My Ann Wolfe Moment

Now I have eight people in the adult boxing class.  Steve, the park supervisor, said, "We might have to add the adult class back onto the spring schedule."  I hope so, just as much as I hope those who are in it now continue on.

Benny, Darryl, and Dominick are three new guys in the class.  All three told me they wanted to get in shape and have something to occupy their time.  All are in their twenties.  As I faced them as I was holding the punch mitts for them, I had an Ann Wolfe moment.  She is a former professional boxer who is now a trainer, and she was training James Kirkland.  When those guys, three young bulls, were attacking the mitts, I felt like I was at the beginning of training some guys who will do well.

The adult class was busy when Kier, one of the kids who plays football and basketball, sauntered into the gym.  Kier has an annoying habit of touching everything in any room that he's in.  He was fiddling around with the equipment on the table, while going on about the basketball game, and anything else that popped into his mind.  I was giving him "uh-huh" and "hmm", hoping that the kid would take the hint and leave.  He didn't notice my lack of responsiveness.  I was keeping my eye on the adults and stepping in whenever I saw they needed help.  I told him it was the adults' time in the gym.  Yet he still asked me, "Are they all adults?"  I refrained from rolling my eyes.

"Kier, you can't be in here because this is the adult class.  They paid to workout in here," I told him.  Thankfully, the kid left without any further conversation or whining.

The time that the teen class takes place looks like it's going to be an extended break time for me in-between the kids' and the adults' class.  No sign of Merinda, Jaquan, Kody, or Derrick Jr.  It bothers me when some of the teens' parents ask me, "How is my kid doing in here?" and I can't give them an answer because I haven't seen them.  Even more of a concern is the probability that the teens may be telling their parents, "Yeah, I'm going to the gym," but they are actually elsewhere, and the parents don't know that.