YORK, Pa. — According to History, Women's History Month is a celebration of women's contributions to history, culture and society and has been observed annually in March in the United States since 1987.
This month, FOX43 will highlight local businesses that are paving the way in male-dominated fields. Our first stop is KickHouse, located in York Township, York County.
Before becoming KickHouse, the business was under a different franchise but still owned by Carol Kettell, a Maryland resident. Carol spent 30 years in tech before retiring and pursuing her passion for kickboxing and opening up KickHouse. The classes use the kickboxing format to promote physical and mental health.
“It was always my favorite form of exercise, it’s so empowering to go out there and kick and hit something, especially women who don’t get that opportunity usually when we’re more focused on things like cardio,” said Kettell.
Since KickHouse is a woman-owned business, the goal is to empower women and make them focus on their health or release stress from day-to-day life. Kickboxing has been primarily a male-dominated field, but according to Zippia, about 53% of kickboxers are women and 46% of kickboxers are men. As for boxing, traditionally, boxing has been considered a male-dominated sport, with a predominantly male fan base.
“We still get the ‘you box?’, and we’re like 'yeah, actually, let me show you,'” said Elizabeth Lehr, general manager at KickHouse.
Lehr got her start in kickboxing 16 years ago. While continuing to make a positive impact on women in our area, she’s also used kickboxing as a way to relieve stress from her personal life.
“I have three children; they’re grown now…my youngest is 16, but I started this about 16 years ago, and I say that this helped me raise my kids,” said Lehr.
KickHouse is a space for everyone, with instructors and participants of all races, genders and ages.
“We work very hard that is community-based for women,” said Kettell. “As we all know, women are always giving to everyone else--we have our kids, husbands, careers--and we very rarely get to do things for ourselves, so we work hard in making sure you get your time.”
To book a class at KickHouse, click here.