Aubree
HER STRUGGLE: Aubree struggles in her life to stay stable... Being deaf, its difficult to maintain employment. Even with today's non discrimination laws she can't seem to catch a break. Even after graduating through a dental assistance program no one seems to want to hire a deaf girl. Right now, Aubree lives with 5 roommates... But the past four years she has been essentially homeless. After finding out she was couch surfing and occasionally sleeping in her car, Mike let her sleep on the mats of the gym until she could get on her feet. Her lack of employment means that she has lost her son to her mom... Who lives out of state.
HER MOTIVATION: Aubree wants to be the type of person her son River can look up to... She is using fighting to be an example in the deaf community for not only herself and others... But to show River that just because he is deaf, doesn't mean he can't accomplish whatever he dreams of.
The more fights Aubree has defending her championship... The more money she will make as a pro. though the temptation is there to make what ever little money a pro fight will give her. She needs to follow her coach's orders and be patient. The longer she waits, and the more fan base she gains... the larger her pro payday will become.
Buffy
HER STRUGGLE: She struggles to keep it together for her three boys, Laying flooring and textile while taking jobs for her home bakery business. Having felt like a failure in her last two marriages, she dreams of finding someone to love and love her alike... given her chosen hobby of MMA.
HER MOTIVATION: Buffy's entrepreneur spirit is a major reason why she fights. The fights are televised locally, this gives her a free opportunity to get her business name on T.V. Even when she is not fighting... she bakes cookies and pastries to bring to the weigh ins to refuel the starving fighters. She also fights to strengthen the bond between her and her new Boyfriend Josh. Who is a low level professional fighter locally. Given josh's fighting experience, he has the luxury to be in the Cage with Mike and Buffy when she fights... providing her moral support from the inside.
Lauren
HER STRUGGLE: Lauren suffers through seasonal depression and has gone through a lot of therapy to get to what she calls "The Put together Lauren" that we know today. She want's to prove to her children and her husband that she is a strong capable woman. She also feels a disconnect with in the church and within the fight scene... Never really being able to identify fully with either side.
HER MOTIVATION: She has only lost in the cage... but Lauren knows she is a fighter... She has proved it to herself through therapy, but its time for her to prove it to her family and the world in the cage.
***on a personal note, I'd be excited to see both worlds converge, Lauren getting her church fairing crowd to meet some of her fight friends... maybe even go to her fight. Maybe they can find common ground in some of the customs, traditions and beliefs...***
Denetra
THE STRUGGLE: I see Denetra as the casual viewers window into this world of fighting. She has just enough experience in exercise and physicality to make it through trainings... But there is a whole other part of fighting that most people don't realize exists... The bravery and mental fortitude. Through her, the viewer will learn how not everyone has what it takes to walk the steps into the cage and listen to it slam shut behind them.
THE MOTIVATION: Denetra quite literally is in fear of being in fear. The second something scares her... she is apt to prove she is above it. In her childhood she witnessed both her mother and her sister struggle with addiction and she told herself that she needed to be strong... Anything she finds that she fears, she sees as weakness in herself and is compelled to confront it... Even if she's not ready. She needs to learn that sometimes confronting fear isn't the answer... But embracing it is. I believe she will panic before her fight... until she realizes this.
Alysa
HER STRUGGLE: Alysa's mom is a 3 time cancer survivor. The expense of her daily treatments lead her to move into a one bedroom apartment with her mom and her 2 kids. Alysa often finds that because she is pretty... she is accused of not being able to accomplish tasks traditionally performed by men... a slander she will not tolerate. This has motivated her to race dirt bikes, hold a CDL license and work in construction.
HER MOTIVATION: Alysa's first cage experience was less than stellar, resulting in prosthetics being implanted in her face. This loss contrasts her need to prove she is just as capable as any man... So she is further more inspired to take the win in her next MMA fight.
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Since we lost Jessica and Tracie... I want to remake my case for a previous girl the network passed on. I think the Net's disinterest in Nikki is misplaced, and it is my fault for not providing you the appropriate information... so that you guys could ask the right questions for her video.
Nikki
First off, Nikki is already a celebrity in her own right. Having been ranked a top 10 competitor in the crossfit community... which is a million dollar industry with over 10,000 affiliate gyms. Crossfit has a dedicated membership base that all tune in to the televised games and know Nikki by name. She is likely to be drafted eventually into "GRID" which is an up and coming professional functional fitness sporting event... the first of its kind.
THE STRUGGLE: Nikki grew up in a strict Mormon household, with a brother currently serving an LDS mission in SLC (We can likely get him to attend the fight). Nikki's views on womanhood vary greatly from her fathers opinion. Contrary to the doctrine... Nikki refuses to default "to the righteous council of a man" to make her decisions. She wear pants to church as opposed to skirts. (A movement started by "The Feminist Mormon Housewives")... However, Nikki doesn't consider herself NON LDS. She thinks she was put on this earth by her creator to teach her dad that not everyone falls directly in line with his beliefs. Even if all 5 of her other siblings have.
HER MOTIVATION: Nikki wants to show all women, but especially LDS women... that you can be strong powerful and independent... But still be moral, upstanding and righteous in the eyes of their heavenly father. Though they don't understand Nikki's pursuits... Her parents and family will still attend her events because of the Mormon's stress on family support. Nikki want's to win her first MMA match in front of her dad... And show him how strong a woman can be.
Nikki also has fought and won her first kickboxing event.
*ADDITIONAL INFO: The Feminist Movement in the LDS church has been a bit of a hot button issue over the course of the last year in the media. Nikki's Views on what roles women should play in the church align with Kate Kelly, Who last year received national press for having been excommunicated from the church for her views on women in the church. John Dehlin was another famous Mormon excommunicated in the last few months for his views on feminism, Just last week... The Cyber vigilante group "anonymous" issued a statement on behalf of John and Kate threating to shutdown the LDS churches websites unless they reinstate the two.
Nikki's views on womanhood may not sound like a big deal to us. But in Mormon culture they are revolutionary... and can have dire consequences.
