time, because I wasnt doing well at anything, Mayer said

LOS ANGELES -- Mikaela Mayer knew she was better than the high school burnout that she was in danger of becoming. Cody Allen Jersey .She had attended four schools in three years, repeatedly getting in trouble for fighting and bad grades. She was a 17-year-old occasional model with the self-awareness to realize she had no clear direction or future outside the San Fernando Valley.All I cared about was my friends, and going out and partying, and being a young, cool teenager, Mayer said. I was looking for something, but I had no idea what.One summer day, she realized something was calling her to the humble storefront kickboxing gym in an unassuming strip mall down the street from her divorced dads apartment. Instead of driving past it again, Mayer and a friend went inside.The first thing she asked the trainer was: Do you think Im too old to start competing?I was hungry for success in something at that time, because I wasnt doing well at anything, Mayer said. I was like, `I want to be good at something. Its always been inside me. Ive always had that fire. I didnt have anywhere to direct it.Almost nine years to the day after that wild child learned how to throw her first punch, Mayer will fight at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, joining gold medalist Claressa Shields as the only U.S. women boxers in Brazil.Mayer still doesnt know exactly why she first decided to punch people after a youth spent participating in everything from soccer to motocross to snowboarding. Nobody in her self-described family of hippies had been anywhere near a boxing gym.After her first workout, she knew three different ways to throw a proper punch. And she liked it.I poured all my energy into it, Mayer said. It wasnt ever just a part-time thing for me. From the day I walked into this gym, within two months, all I thought was, `I want to be the best female fighter in the world.Mayer took lessons in muay thai and kickboxing, but she dedicated herself to boxing after a back injury temporarily stopped her from throwing kicks. She became a Golden Gloves champion just a few years later -- and when the Olympics added a womens tournament in 2010, Mayer and her father, Mark, decided to chase medals.They heard about a boxing scholarship program at Northern Michigan University under revered amateur coach Al Mitchell, who has taught three U.S. Olympic teams. Before she had time to think, the LA native had been accepted to the program on Michigans Upper Peninsula.So I quit my job, said, `Later, to my boyfriend at the time, and hopped on a plane, Mayer said. I had never been to Michigan, let alone the U.P., which is a `nother thing on its own. I remember flying in there and seeing all the pine trees and 10 feet of snow and just thinking, `Where the hell am I?Mayer warmed to her cold new home, and Mitchell developed his first female pupil into a world-class fighter. Her bond with Mitchell and his fiancee became so tight that she had Mitchells initials tattooed on her right hand.The thing that makes Mikaela different is her commitment, Mitchell said. When she walked in here, I broke her down and rebuilt her. She never believed it was too hard, and she never gave up. She has toughness that got her this far, and now its getting her all the way to the Olympics. Its an incredible thing to do in that amount of time.A year after moving to Northern Michigan, Mayer fell just short of a spot on the first U.S. womens team, losing a decision to Queen Underwood at the 2012 trials. She only became more determined to catch the next wave in the evolution of her sport.Mayer made the Rio team last fall only after fending off a ferocious challenge over three qualifying fights from teenage prodigy Jajaira Gonzalez, a fellow LA-area native with a wealth of junior titles.The competition is so much tougher now than it was when I started, Mayer said. Back in 2009, if you went to a tournament and even got to have two fights, it was worth the money.With an artfully bent nose from boxing, she still takes occasional modeling work, particularly for a handbag company that sponsors her. Although she still lives in Michigan, Mayer returned to her original Valley gym last month, joyfully greeting her first coach -- and Coconut, the adorable dog she gave up when she moved.She wants an Olympic medal out of her journey, but she also wants her success to bring more attention to womens boxing. Although she has thought about turning pro, good money is scarce for female fighters outside the octagon -- but that only makes Mayer more determined to succeed in Rio.Ive always believed Id be here, but I also knew that the chances of being here were going to be slim, Mayer said. This was my dream before I knew it was possible. Michael Brantley Jersey . The International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid cities on Friday after the deadline for applications had passed. The candidates -- all previously announced in their own countries -- are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo, Norway; and Stockholm. Matt Belisle Jersey . Giroud, who wasnt in the starting lineup for two matches after allegations about his private life and a decline in form, scored twice in the first half. Tomas Rosickys chip made it 3-0 before half time at Emirates Stadium, while defender Laurent Koscielny scored an unmarked header in the second half. http://www.indiansteamproshop.com/Indian...on-Kids-Jersey/ . PAUL, Minn. Former Baylor All-American defensive end Shawn Oakman, the schools all-time sack leader, was indicted by a grand jury on charges of second-degree felony sexual assault in Waco, Texas, on Wednesday.Police in Waco arrested Oakman in April after a Baylor graduate student accused him of sexually assaulting her at his apartment on April 3. He was freed on $25,000 bond after his arrest.?The McLennan County District Attorneys office presented the case to a grand jury on Wednesday morning.Under Texas law, second-degree felony sexual assault typically carries a sentence of two to 20 years in state prison and a fine up to $10,000.Oakman, who was once considered a potential second- or third-round pick in this years NFL draft, went undrafted after his arrest.I think an indictment is just a prosecutors rubber stamp and requires a much lower burden of proof than one required for a conviction, which is beyond a reasonable doubt, said Michelle Tuegel, Oakmans attorney. We still have a lot of investigation and work to do in this case. Shawn maintains that the sex in this case was consensual.The woman, a Baylor graduate student, told police that Oakman forcibly removed her clothes, forced her onto his bed and then sexually assaulted her, according to a search warrant affidavit obtained by ESPN.According to the affidavit, the woman had a sexual assault examination performed at a medical center.The warrant said Oakman, who graduated from Baylor in December, said he had consensual sex with the woman.The woman told police that she met Oakman at a Waco nightclub April 3 and then returned to his duplex with him late that night. The woman toldd police that she left his duplex after she was sexually assaulted but left her underwear and an earring there. Corey Kluber Jersey. Police searched Oakmans duplex, according to the affidavit, and collected two comforters, a fitted sheet and a flat sheet from his bedroom.In a statement to ESPN, Oakmans attorney acknowledged that Oakman and the woman had a previous intimate relationship that included numerous consensual sexual encounters over a period of time before the alleged incident on April 3, 2016.We are looking forward to developing additional information about this case, Tuegel said.Oakman had 128 tackles and 17? sacks in three years at Baylor. He started his college career at Penn State but was dismissed in 2012 for allegedly stealing a sandwich and grabbing a female store clerks wrist.He is the third former Baylor player to be indicted for sexual assault in recent years.In August, defensive end Sam Ukwuachu was convicted of sexually assaulting a female Baylor athlete in October 2013 and was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 10 years of probation. Baylor reached a settlement with Ukwuachus victim in December after she filed a Title IX lawsuit against the school.In 2014, former Baylor defensive end Tevin Elliott was sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexually assaulting two female students in 2012. Two other women testified at his trial that he sexually assaulted them too. Earlier this year, one of Elliotts victims filed a federal lawsuit against Baylor for not protecting her Title IX rights. ' ' '