur kickboxer. Scheer was introduced to Muay Thai kickboxing nearly three years ago and has been training full time in the discipline for the past year.
Scheer competes in a discipline called Muay Thai, which features punches, kicks, elbows, knees and standing grappling (though knees and elbows to the face are disallowed). Matches consist of three two-minute rounds, and contests are scored similarly to boxing matches.
Scheer’s journey from the pitch to the ring began nearly three years ago when she was a sophomore soccer student-athlete at the University of Louisville. That’s when she decided to take a self-defense class with a friend.
“I boxed at home a little bit just to cross train when I was playing soccer. I really liked it. I thought I’d try self-defense since I liked the cross training aspect,” she said. The gym also offered Muay Thai, and at a coach’s invitation, she tried it and was hooked.
Though Scheer had never heard of Muay Thai before, she is rapidly making a name for herself under the guidance of Eric Haycraft, who has been both a fighter and a coach. Because soccer was the priority before she concluded her collegiate career and graduated from Bellarmine, she has been training full-time only for about a year. Rigorous sessions that average two to three hours each day six or seven days a week, include running, jumping rope, sparring, bag work and calisthenics.
Scheer relies on Haycraft to determine the fights in which she enters. Some are tournaments, but on other occasions —such as her first fight in Atlanta — she is on a card. As her reputation grows, she said others may begin seeking her as an opponent. Scheer said finding opponents can be tough for female fighters, especially for higher weight classes, but she said interest in “fighting sports” is on an upswing that has and will continue to draw women.
For Scheer, winning is nice, but it’s the experience she’s after. “The more fights you get, the more experience you get. I’d rather lose a good fight than win a mediocre one.”
So far, Scheer has six fights under her belt and is already credited with at least one title. In July, she defeated Gizeley Andrade to capture the 60-kg open division in the World Kickboxing Association’s North American Amateur Combat Sports Championships in Richmond, Virginia. The victory also qualified her for the world championships in Karlsruhe, Germany, in August, where she lost by decision. That opportunity, though, was anything but a loss.
“I got to see the styles from a lot of different countries,” she said. “Usually the United States is behind in Muay Thai because fighting here isn’t like fighting in Europe. There’s a lot more opportunity there. I was competing against girls who have had many more fights than I have and maybe in different disciplines,” said Scheer.
Though she currently attends school to become a physical therapist, Scheer isn’t completely ruling out the possibility of turning pro in kickboxing.
“I’m interested if the time comes,” she said. “If I can do it and continue with my profession, I’d be all over it.”
Former Bellarmine soccer standout Lindsay Scheer is finding success in the boxing ring as an amateur kickboxer. Scheer was introduced to Muay Thai kickboxing nearly three years ago and has been training full time in the discipline for the past year.
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