To be honest, I don't know much about 12-year-old girls.  

It has been, shall we say, a while since my daughter was 12 years old and a lot has changed in the world since she was.  I do know this though.

I would not want to have 12-year-old Emily Vigneault angry at me.  Because, if she was, she could literally kick the stuffing out of me.

Vigneault is a 12-year-old Canadian Muay Thai (Thai Boxing) champion from Airdrie, and she is determined to make her mark in the sport.  In fact, she already has.

Vigneault explains that she's been taking part in Muay Thai for half of her life. 

"I had lots of different sports that I was in and I really couldn't find any interesting ones so I started to do some Taekwondo but I really didn't like that because it wasn't interesting, in my opinion.  But then I started to do Muay Thai.  I started when I was six and I've been doing it for six years so I've been doing it for a while.  Since then it's just been interesting and I always wanted to learn more and more."

Vigneault trains at Mike Miles Muay Thai and Kickboxing in Calgary.  Her trainer is Lindsay Rae who's been working with her for over a year.  Rae says Vigneault's dedication is what sets her apart.

"She shows up at the gym rain or shine and never takes a day off, never takes a minute off, at the gym.  On top of that, she's a talented athlete.  She listens well, she never gets frustrated.  You never see so much as anything negative come out of her.  She's always positive."

Rae says the other aspect he appreciates about Vigneault is her character.  Rae calls her a good kid who works hard and has a bright future facing her in the sport of Muay Thai.

While her future may be bright, her present isn't too bad either.  Vigneault has already excelled in Muay Thai.  As she explains, she captured two Canadian championships in 2019 and another very prestigious award.

"This year I've been to two Canadian championships.  One was in Edmonton.  It was with the WKA (World Kickboxing Association) and I won gold by TKO (Technical Knockout).  Recently I won the gold again, in Toronto this time with Muay Thai Canada and I also won the Best Athlete for Youth."

Vigneault has also taken her fighting skills to Thailand, the home of Muay Thai.  In the city of Chang Mai Vigneault won a stadium title.  Rae says for fans of the sport, that is a big deal.  "For people that are familiar with Muay Thai, for one to set foot in a stadium fight gives you a lot of recognition but to win is pretty extraordinary.  She's doing really well so far and we're excited about where she's going in the future."

Rae says that at Vigneault's age and with her skill level, they're having to look further to find suitable competition.  In August 2020, Vigneault will be headed to Malaysia for the International Muay Thai Federation Championship, an event that is recognized by the International Olympic Committee.  "I think she's got a heck of a shot at taking gold there," explains Rae.

Vigneault has done bottle drives and other fundraisers for her trips and is currently fundraising to go to Malaysia.  Any corporate sponsors who'd be interested in sponsoring her at this high profile event can contact her dad Eric at Eric.vigneault@me.com.  Potential sponsors can reach Emily directly on her Instagram account, Emily_Ice_Vigneault.

Vigneault has big dreams for herself in Muay Thai.  She says, "I see myself working super hard.  I see myself as going ahead of everyone, always pushing harder, almost like those dramatic movies that they make.  I think about that in my head and it just makes me want to keep going and just get higher and higher."

Comments? Questions? Story ideas? Email news@discoverairdrie.com