PARKS & GLENN: Poised for a fight

WASILLA — At 18 years old, Jade Shell has quickly built momentum in the local fighting scene after a successful first season, finishing with a 5-1 record in Wasilla’s Tuesday Night Fights.

A lifelong athlete, the Big Lake barista recalls looking forward to eligibility for amateur and professional fighting since she was thirteen years old. “I’ve wrestled since I was four,” she explained when asked about her formation as a fighter. Other interests were soccer, track, cheerleading. She won her very first fight with a knockout in the first round.

Her year finished with a loss at Anchorage’s more strictly-sanctioned Alaska Fighting Championships, but Shell isn’t deterred. “I never went down, so that was cool.” She credits a conditioning program and trainer with keeping her focused against more polished opponents, most of whom have several years’ experience. “My trainer worked with me on staying on my feet. My ground game is solid, but staying on my feet and working on breathing techniques has been her main focus.” Shell enjoys the adrenaline of fighting but says she doesn’t get too psyched out before stepping in to a match. “I’ve fought at bonfires for years, never lost there.” The distinctions between Valley and Anchorage are summarized well in their respective limitations. AFC restricts head shots and spine impact. As she puts it: “Out here in the Valley you can stomp.” Most of the fighters are within five or six years of Shell’s age but she does see a trend of age 30+ women who seem to tick off cagefighting as more of a bucket list item. She’s happy to meet them all, and eager to take them down.

The 5’6”, 135 lb. Shell was born and raised in Alaska and is a 2015 graduate of Alaska Military Youth Academy, where she relished the early morning running and rigorous discipline. She enjoyed growing up as the youngest of seven children. Her sisters and younger relatives are usually ringside, but her parents prefer to watch from home. She’s pursuing multiple sponsorships for the next phase of her career, to cover travel and further training.