For Immediate Release

Contact:         Susan Allen
                        News and Media Relations
                        Galloway, N.J. 08205
                        Susan.Allen@stockton.edu
                        (609) 652-4790
                        www.stockton.edu/media

Galloway, N.J. - Stockton University and WHYY Philadelphia will present a free preview screening and community dialogue on the documentary, “T-Rex: Her Fight for Gold,” the coming-of-age story of boxing phenomenon Claressa “T-Rex” Shields, who won the Olympic gold medal for women’s boxing in 2012.

The film will be shown on Thursday, Feb. 23 from 6-8 p.m. at Kramer Hall, Stockton University’s instructional site at 30 Front St. in Hammonton, N.J., in celebration of Black History Month.

Shields, of Flint, Michigan, was just 17 when she won the gold medal, the first time women were allowed to box in the Olympic games. She was 13 when it was announced that women would be allowed to box in the 2012 Olympics. Although she’d only been boxing for two years, her coach, Jason Crutchfield, predicted she would be there and that she would win gold. It was an audacious dream for Shields, whose prior aspirations included having 10 kids by the time she was 26.

Growing up, Shields’ father was in prison, her mother struggled with addiction and Shields bounced between homes. To accomplish her dream, she would need a stable life. Her coach and his family took her in, housed her and kept her focused.

Co-directors Drea Cooper and Zackary Canepari and producer Sue Jaye Johnson met Shields and Crutchfield before she qualified for the Olympics and filmed them for the next two years as they navigated the pressures of Olympic competition, family drama and Shields’ attempts to find love and support in the neglected city of Flint.                                                                        
When Shields stood on top of the podium in London, clutching her gold medal and laughing uncontrollably, she, like many around her, thought her struggles were behind her. However, back home, as Shields and Crutchfield watched fellow athletes receive recognition and endorsements, no one came forward to support her, raising questions about race, class and gender bias.

Agents suggested she should soften her image. “She’s not going to do that,” said co-director Canepari. “She’s raw and honest. And stubborn. She wants to succeed on her own terms.”

This film screening will be followed by a community discussion facilitated by Stockton staff member Ginna Petrillo and Hospitality and Tourism Management Studies Intern Annie Hajek.

The event is free, but attendees are requested to RSVP at https://t-rex.eventbrite.com. For more information about Kramer Hall and other upcoming Stockton events in Hammonton, visit www.stockton.edu/hammonton.