There had to be at least 30 people in the boxing gym at Loyola Park. This was the first day of the spring session there. Alan thought that while the boxing program at Loyola doesn't seem to be advertised heavily, he still gets a full crowd each session. I think that's because the program is fed into from the student population at nearby Loyola University. It also attracts the yuppies and other upper middle class types in the neighborhood who are looking for a different way to exercise. Of course, the numbers will thin out as people drop out for various reasons. But Alan always begins the sessions with a lot of people.
That is in sharp contrast to the adult boxing class at LaFollette Park. I only have three people signed up. It's difficult to get adults interested in the class, and when they do sign up, they don't stay long. There is no major college nearby to pull participants from. The neighborhood is largely made up of the poor, low-income, and working class. The culture of the area places high emphasis on football and basketball, but boxing comes in dead last, if at all.
Today's sparring participants were David, Kathy, Professor, Ben, myself, the other Ben (who wears a beard), Rojan, and Andres, who returned to the gym. Sparring was the heaviest exercise I did, because there were too many people in the gym to get in any time on the equipment.
Very few of the adults in the boxing class at LaFollette have sparred. I remember Ben Sr. (yes, another guy named Ben) sparring with his sister, but that was about it. I'm curious to see what types of adults I will have in the class this session.
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