As most great stories in history, this one begins on a stormy night in Seattle. A very pregnant and terrified Lorene Castiel and her husband Larry rushed through the streets of the city and to the nearest hospital, desperately trying to make it there in time before their unborn daughter came into the world in the front seat of their car. In the blink of an eye, however, the officer and his wife were struck by a drunk driver, rendering Lorene unconscious and Larry dead.
At the age of 20, after nearly four years of helping out at Wildecat in Seattle, she was offered the opportunity to open a sister center on the East Coast under the same name. Family of Ted's had heard of the great success the center had brought to the area surrounding Seattle and they offered to fund a new project in the heart of Boston if the family was interested.
Finding that being a mother, a trainer, and traveling to fight was exhausting, Isla cut her contract to focus on her life at home. Without a father, her daughter only had her to look up to and Isla knew more than well enough that she needed to be a bigger figure in her child's life. Until she was old enough to go to school, Isla brought her daughter to the gym with her every single day, and over the years, Cynthia Lee has become more or less the mascot of Wildecat. At the end of her sixth grade year, the decision to send Cyn to boarding school was made and she will be attending Sparhawk School until she graduates.
Finding that being a mother, a trainer, and traveling to fight was exhausting, Isla cut her contract to focus on her life at home. Without a father, her daughter only had her to look up to and Isla knew more than well enough that she needed to be a bigger figure in her child's life. Until she was old enough to go to school, Isla brought her daughter to the gym with her every single day, and over the years, Cynthia Lee has become more or less the mascot of Wildecat. At the end of her sixth grade year, the decision to send Cyn to boarding school was made and she will be attending Sparhawk School until she graduates.
Until she moved to boston, Isla had long, jet black hair. In an attempt to reinvent herself, she cut it and began bleaching it. Her transformation had given her a sizeable confidence boost and she was no longer the sweet and mousey girl-next-door type. As Isla began to come into herself as she got older, she had a much stronger personality and her presence was hard to ignore as she made a name for herself in her chosen career.
is a big fan of roller derby and skates for the local team, babes of prey. her derby name is dita von sleaze.
She claims to be a 'natural born fighter' and it was her uncle Ted that believed in this. Ted was a well known local boxing legend and champion, and he taught Isla all she knows. He gave her an outlet for her aggression and taught her how to focus and project it in the right manner. It was on her own accord that she expanded her interests and found herself studying multiple forms of martial arts, including judo, savate and krav maga. these days, she holds multiple belts and multiple titles in a handful of martial arts.
when isla was a happily married 25-year-old, she and her now ex-husband, craig, adopted a five-year-old vietnamese orphan after two years of struggling with infertility. it was love at first sight for isla, however, craig felt left out and dejected which would lead to their inevitable demise. isla has fought tooth and nail to give their daughter a family and a life that wasn't available to her and makes sure her daughter always comes first. although the couple split up during the following year, they have patched up their friendship and even tried re-marrying in 2014.
Isla has a very strong maternal instict, which is partially why she feels so strongly about teaching self defense. This extends beyond work and spills into her home life, as well. She's very selective about the friends she keeps, especially those she keeps close, because she knows how easily she can wear herself thin when it comes to being overly nurturing and caring for other people.
Wildecat is Boston's most well known centers for self defense and mixed martial arts training. Isla began teaching her first self defense classes following her own domestically violent relationship. To this day, the BPD refers women who have found themselves in domestic disputes to her for classes
