The mum of a talented Dumbarton kickboxer has said she couldn’t be prouder of her daughter’s commitment.
Maia Bisley, 12, warmed up for the World Championships in Italy this weekend with two golds at the Flanders International tournament in Belgium, and then four golds and a silver at the Scottish International in Perth.
As well as competing at the World Championships next month, Maia is also set for the prestigious Bristol Open tournament and her black belt assessment. And proud mum Kim has been blown away by her hard work preparing for a big month.
She told the Lennox: “Her commitment is absolutely amazing.
“For her to go to the gym before school, go swimming before school and go to the classes after school in the evening. You couldn’t ask any more of her.
“We really couldn’t be any prouder.
“Regardless of how she gets on, she’ll know she’s thrown everything at it.
“She’s going down to the Meadow Centre before school to do her 40 lengths. When she finishes school she’ll go over to Glasgow for a class, then back to the D-Unit for an adult class. She’s in there until the back of nine at night.
“It’s pretty full on at the moment.
“There’s no pressure on her going to the World Championships at all. What she’s achieved so far is fantastic and we’re so proud of her.”
Having travelled to Greece and Belgium already this year, Kim added that she hopes Dumbarton Academy pupil Maia’s success could help her secure funding to help with the soaring costs of competing. Kim added: “I’m trying to build a profile for her online in the hope that we can find some funding. It’s costing an absolute fortune to travel internationally and register for competitions.
“Normally we travel as a family, but the costs are spiralling so her dad and I are taking it in turns.
“It would be quite good if someone was able to step in and help sponsor her if she does well at the World Championships. That’s really the next aim.”
And Maia herself has been working hard to help fund her dream. Kim added: “We own a cafe in the West End and Maia’s gran does a lot of the baking for the cafe.
“Maia has been buying traybakes from her and then going door-to-door selling them to try and help raise some money.
“A lot of people do a GoFundMe, but we didn’t want to do that.
“She goes out every fortnight for an hour or so to sell her cakes. People have been very generous, donating a wee bit more – or even just chipping in and not taking a cake.”
You can follow Maia’s progress on Facebook.com/Maia-Bisley-Fighter.
