STEEL ONLY ONE! Steel City Rumble makes moves, sets bar in 2012

STEEL ONLY ONE!
Steel City Rumble makes moves, sets bar in 2012
Colorado Fight League Publicity dept.

Pueblo CO, February 10th 2012-Following on the heels of last years breakout success with it’s all amateur “Contender Series,” Steel City Rumble continues to set the bar for quality fight sports promotion in Colorado. “We are proud to announce that SCR will host it’s now 9th event titled “Nex-Gen” and return to the Colorado State Fair Events Center March 30th 2012,” Stated League President Armando Chavez from his home on Sunday. “Nex-Gen” will bid a final farewell to the amateur ranks for a lot of local standout athletes as they begin their ascent into the professional ranks and according to Chavez, “We are so proud to have been part of their early career and we will continue to feature them here as pros”. When pressed for information on the upcoming card General Manager Gabe Charboneau beamed:

“We are excited to announce that the card will feature PWIA/Rough House 135 lb. product “Ryan Axtell” in the main event vs. wrestler Gilbert Cohen of New Mexico. Cohen recently lost a tough 3 round war with Jacksons pro Matt Leyva (9-2) so we know he is coming to fight.”
And fight is exactly what he’ll have to do to beat Ryan Axtell. The current CFL 135 lb. pro champ has not had a fighter get through the first round in his last 5 contests, sets an aggressive grinding pace and always seeks to finish. When he’s not training himself he’s coaching in the community either at his own “Team Valley Heights gym” in the Arkansas Valley or at the Inkd Out gym in Fort Morgan. “We are happy to have Ryan as our main event”.
Other pro bouts feature veteran Tamboura Gerl vs. tough local Alvino Montoya in a 170 lb matchup and crowd favorite Prentice the Menace Ingram vs. Debut pro Paul Ray of Keith Jardine’s “Mean1 MMA” in New Mexico.

Undercard? WHAT UNDERCARD!
Rounding out the evening is one of the most stacked Amateur cards in recent memory as Southern Colorado’s top amateurs take their final step before turning pro. The card includes:
Top Amateur prospects Jose “El Fuego” Caro, Dominick Montoya of Pueblo’s Rude Effex and The Avondale Son Adam Soto return in what may be their last appearance as amateurs. Both Caro and Montoya are coming off big wins over New Mexico products from Jacksons and Keith Jardine’s gym respectively. Longtime Pueblo Coach Simon “El Nino” Gonzales seeks victory as he lays it on the line one last time along with a feature bout by Pueblo Firefighter and tough-man veteran Joey Gutierrez. In the always exciting female division undefeated prodigy Edwina White and striking specialist Vallie Rae Mead put the final touches on what should prove to be a magnificent evening of fights.

Tickets available at any Walmart electronics department, State Fair Box office or at the new Steelcityrumble.com for more information contact publicity at (719) 369-1138

5 minutes with Vallie Rae Mead

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Colorado Fight League Newsletter (Steel City rumble Feature) 5 minutes with Vallie Rae Mead

by Gabe Charboneau on Thursday, April 21, 2011 at 11:23am

STEEL CITY RUMBLE FEATURE
SPOTLIGHT ON
VALLIE MEAD
By CFL Contributor Liz Solano

To a simple passer by, Vallie Rae Mead seems like a beautiful woman, and that's that! Anyone who knows Vallie, knows that she is more than what meets the eye and she will prove it!

BEING A FEMALE IN A MALE DOMINATED SPORT

In a sport where men seem to reign superior, Mead is a women who never let her gender be a handicap. Having been exposed to Martial Arts since the tender age of 13,  Mead never let her gender get in the way, “In this sport, it's kill or be killed”, Mead says. She was never babied or treated any different because she's female telling us, “My very first instructor told everyone in our student body, DO NOT treat her any differently”. Starting with Kempo Karate at 13 and then graduating to kickboxing at 18, she knew the discipline and strength it took to train. Training very hard, Mead began to teach students very early, “I felt like I had to establish dominance and show my students who many times were older men, that I knew exactly what I was doing and I would prove it.” Once she stepped onto the MMA scene she says, “I couldn't see myself as a good fighter until I got onto the ground and mastered my ground skills.” While she never felt at a disadvantage due to her gender, she did feel as though she had to prove herself.

BALANCING BEING A MOM WITH TRAINING

Being a parent is trying on anyone. This is even more so the case when you are a single parent, couple that with training and you have a full time job! Vallie has three wonderful children and balancing the three of them with training is the hardest part. Mead is a Martial Artist saying, “This is what I am and what I want, it makes it easier when you know who and what you are... This is what I want!” Mead finds it important to cherish every moment stating, “One day I will be a coach and only a coach, I want to cherish this moment right now!”

HOW SHE PREPARES FOR  FIGHT

When I ask a fighter, “How do you get ready for a fight?” The response is often something in the realm of watching the opponents past fights, or making themselves hate their opponent. Not Vallie, she prepares in a way that is very unique.
“I start two weeks out from my fight. I let the adrenaline build and then I ground myself. I use a lot of visualization and disburse the adrenaline and nervousness I feel to my limbs. It's a full body awakening. At that point, my nervousness takes the shape of confidence.”
On top of visualization, the song that the fighter enters the arena with is also very important. “It has to have that certain vibe that releases everything” Unlike many, to Mead, a fight isn't about hating her opponent, but rather, a test of herself. She finds it to be an opportunity to learn more about herself. She doesn't know much about her opponent and she doesn't need to, “I always imagine that my opponent is bigger, faster, and stronger and I have to push myself to be equal.”

WHO SHE WOULD LIKE TO THANK

Like many, she would love to thank her parents, training partners and coach at Team Hitman MMA, and of course her children; but there is a man who passed away that she would like to thank as well, Bill Packer. Bill Packer was her first instructor, a man who was very near and dear to her, and a man who has trained the best with 122 World Champions. Mead remembers her first fight, “It wasn't like the big productions that we have today, it was more underground. I walked into the ring and my feet had dust on them and I was afraid of slipping. I turned to him and said, 'Mr. Packer my feet are dusty' he did what I never expected, he sat me on the stool and proceeded to wash my feet, this man who has trained champions got to his knees and washed my feet. It was a very surreal moment for me.” When Packer passed away, Mead didn't train for a while, “It's hard to find someone to train you after you have learned so much and you have developed such a deep bond with an instructor.” Packer shaped Mead into what she is today and she is grateful.