Having Balance

Ro watches some sparring action going on at Loyola Park in the photo above.

Yesterday, I was holding pads for Ariel.  She asked, "Miss Hillari, how do you keep your balance?"  It's not easy, believe me, especially when she or Donovan are throwing the punches.  My arthritic knees are unsteady from time to time, but I told Ariel that I always try to keep my balance even over my hips and thighs. I've also been using the balance board in the gym.

Kewan, one of the newer kids in the youth class, took off his hand wraps and left in the middle of class without a word.  About fifteen minutes later, he returned looking very upset.  "What's wrong?" I asked.  "I can't find my cell phone," he mumbled.  We looked in all the places where it might have been, but we didn't find it.  Kewan mentioned that it might be in his book bag, which his mother had somewhere with her.  I thought to myself, "I would never give any kid of mine a cell phone because they are too expensive to lose."

A couple of twin 12-year-olds came to class:  Donte and Devonte.  Now I just have to figure out who is who.  I was glad to see them because they appear to be more of a good fit with Donovan in terms of sparring.  However, I worry about Donovan having less time to train because he now participates in track two times a week.

I called the houses of some of the kids I hadn't seen yet in class.  Yeah, I know I kept saying I wasn't going to waste my time doing that.  I did it because it bothered me that a few of the kids had signed up for the summer class, but never showed up.  My calls got Jahnaja to return; she had actually been in the class back during the spring, I believe.  It was easy to work with her because she forgot nothing I taught her previously.  She asked about Xavier, and I told her he hadn't been to the gym in weeks.  "I heard Xavier's heart troubles have kept him away," she said.  "So that's why I didn't see him all summer," I thought to myself. I'm so glad I pressed Xavier to go get checked out when he first told me about having chest pains.

When I called Maz's house, his dad apologized to me for not keeping up with the date the class began.  "I fought in the Golden Gloves, and I could help train my son, as well as help you train the other kids in the class," he told me.  Now I told him that he would have to fill out a volunteer form, but otherwise, I would be happy to have him come down to the gym.

Tayjon and James are back, but as usual, they don't stay the full hour because they play on the football team.  At this point, I just appreciate the fact that they continue to come to class and are enthusiastic about boxing.

Jaymerson is in the class, but it's not a good fit for him.  I like the boy because he reminds me of my late youngest brother.  Jaymerson is developmentally delayed like my brother was.  I have to go back in my memory to remember how my mother, my younger sister, and I would handle things when my brother was upset and/or uncooperative.  Thank God the inclusion aide, Dwayne, is there in the gym to help with Jaymerson.  The boy's mother put him in the class, so there's not much I can say.  But I'm not going to have Jaymerson spar or put him in boxing shows.  I could see the boy having a meltdown upon being hit, and that would not be a good situation.

I received an email that there's a coaching clinic coming up this Sunday.  So typical. . . .learning on a Friday that there's a meeting during the weekend.  I'll check my license status with USA Boxing.  I think the last time I went to a clinic was last year, so I may not have to attend this clinic.  But I need to save up money to pay for renewing the license because it does expire at the end of this year.

Ladies' Time on Wednesday

Had to put another picture up of Olympic boxing gold medalist Claressa Shields.  I keep seeing Gabby Douglas, the gymnast who won Olympic gold, popping up on magazine covers and on news programs.  But the press about Claressa Shields, as well as Marlen Esparza who won a bronze medal in boxing, seems to be scant.  I know that one reason for that is the emphasis has been put on how none of the male boxers of Team USA came home with medals, and there is high criticism aimed at AIBA and USA Boxing.  But Shields and Esparza should still be getting their props for the great job they did.

I ran into Matthieu on the way to the gym.  His ankle is fine, but his right hip is acting up.  Matthieu plays a lot of soccer.  Unfortunately, he can't come to the gym as much because he travels a lot for his work.  I encouraged him to come to the gym sometime during this long break period we've having before the Fall session begins. 

Wednesday night marked the return of Sarah, who arrived with her sister Amy.  Sarah and I sparred for four rounds, but we went very light.  Alan suggested that since we weren't going all out like we usually do, it would a good time to practice technique.  Sarah practiced catching jabs and responding with her right.  I practiced head movement, left hooks, and tapping down incoming rights. 

I overheard Igor telling Alan he would spar on Monday.  Like the Chief would do on "Get Smart" when Maxwell Smart said something really dumb, I rolled my eyes.  Before I stepped in the ring with Sarah, Alan told me, "Igor may be ready for you on Monday," to which I responded, "Good!"  Alan gave me a knowing grin. Apparently he'd read previous blog posts where I stated I would like nothing better but to get Igor into a sparring session.  I know that's mean of me. But Igor made similar promises when Steve was the coach and never followed through.  When Igor left early that evening like he always does, Alan was the only male left in the gym.

