Music Around The Ring

Kenny brought his iPod boom box in (shown above) on Wednesday night.  "You like the music selection?" he asked me, smiling.  "Yes, I appreciate the DJ!" I told him.  The music was a mix of old school R&B, rock and rap music.  Way better than the stuff that comes out of WGCI-FM, the station that the gym radio is always on.

Rich spars with Nate in the photo above.  Earlier he had sparred with Adam.  Adam did get Rich with some shots to the head.  He had to reach to get up there, but he got them in.  Rich told me after that session that he was crouching down a lot to reach Adam, but also covering up, trying to duck Adam's punches.  I told Rich that he has to be careful about being drawn in by the other boxer to fight their fight.  A boxer has to control the action to control their opponent, otherwise known as ring generalship.

The guys definitely outnumbered the women in the gym.  Charlene didn't come in.  Neither did Maria or the other new women who joined up this session.  Amy and Sarah were in attendance. 

Sarah and I sparred for about three rounds and a half.  I guess were going at too slow of a pace, because Alan asked us to pick up the pace during the last round.  I didn't want it turn into a war, but we did move faster and threw some harder punches.  When I initially stepped in the ring with Sarah, the song "Friends" by the rap group Whodini was playing on Kenny's boom box. I thought that was kind of funny, a song about friendship going on as two people were approaching each other to throw punches. 

I caught Alan putting a mouthpiece in, and I gave him a questioning look. Rich was putting on headgear and gloves. "I'm wearing it just in case," he smiled.  "I have to look out for you," I told him.  His wife, Riva, had told me last week that she doesn't like when her husband spars with people.  I understand -- all of the guys currently in the gym with the exception of Colonel and Igor are way younger than Alan.  Anything could go wrong.  But Alan only ran sparring drills with Rich, who really wants to improve his game. 

 

Later when I was on the black heavy bag, "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" an 1960's oldie by Aretha Franklin was playing.  My mother liked that song, I thought to myself.  Some of the songs on the boom box were oldies that were popular when my parents were in their 30s and still married.  The thought, my late parents, crossed my mind, and I had to stop for a second and consider that.  It seemed I had just gotten used to the phrase, my late dad.  Wednesday was the eighth anniversary of Dad's death.  Now I'll have two death anniversaries back to back, as Ma died last month.  It felt a bit odd.  You know, neither one of them ever saw any of my boxing matches. 

 

Kenny was back to giving out coaching advice, as he worked with Sarah and others, as shown above.  

 

Sarah looks like she's really whipping up on the heavy bag in this photo.

 

Some of the guys, in a usual scene in the gym, talking with the coach near the end of the evening.  Colonel (in the hat) and Kenny, too, have some of the funniest, craziest stories, and Colonel was telling one of them.  It involved two cops who were harassing Kenny and his friends several years ago.  The harassment was wrongly taken to the next step.  Let's just say a couple of cops found themselves publicly embarrassed, and the embarrassment went all the way to court.  I fell out laughing.