Recently I checked to see who signed up for the winter session. As usual, the numbers were very low. So far, one kid has signed up and one adult. The teen class is empty. Honestly, I'm at my wit's end trying to come up with solutions as to how to grow the boxing program. There are numerous reasons why the program is not where I need it to be. All of the Chicago Park District boxing coaches deal with the following issues, most of which can't be fixed easily nor solved.
1. Parents and guardians who use the youth classes for free babysitting purposes.
2. Youths and adults alike who wait weeks into the session to sign up for the program because of failure to keep up with registration and class dates.
3. Youths and adults who are in the class for the wrong reasons, the number one reason being for self-defense purposes.
4. Parents and guardians who don't support the boxing program on any level.
5. The habit some parents and guardians have of attempting to mainstream their kids who have mental and emotional issues into the program without properly assessing whether or not it will be a good fit for them.
6. Parents and guardians who think they are qualified to coach and/or are constantly making unreasonable demands who regularly interfere with how the actual coach is running the gym.
7. Lack of funds for equipment.
8. People who drop out of the program with no notice.
9. People who sign up for the program and never show up at the gym.
10. Youths who can't give 100% to training because they are also signed up for several other activities that take place at the same time the boxing program is open.
11. Adults attempting to take the class for free and getting an attitude when the coach refuses to give them a "hook-up".
12. The difficulties in finding volunteers for the boxing program, mainly because most can't pass the background check.
13. Lack of support from within the field house -- supervisors who don't care for the sport and/or know little to nothing about it, lack of promotion of the program, the gym, and equipment being tampered with by other programs in the building, wrong information about the program being given out to customers, etc.
14. Parents and guardians who sign their kids up and don't inform the coach about their kids' medical conditions beforehand or lie about it.
15. People who don't realize that the Chicago Park District only has amateur boxing and does not train professional boxers.
16. Thefts and vandalism of boxing equipment.
17. Depending on where the field house is located, high crime in the neighborhood that affects attendance not only in the boxing program but in other activities there, too.
18. Youths who keep confusing boxing with professional wrestling, kickboxing, and mixed martial arts.
19. Parents and guardians who refuse to deal with the discipline problems their kids create in the boxing gym.
20. Construction and maintenance crews who often come in without warning and disrupt the operation of the boxing program.
21. Adults and youths in the program who display lack of motivation, lack of a work ethic, etc.
21. Adults and youths in the program who display lack of motivation, lack of a work ethic, etc.
Trust me, I just barely scratched the surface of what contributes to issues in the boxing program. I'm sure the other coaches in the park district could add a hundred or more reasons.