Sarah mentioned that she had run into Brandy recently.  Brandy is thinking that she should return to Loyola Park, but she doesn't want to do another match.  Both Sarah and I remembered how bruised up Brandy was after her fight at the Golden Gloves Tournament earlier this year.  Alan said, "People often get banged up more during sparring than they do during matches," which is true.  But I can understand Brandy not wanting to willingly take bumps and bruises again.  Sometimes, I wonder why, at my age, that I'm always game to get jacked up.

Alan brought in a 25 pound kettlebell, and he worked out with it.  I did a few cleans and snatches with it.  It was heavier than the ones I have at home, but I was able to lift it above my head.  But then I did a few squats with it, pulling some muscles that I hadn't used in awhile.  I made a note to see if I had any Icy Hot, Ben Gay, or Epsom salts at home later on. 

Anger Management

I got the news about Angelo Dundee's passing from the Internet yesterday.  "First, Don Cornelius, now Angelo Dundee", I said to myself.  I always liked to see Dundee on ESPN Classic's "Ringside" program, where the famous trainer would give his views about boxing.  He'll be missed.

Emmanuel came by with his adorable daughter, Enjoli.  Emmanuel told Alan that he's going to fight in the Golden Gloves this year.  "I haven't fought in four years," he said. 

Enjoli, whom I believe is six or seven years old, amused herself by starting up a quick friendship with another kid who was in the gym Wednesday night.  Josh is the nine year old son of Amanda, a woman who just joined the gym that night.  Enjoli and Josh were playing around the heavy bags and inside the ring.  She had gone into the ring, gloves on her hands, and asked Josh to follow.  Josh's mom admonished him by saying, "Boys don't fight with girls."  I snickered to myself, thinking about all the boys I fought when I was growing up, as well as the guys I've sparred with in the gym.  I stepped into the ring and did some mock sparring with Enjoli, squealing in mock pain whenever she landed a punch.

Jacob sparred with Mike.  I have to give Mike his props, because although Mike tires easily, he does hang in there.  "How do you get someone to come to you in the ring in order to throw punches?" he asked me after coming out of the ring.  "Keep moving around, but don't throw many punches.  They'll think you're not eager to mix it up.  When they come in, throw your punches quickly," I answered.

Emmanuel sparred with Jacob and gave the whole gym some good entertainment.  Their jabs were fast, their hooks were crisp, and they were taking it to each other.  Too bad that Jacob won't be able to compete in the Golden Gloves; he's returned to school, and he told Alan he wasn't going to have enough time to train. 

Igor showed up, which is unusual because Monday is usually the only day he comes in.  I had to get on him a bit.  He took his watch off, walked up to my locker, and proceded to put the watch inside the locker.  "You need to ask me first," I said, blocking his hand.  I'm tired of telling him to leave his watch at home if he's so worried about it.  Igor grunted somewhat of a request, then I let him put store the watch in my locker. 

Abby sparred with Brandy.  Alan and I kept telling her not to turn away from Brandy's punches.  Brandy used to do that a lot, but she doesn't do it much anymore.  When I sparred with Brandy that night, she took the punches and kept coming.  Melinda was turning her back on some of my punches, but when she answered them, she came back with bombs.  I was caught with a lot of body shots by both her and Brandy. 

Melinda told Alan that boxing helps her with anger management issues.  "Do you have problems with anger since you've been coming here?" she asked me.  I had to think about it for a second, and Melinda laughed at my hesitation.  "Not really," I said, laughing with her.  My temper is not as volcanic as it used to be, which is a good thing because there have been situations during the last week or so that surely had the potential to set me off like a rocket.

For example, I was in the computer store last weekend - I had to buy another laptop because my old one just died on me, and could not be fixed.  It was a trip scraping up the money for a new one since I'm not exactly financially stable at the moment.  A kid was in the long line in front of me.  Then several other people crowded in front of me and got next to him.  The kid was obviously holding a place in line for his family members, one of whom thought it was funny because she butted me in line.  When I was younger, such behavior was met by me cursing the offenders out, and pushing them out of the line (which of course, always caused a bigger commotion, but being young, I didn't care then).  I just let the incident go.  I gave the stink eye to the chick in front of me, but I let it go. 

The unemployment office was another source of contention as I had to re-apply for benefits due to making too much money over the weekly benefit I received (I had done some house sitting jobs over the holidays).  I had to wait three hours only to have someone talk to me for less than five minutes and give me a form to fill out.  "You'll hear from us in ten days.  If you don't you have to come in again," I was told.  People already come to the unemployment office depressed, angry, and anxious. .  .sigh.
I could have yelled and screamed, as I was tired from running errands all that day, but it wouldn't have made things move faster for me.

Yes, the heavy bags are good therapy.  I need to visit the "office" every week to work off frustrations.

