Jeanne Shea relaxes at home with her youngest children, Breacan, 4, and Briely, 19 months.

Photo Credit: Jennifer Lord Paluzzi

Jeanne Shea grapples with an opponent at the North American Grappling Association's New England Championship at Twin Rivers in Rhode Island.

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GRAFTON, Mass. - Jeanne Shea comes by her toughness in the fighting ring naturally -- it's not every fighter, after all, who is also a mother of five children under the age of 11.

Shea, 40, won a gold medal last month at the North American Grappling Association's New England Championship at Twin Rivers in Rhode Island. It was only her second competition in the sport, which has become the way she blows off steam.

"It's a big man sport," she said. "There was a lot of testosterone going around that building."

Shea and her husband, John, are the parents of five children: Tiernan, 10; Declan, 8; Carrick, 6; Breacan, 4, and Briely, 19 months. They trade off on the kids at the end of the day so Shea can run to Mass Dojo in Shrewsbury, where she trains under the tutelage of Greg Carroll.

"It's a release and it's fun," she said. "When you're a mom, when you're so involved with your kids, it's great to have something of your own."

Shea has always been athletic, studying gymnastics early on and competing as a swimmer in college. She now teaches swimming at the Boroughs YMCA in Westborough.

Shea had long found martial arts intriguing, but it wasn't until she turned 27 that she decided to take them on. She spent 10 years studying Tae Kwon Do, earning her second degree black belt and a few titles.

"I realized that if someone got me on the ground, I wouldn't know what to do," Shea said. "Really, that's not something you have to worry about in Grafton, but it was just something I wanted to learn."

Shea signed up for South Grafton resident Greg Carroll's boot camp class at Mass Dojo to lose the baby weight after her fifth pregnancy and quickly became intrigued by the other goings on in the gym.

"It looks like wrestling and it's kind of like Jiu-Jitsu," Shea said. "But it's different -- instead of throwing them to the ground, you're trying to submit them."

Shea's training progressed quickly enough that her first competition was in October, when she handily took gold.

She attributes her success in the ring with several factors: a supportive husband, excellent coaching that includes fitness training and the fact that her dojo only includes one other woman -- so she spends most of her time grappling with men.

"It's awkward at first," she said. "You're up close and personal with these guys. I mean, there's a position called 'mount,' and it's exactly what it sounds like. But now, it's just what I do -- I have a harder time wrestling my 1-year-old into her car seat than taking on a 200 lb. man."