Anything you can do, I can do better!

In the male centric world of sports, female athletes often are underestimated or made the butt of unfair jokes, but these three Cobb County women are no laughing matter. For Elaine Sipos, Sadie Thrift and Moe Travis, athletics are more than a hobby…they’re a way of life. They compete at the highest levels in sports commonly believed to be the purview of men. And, they’re proving time and again that women are much more than sugar and spice.

Elaine Sipos | Triathlete

After years of running with friends, even going so far as to run marathons, East Cobb resident Elaine Sipos experienced a knee injury. Rather than resigning herself to defeat and hitting the couch, she changed her workout regimen and hit the road…and the track…and the water.

“I signed up for a triathlon before I even bought a bike,” Sipos said. “I did my first race a month later–a half Ironman.” Although she doesn’t keep track of how many races she’s completed, she estimates the number is close to 100 in 10 years. Her husband, Jeremy, and her brother often join her.

Sipos trains at least twice each day, and all that training has paid off. She regularly is ranked USAT All American or All American Honorable Mention–designations awarded to the top 10 percent in each age group. But, even with all her success, it’s not just about the competition for Sipos. “The highlight for me is really the friends I’ve met along the way,” she said.

The starting gun has sounded, and she’s off to the races!

Sadie Thrift | Archer

At only 16 years old, Kennesaw resident Sadie Thrift already has evolved into an accomplished athlete in her sport. Long before The Hunger Games took the box office by storm, Thrift found archery at summer camp and now, only five years later, is ranked first in Georgia and third in the Southeast in her division for recurve bows.

“I got a beginner’s set for Christmas–a little plastic one,” she said. “I went to an orientation class at Kennesaw Archery Club to learn more about it. They had more professional equipment, and I really enjoyed it.” Now, she’s recently back from Olympic rounds in Colorado, where she placed second in her division against some of the toughest talent in the country.

Thrift practices four times a week during the summer months and has her sights set on scoring a coveted spot on the Olympic Junior Dream Team. “I want to compete in the Olympics, but first I have to get onto the Junior Dream Team.” Thrift said. “Tryouts are in November.”

She’s taking aim and prepped for a bullseye!

Moe Travis | Fighter

Kennesaw resident Monique “Moe” Travis stands only 4’11” but she towers above the competition as a Bangkok Boxing Champion and four-time IKF World Champion with an undefeated 13-0 record in Muay Thai.

Travis began training seven years ago as a way to lose lingering baby weight after the birth of her daughter, Evangelina, and quickly fell in love with the sport. “I was fat and was trying to lose the last 20 pounds,” she said. “I’ve loved it ever since and can’t stop.”

Training two or three times a day in between teaching kickboxing and other fitness classes at local gym KnuckleUp, Travis devotes herself to a healthy lifestyle. “I love the challenge of testing myself against the best out there,” she said. “And, it keeps me in shape. I’m 31 and not getting any younger, so I gotta keep in shape to keep up with my kid, my dogs and my husband, Geoffrey, who is a Cobb County firefighter and works out a lot too.”

Talk about fighting like a girl!

*Originally published in the July 2013 issue of Cobb Life Magazine.