This episode of “The Forecast,” Seattle’s weekly women’s sports show on KVRU 105.7 FM, spotlights the University of Washington’s student-run boxing club through in-depth conversations with boxers Apple Tran and team president Jill Doucet ahead of the National Collegiate Boxing Association (NCBA) National Championships, held April 9–11. Tran, a former varsity soccer player with no prior boxing experience, describes being drawn in by the team’s “one team, one family” culture and positive mindset, ultimately finding a strong athletic identity and rapid growth in a sport whose physical intensity soon became “normal.” She recounts mixed but evolving family reactions—hesitant parents, enthusiastic siblings, and a grandfather who supports her self-defense skills—and emphasizes focusing on progress over medals, echoing her coaches’ philosophy.

Doucet, who began boxing at 12 in Canada following her mother into the sport, explains how she deliberately chose UW for its boxing program and transitioned from casual youth competition, through a COVID break, into serious collegiate boxing. She trains with the team up to five days a week, sometimes twice a day, while balancing full-time studies, a part-time job, and leadership responsibilities as club president, including coordinating facilities after their home gym closed. Doucet, last year’s NCBA silver medalist and this year’s regional champion, approaches nationals with a process-focused mindset, aiming to enjoy the tournament and measure success by performance quality rather than medals, in a format that can require up to three consecutive days of bouts.

The episode highlights the rarity and value of women’s boxing—still relatively new on the Olympic stage—and the small but growing cohort of eight women among roughly 55 UW boxers. Doucet describes both past gendered stereotypes and the importance of having female teammates and shared travel experiences, even as the women are heavily outnumbered. She notes that UW’s program, one of the earliest to train men and women together without gender-based separation, emphasizes a culture of “fit, one team, and grit,” selecting and developing boxers based on heart, determination, and cultural fit rather than prior experience—an approach that has produced national champions from complete beginners.

Both interviews underscore the club’s deep sense of community: athletes train and spar across genders, receive individualized coaching, and travel as a tight-knit group that provides intense ringside support, including large crowds of teammates surrounding boxers before marquee bouts at venues like the Washington Athletic Club. Doucet frames representing the university in collegiate boxing as uniquely meaningful compared to traditional amateur circuits and notes that the long-established UW program has built a durable system and culture that many in the broader community still don’t know exists. The episode closes by directing listeners to the NCBA website for live streams and bout sheets to follow Tran and Ducey at nationals, and by inviting local women’s sports fans to connect with “The Forecast” via radio, podcast platforms, email, and Instagram.

1:00 - Interview with UW Boxing Apple Tran 2026 USIBA 125lb National Champion

10:54 - Interview with Jill Doucet NCBA 2025 Runner Up and 2026 125lb National Champion

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Apple Tran is a sophomore at the University of Washington and in her second year of boxing on UW’s Boxing Team. Apple is the current 125lb USIBA National Champion and finished as a semi finalist at the 2026 NCBA National Championships.

Jill Doucet is a Junior at the University of Washington and in her third year boxing on UW’s Boxing Team. Jill was the 2025 USIBA National Champion at 125lb, the runner up at the 2025 NCBA National Championships, and the new current 2026 NCBA National Champion at 125lb. She also was awarded the “Female Boxer of the Tournament” at the 2026 NCBA National Championships.

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The Forecast is a Production of :

KVRU (https://www.kvru.org/shows/the-forecast/) & JEFFSCOTTSHAW

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Executive Producer + Host // Maggie Mertens // [email protected]

Executive Producer // JEFFSCOTTSHAW // [email protected]

Additional Production Support Provided By // Crystal Fincher & Shannon Cheng & Maurice Jones Jr.