Sparring With Greg

Two more new people arrived at the gym Wednesday night: Franco and Maria.  Both Colonel and I helped train Maria, who had no experience with boxing before.  Franco, who came in with Matt, was very impressed with what he saw.  "I love this!  This is an old school gym," he said. 

Amy was there, but her sister Sarah was not, so I had no other women with whom to spar.  When it was time to match people up for sparring, I was put with Greg.  Just like Gene, Greg bounces around a lot.  "He's your height, Hillari, so you can use all of your punches -- the jab, the overhand right. . .," Alan said.  "Don't knock me out, Hillari!" Greg smiled.  Whenever I'd hit Greg with something, a hook to the body, hooks to the head, straight rights to the stomach, he'd jump back and spin around.  "Don't turn your back on her. . .relax," Alan told him.  Greg does have some hard hits.  I took a good one from him to my stomach during our last round. 

Franco said to me after Greg and I were done, "You weren't scared in there at all!  You just went after him."  I don't get nervous much before sparring, because I'm usually sparring with someone whom I've sparred with before.  But there's always some concern when sparring with someone for the first time, like I did with Greg. 

I was talking to Maria when Colonel came up to me and said, "Now don't think that I'm trying to be funny. . .," and he took my head and put it next to his chest.  "Please tell me if I'm wheezing," he said.  I could hear some funny rattling in his chest.  "Yes, it does sound like that," I told him.  "I need to take my medicine when I get home.  Don't think I was trying to to get next to you!" he said, and we both laughed.  Alan marveled at how Colonel looked.  "He looks good for a guy who's had trouble with his lung," the coach commented.  "That's because he stays active.  Now if that was another guy, the same age, but not exercising or taking care of himself like Colonel does, that would be a different story," I pointed out.

Franco is the guy in the middle of this picture.  He happened to be standing there as I tried to snap a picture of Alan and Colonel.  Bo is to the right, working on the double end bag.

Adam and Rich sparred again, and Rich said he felt good about it.  It had gone much better that time than their previous sparring session on Monday.  I turned around later to find Alan in the ring with Rich.  They were in a clinch near the ropes.  I leaned over the ropes and said to Alan, "Hey, Pops, what are you doing sparring?"  Some of the guys standing near laughed when they heard me.  "We're just running drills," Alan smiled. 



Matt (in black) seen here talking to Colonel, kept complimenting on my singing last Friday.  "You have an unusual quality to your voice, sort of like Dionne Warwick.  Has anybody told you that before?" he asked.  My late mother once told me I had a specific sound (she was a soprano, I'm an alto who sometimes sings tenor and contralto).  I've been told my singing voice resembles Sarah Vaughn and Mahalia Jackson (very high compliments because those ladies could sing), but being compared to Dionne Warwick (another great singer)?  That's a first.

Another shot of the two old men in the gym. Alan and Colonel.  Igor (who was in the gym earlier in the evening), Bean, and myself qualify as old, too, since we are in our fifties.  But Alan and Colonel take the prize for being the oldest people there since they are in their sixties.  Both men are proof that just because people are senior citizens, does not mean people have to stop exercising and not take care of their health. 

I think I may go up to Hamlin Park this weekend and see if I can get some sparring in.  I need the extra exercise because I seriously slacked off all summer long.  While doing laundry last night, I noticed a lock had finally been installed on the bike room door.  I took my bike and locked it that room.  The bike was only rode once all summer, and it probably won't be again until next May.  My quad roller skates saw no action either, and I haven't been on my in-line skates for about three years. My game has to be stepped up because the holidays are rolling in soon, and you know what that means.  I'll be sneaking to the grocery store all the time buying eggnog, something else that needs to be eliminated from my diet.