No Sparring Monday

Reggie (the guy sitting in the photo above) came in the gym Monday night.  He had broken a femur bone playing basketball a few weeks ago.  It's healing up, but I worried about him doing a heavy workout.  Reggie had good news that he passed the physical required by the Evanston Police Department.  BK, who was also in the gym (he now works in security at a college) was very interested.  BK wants to be a cop too, and he's thinking about applying for the force in Lake County.

The other guy in the photo with Reggie is Kevin, who appeared to be healing nicely from injuries he suffered in a recent altercation elsewhere.  He revealed that he had trained up at Brooks Park awhile back.  There was a disagreement between him and a coach there, and Kevin was shown the door.  Alan was surprised because he knows the coach there -- Pat -- to be rather mild-mannered.

Sorry that the above photo looks off.  I have no idea what was going on with the camera.  The guy on the left is Paul, who is the boss at Alan's day job.  Alan (on the right) gave him a little training.  He was impressed with Paul's stamina and wind. 

No sparring went on.  The guys that are always up for it didn't come in that evening, and Sarah wasn't feeling well according to her sister Amy.  I was going to fill the water bottles out of habit, but both of them were full.  I'm assuming they had been that way since last Thursday, when the kids were in the gym.  

Victor (the guy in the middle in the photo above) came in later.  Colonel (in the blue) and Igor (wearing the Bears jacket -- I think that's a Bears jacket) watch something that Victor had taped, probably a fight.  Victor and Colonel started playing around for the camera, as seen below.

Colonel gave me two pieces of good advice.  "Keep your chin down and next to your right shoulder.  Pretend as if you're a sick bird," he said.  It helps protect one's right side of the face from being exposed to full-on blows.  I'm wondering why in the heck was I going around for so long with my chin up in the air.  I know better than that.  That would explain how easy it was for Meg to get in that uppercut that nearly took me out two weeks ago.  The second piece of advice was, "Never date guys who live in Chicago.  They don't know how to treat women!"

While I would have loved to have a rematch with Meg this Thursday at Hamlin, the truth is, I'm not up for it.  I took a beating from her at Loyola's boxing show, then I had some hard sparring sessions with Sarah the following week.  Both knees have been bothering me since that time.  My left shoulder's been a bother since I sparred with Sarah that Monday after the bout, and something feels pinched in my neck.  Stiffness has set in all over.  I should have taken it easy after that match, but noooo, as the late John Belushi would say.  I had to jump right back into things.  I've been close friends with heat patches, Arnica cream, Icy Hot, Ben Gay, and Advil since then.  I'll go up to Hamlin to support Jacob and Kenny who'll have matches there, but I'll have to sit that boxing show out.