It’s 2014, and under the bright lights of the 1stBank Center, a fighter steps into the ring, hair tightly braided for the fierce forces of combat sports.
Thousands of people in the arena and countless others watching the pay-per-view event hear her name over the loudspeaker, as she feels the canvas mat beneath her bare feet and takes note of the padded ropes boxing her in. Beyond the ring, an entire section of the Broomfield arena is waving blue towels bearing her name.
Years of gritty gym sessions training in boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, and mixed martial arts have led her to this moment. “Babyface,” as they call her, takes her stance and raises her fists for yet another fight she was never supposed to win.
Years later, the bell that rings for Maureen Bangsund no longer signals the start of a professional cage match, but rather the start of the day at Westminster High School. Nobody calls her “Babyface” these days and they’d be wise not to. Instead, starting this school year, she is now addressed as Principal Bangsund.
“I was your stereotypical book nerd and wanted to be a writer,” Bangsund remembered. “But I was out of shape and needed something different from the usual gym routine.”
Having grown up in the metro area, Bangsund learned of a fight gym in Westminster where she could try kickboxing, and she was hooked even after a rough start.
“I was no good at it when I first started. I couldn’t even jump over a medicine ball with two feet at the same time,” she laughed.
Throughout her adult life, and especially when it came to her journey as a professional fighter, the road was paved with challenges. A boxing coach once told her she was so bad that she should quit, a comment unfortunately made in front of Bangsund’s young sons.
“I was always raised to believe that if you’re willing to put in the work and sacrifice, you can be whatever you want to be.”
Maureen Bangsund
“Well, now I have to make a career out of it,” she said decisively. “I was always raised to believe that if you’re willing to put in the work and sacrifice, you can be whatever you want to be.”
From that moment, she carved her path in a harsh landscape for the first generation of female fighters. Bangsund’s professional fighting career saw her compete in boxing, kickboxing, and MMA.
“I was one of the first women to compete professionally in all three because that was the only way to make money,” she explained.
Her career was not just about fighting; it was about inspiring others. She created the tagline “What’s your possible?” to encourage others to push their limits, and instilled that same spirit in the young people she coached along the way.
Bangsund’s transition to education came after a significant injury in 2016, when she broke her hand and couldn’t train for an extended period of time. During that period, she continued to coach and mentor other fighters and eventually sought a path where she could continue to have impact — maybe just less physical impact, and more professional impact.
She got back in the classroom, teaching family and consumer science while preaching a mantra of resilience. As she climbed the ranks, she continued to believe in the power of resilience and tenacity, values she hopes to instill in both her staff and students as she assumes her new role as principal of Westminster High School.
“There’s really nothing the world can throw at me that I don’t have the courage and willingness to face,” she said. “The ability to learn how to sit in discomfort and keep going is one of those things in life that you really have to experience for yourself. The kids I connect with the best are the ones that the average adult would say are the hardest.”
As the bell rings and ushers in a new school year, Bangsund’s background and approach to leadership promise to bring a fresh perspective to Westminster High School.
Stepping into her new role, she once again will rely on years of training and experience. This time around, it’s not the dingy boxing gyms or the bright lights of televised cage-matches, but rather the ever-changing arena of education where she will fight. And for perhaps the first time in her career, she is far from an underdog.