Bring on provincials

When you are in the ring you can't hear anything else.
"Like there's a bunch of people around the ring yelling and screaming 'Go Erin!' Do this; do that," says Erin Simpson of New Glasgow. "You don't hear them."
The minutes fly by.
"It just seems like your in there and your out," says Simpson. "It goes by so fast. You're not even thinking. Your hands are just going and you just punch."
With a bleeding nose from a sparring session, Simpson was hard at work training this past week.
On December 13, she, along with Stellarton's Evan Peel and Shauna Wright from the Albion Boxing Club will be competing at the provincial boxing tournament at the Agridome in Truro, Dec. 12.
"I can't wait," she says.
Coach Jim Worthen said he is pleased with the talent they are sending.
"We've got a good bunch of kids here and we're very excited about it and looking at having a good show a week from Saturday," Worthen said. "The kids are training hard and they're putting in extra nights for training and we're excited about their chances."
This is Simpson's second time going to provincials. Last year she advanced and won a silver at nationals.
At 17, she has been boxing for about four years now.
"I love everything about it," she says.
She loves the fights most of all and the adrenaline rush she gets
Getting to nationals last year was a great experience she said.
"I gained so much experience there last year it was unbelievable," she said. "Because you're just surrounded by it. It's boxing for like six days and you're just engulfed in it."
It's Worthen's goal that all three will make it through to nationals.
"They're all experienced and we all expect them to advance past the provincials into the nationals," he said.
Because competition is limited, Simpson believes there's a pretty good chance she'll make it again.
"There's not many girls in Nova Scotia that are in my weight class and my age division," she said.
That means she won't have too many opponents to beat for the chance to compete at the nationals which will be held in Halifax this year at the Delta Hotel, Feb. 23 through 27.
"Once we get to nationals we'll see who's there and evaluate our competition there, but this is our 21st year of sending boxers to nationals," Worthen said. "We're very experienced at it."