Jenny Reid has been an advocate and participant in women's boxing for nearly 15 years, and now the Yukon resident will get a chance to share her passion for the sport with the rest of the world.

Reid has been selected as the team manager for the Canadian national women's boxing team, at the women's world championships in St. Petersburg, Russia, Sept. 18-26, a nod she called a huge opportunity.

'It's an honour and a privilege to get to travel with the Canadian team,' said Reid. 'I'm a very proud Canadian.

'When I watch matches, I get butterflies in the my stomach, the same as when I used to box myself.'

Reid, who is the current president of the Yukon Amateur Boxing Association (YABA), will be in charge of the details for Team Canada, making sure everything runs smoothly, such as passports, plane tickets and medicals. She will also go to draws and weigh-ins with the athletes, and deal with any issues that arise with the competition rules.

'The Canadian team is one of the best,' she stated. 'I have every expectation we will bring home gold and silver and bronze medals. I have no doubt. I think we're going to do very, very well.'

Reid's trip is being paid for by the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters, both on a local and national level. Women's boxing is always in need of extra assistance, she said, since the Sport Canada funding is very limited.

She's just the second Yukoner to ever be invited to the world championships with a national boxing team. Setting precedents doesn't faze her though Reid was involved in the first women's boxing match, held in Sidney, Nova Scotia in 1991, after Canada became the first country to sanction female boxing.

She also competed in the first women's international competition in 1996, before she headed north to the Yukon in 1999.

Since her arrival, the boxing clubs in Dawson City and Whitehorse have experienced somewhat of a revival, and Reid is confident the growth will only continue.

She took a few female boxers from the territory to an Outside competition one year and is hoping her travels with Team Canada may convince more women to give the sport a try, once they see the type of opportunities available.

'The level of calibre of boxing is incredible,' she said. 'Technically, some women boxers are better than men. If you were watching a match, you wouldn't be disappointed.'

Women's boxing was originally supposed to be included in the 2007 Canada Winter Games, but was pulled out due to what organizers figured would be a lack of interest. But Reid insists that people are beginning to realize the benefits and value of boxing, particularly as an outlet.

'They have a way to release their anger. And if they get in fights outside of the club, they kicked out,' so it's not like they're condoning violence, she explained. 'A couple of kids who were really shy are starting to come out of their shell. It helps shape their confidence.'

Men's boxing is still on the agenda for 2007, so both the Whitehorse and Dawson clubs are busy preparing their athletes and coaches for the Games. The recent move by the Whitehorse club, from Takhini to a larger centre downtown, the Boys and Girls Club on sixth avenue, will be nothing but positive for the upcoming season, said Reid.

'Having a proper facility, where we can actually set up a ring, will be huge. To actually be able to train and teach rope work, with real ropes, will be big. It will also allow us the opportunity to showcase more. We can fit more people in here.'

The new facility already proved successful when the two Yukon clubs combined for a boxing showcase in Whitehorse last May. More than 100 people turned out to witness the action and the athletes didn't disappoint with their efforts either.

An even larger boxing event will hit town in October 2006, when YABA hosts the Western Canadian championships, as a test event for the 2007 Games. By that time, a brand new ring will have been erected at the Boys and Girls Club.

Reid is hoping the current ring will be moved to Dawson City, which she said would be a great gift for the club who got the sport started in the Yukon in the first place.

Also on the agenda for YABA this coming season is a trip to Winnipeg in December, where several Yukon athletes will compete at the Western championships. And, said Reid, the association is hoping to get more people involved in officiating.

They put on a course for officials last May, but the difficulty has been getting people to enough boughts Outside the territory, which is one of the prerequisites when becoming accredited.

'We're hoping to get one person qualified for 2007 (you need to be a Level 3 official for the Games),' she said. 'You need to go a certain number of matches, so we're hoping someone like Jess (Staffen), because he'll be in B.C. this year, so he'll have access to matches.'

Staffen, who used to compete as a boxer for the territory at the national level, will be attending college in Prince George, but will also remain a liaison and work with YABA during the school year.

Come next summer, YABA plans to host a boxing camp, where anyone interested can show up at the club, put on the gloves for a bit and learn some skills, then decide if they like it enough to start training.

'If we raise our profile a little bit, I think we'll get more people,' said Reid. 'Boxing is a bit of a glory sport. It's exciting to watch.'