The Closing

Friday night, which was the last night of the Spring session, was quiet. Foster and Carla came in. Later, Manny came in for a little bit with his little daughter.

Mary and I were talking earlier that evening about how to handle the upcoming Summer session. Steve's job has still not been listed online yet. Mary was hoping that maybe it'll show up on Monday. Even if it does, it's going to be awhile for the applicants to get through the hiring process.

Judging by the past, summer is usually the time the gym has experienced the most problems with people thinking they can just roam into the gym. The fact that word has gotten around that Steve is gone has kept a lot of people away. It has also given the idea to others that they can come in and get free workouts. Jordan was one example. He wasn't even signed up for the spring session at all, and he stumbled in the other week. Jermaine's friend Antoine didn't cause any problems when he came in. Mary wasn't happy when it appeared that Antoine had been told he could come to the gym for free. I know the guys who have come in for awhile, like Jermaine, don't mean any harm when they invite their friends to the gym. However, Mary doesn't want anyone in there who hasn't paid.

When Steve was there, he would keep the gym open during the week or weeks in-between sessions. I opted not to come in next week, so the gym will be closed. After that, it's up in the air. I don't want to disappoint the guys who have been coming in for awhile, even those who come on-and-off. But in the absence of a coach, and the fact that attendance is normally down in the gym during warm weather, closing temporarily is looking like the best option. In the interest of safety and keeping drama down, it might be better not to give some hard-headed youths or strange adults a reason to be in the gym on Wednesday and Friday nights.

The guys who are serious about the sport have gone to other gyms for workouts and sparring on other days in the past. They'll continue to do so. I've spent time up at JABB myself, and I plan to check out Chicago Boxing. Those who were aligned with other gyms but came up to Loyola sometimes -- like Paul and Brian, for example -- will continue on at their home gyms.

It bothers me, but I can't think of another solution right now.