INGLESIDE, Texas — Inside the Elite Fitness boxing gym in Ingleside, you will find Mia Pinney hitting the bags, jumping rope or just air boxing.
But don't let her size or the fact that she is just 10-years-old fool you, as Mia is a high-flying boxing machine.
She got into the sport at the age of 4 thanks to her father.
"My dad just put me in it because he used to box as a kid," said Mia.
Her father, Jordan Pinney, also happens to be her coach.
"Just wanting your girls to know how to defend themselves in a world today," said Jordan. "It is also definitely teaching them confidence and discipline."
Mia has been boxing for six years, more than half her life.
"She started picking it up very quickly," her dad said. "She understood picking your hands up and at the age of 5, she understood how to counter-punch."
Now the father-daughter duo head to Lubbock in July for the national Junior Olympics tournament.
"I'm going to go over there and I'm going to represent Ingleside, Texas, and south Texas," said Mia.
Not only will she be representing her town and community but she believes she's serving as an inspiration for other girls hoping to box as well.
"I want to let every girl know that anyone who has a dream, just know that if you work hard in life and be confident then anything is possible," she said.
The tournament is set to start July 7.
