Karen Bill
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Karen Bill (born October 21, 1967 in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, United States) is a multi-sports star who has participated in the Olympic Games' trials. She had a career, from 1999 to 2002, as a female boxer.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
From Mechanicsburg, Bill moved to Fairess Hills, where she would engage on little league baseball by 1977. She was the only girl in her league, as there were no girls baseball teams in the area.
As a teenager, Bill became interested in music, and she joined a teenaged girls' band, as a drummer. Her band was not very successful, however; soon enough, she was involved in sports again.
In 1985, she won the Pennsylvania state high school championship as a Track and fielder. That year also, she became the first female in Pennsylvania sports history to become involved in the state's high school javelin, shot put and discus tournaments, although she did not win at any of those three events.
Bill went to Penn State, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in health policy and administration, while embracing another sport, rugby, and helping her track and field team win two ECAC titles.
[edit] Life in the military
Karen Bill joined the United States Army in 1992, to improve her physical strength and learn physical therapy. While in the Army, she began to play basketball and softball. Bill won a racquetball tournament, and became reacquainted with discus, javelin and shot put, breaking military records in those sports. In 1995, she earned the "athlete of the year" award at the Ft. Still military base.
Bill represented the U.S. Military at the World Military Games in Rome, Italy in 1995, and she almost qualified for the 1996 Olympics, failing to qualify at the Olympic trials held in Atlanta.
Bill received a hononary discharge from the Army in 1998, and went on to open a physical therapy business in Lawton, Oklahoma.
[edit] Physical therapist
Bill conducted her therapy business from her own home, near the Lawton Army base. She enjoyed taking care of elders and people with physical challenges. Bill found encouragement from such people as cancer patients, stroke or accident survivors, and other patients.
[edit] Women's boxing career
On May 7, 1999, she made her professional boxing career debut, when she lost by knockout in round three to Carmen Dominguez Paris at Lawton. She was not supposed to fight that night; she had bought a ticket and gone to see the fight undercard as a fan, but the boxer that was due to fight Dominguez did not show up, and Bill offered to fight her instead. Next, she lost to Kisha Snow, also by knockout but in four rounds, in a fight held at Tunica, Mississippi, on September 2.
Fourteen days later, she obtained her first win, defeating Genevia Buckhalter by knockout in two back at home in Lawton.
Her last fight of 1999 came on December 17, losing to Suzette Taylor by knockout in three rounds at Louisiana.
Next was the biggest fight in Bill's career. On April 8, she fought Laila Ali at Detroit, Michigan. Bill almost defeated Ali, knocking her down in the second round. Ali recovered, however, and went on to defeat Bill by knockout in the fourth round.
She then lost to Monica McGowan by a knockout in ten before going on to beat Ingemar Johansson's granddaughter, Maria, by knockout in round two on July 21. This fight represented Bill's Las Vegas debut.
After defeating Buckhalter again, Bill went on a four fight losing streak, which included two losses to Dakota Stone and one to Kathy Rivers.
She made her final bout on September 8, 2002, when she beat Cassandra Geigger by a decision in four at Lawton.
Karen Bill retired with a record of four wins and nine losses, with two wins by knockout.