Monday's Packed Gym

"You see that it's a full house," I told Alan as he approached the gym.  Several new people were waiting in the hall, including Paul, Robert, Jamal, Brandi, Anna and Sarah.  Wayne, who trained with Barry, came in not long after the door was open.  Matthieu, another guy named Paul who's closer to Alan's age, and Ian, none of whom hadn't been in the gym for awhile, returned.  As I feared, Igor signed up again, too. The picture above shows Ray (in the middle) talking to Robert (in the headgear) and Wayne (on the right).

Robert and Ray sparred, and it was a good match up.  Robert is a MMA fighter who's had a few bouts.  He hung in there with Ray and got some great shots off.  Ray was working Robert with hooks. 

Sarah and I sparred as blonde Sarah (who I had met before at my church) and Brandi watched.  I got one right in to Sarah's head, but the rest of the time, I went for hooks to the middle.  Sarah got me with an uppercut that made me glad my mouth was closed, and that I was wearing a mouthpiece for protection.  I was too worn out to go a fourth round.  Luckily, I wasn't hit in the nose again.  It's still hurting a little from last week when Alan popped me in it.

I asked Matthieu where was his girlfriend Erica.  "She moved out," he told me, and I said I was sorry to hear that.  Women problems seemed to be the norm that night, as Ray's wife was waiting around outside the gym door, and she didn't look happy. 

Reggie joked with Jacob about entering the Golden Gloves.  The schedule came out yesterday.  I printed a copy and taped it up in the gym.  It's uncertain at the point who among the guys will be interested in competing.  They've got a little over two months to prepare for it, if they do.  Jacob would be a good prospect, but that depends on how healed his thumb is.  Ray's in the same situation.  Reggie did well in the prelims the last time he was in; I believe he could go further this time.  Wayne and Robert would be good picks too, if they're interested. 

As I held pads for Brandi, she told me that she had taken fitness boxing before.  There were no bags in the gym she attended.  The coach worked with everyone using punch pads.  "There was only one other woman in that gym, but she never wanted to spar.  We would put mats down for the guys when they sparred.  I'm glad to come here and see several women around," she said. 

Anna, who's from Bosnia, was enthusiastic about her time in the gym.  "It's a good overall workout," she told me.  I showed Sarah how to move as she threw rights and lefts.  Blonde Sarah is unsure about sparring, and Anna had already said that she's not interested in sparring or competing at all.  Brandi might be looking at sparring.  Alan told her, "Hillari would be good to work with during sparring."  It's just a matter of time before Alan tries to convince the other women to get into the ring as well.

Alan never got a chance to workout himself Monday night because there were so many people in the gym.  That's one of the drawbacks of being a coach.  I remember Steve, the former coach, telling me that a few years ago.  But there is satisfaction in showing others about the Sweet Science.  Speaking of coaching, I wasn't able to attend a recent coaches' clinic that was held this past Sunday.  It was in Downers Grove, and I had already missed two weeks of church service due to working for the pet/house sitting company.  I'm one of those folks who still believe in regularly attending church services; scheduling things on Sunday morning is not always good.

I sent an email back to the person who's the head of USA Boxing coordination in Illinois asking if there were going to be any coaches' clinics held within Chicago city limits this time.  I don't have a car, I don't want to rely on Metra and/or Pace to get somewhere, and getting to some suburbs and small towns is difficult, if not impossible, for me.  I need to attend another clinic; the last one I went to was in Harvey, and that wasn't extremely hard to get there.  The gym where the clinic was held was around the corner from the Metra station.  There are hundreds of boxing coaches within Chicago alone, so having a clinic within the city shouldn't be a problem.  I haven't heard back yet, but I hope I do before the Golden Glove signups take place next month.

Sparring With Another Newbie

Jamil was in the ring with Ralphie last night.  Ralphie is quick, and a fast hook nearly caught Jamil.  It connected, but at the same moment, Jamil slipped and fell against the ropes.  If he had absorbed the full effect of the hook, Jamil might have been very hurt.  Victor got in a series of non-stop hits on Ralphie when he caught him against the ropes during their sparring session.  The sparring man of the evening was Carlos, who did five or six rounds with different guys who were on hand.  It appears that his stamina is back. 

I heard Earleatha, one of the new people, tell another newbie, Donald, "I might as well get it out of the way," in reference to sparring.  She asked me ahead of time if I was going to hit hard.  "When somebody hasn't sparred before, or they say they've never been in a fight in their life, that's my cue to go light," I answered.  That's not to say that she didn't get some stinging shots in.  The first one was in my left eye.  She backed up, her gloves up to her mouth.  "Ooh, I'm sorry," she said.  "It's fine," I said.  "Go ahead, you're supposed to hit back," Alan instructed her. Donald watched with interest from the sidelines.

During the second round, Earleatha got in some hits to my stomach, but mainly, she was head hunting.  I enouraged her to keep going.  By the time that round ended, she was dead tired.  "It's something else, especially when somone keeps coming at you," she said.  That's how I often get in trouble, when somone continually rushes me like a bull, like Meg did during our second Park District fight.  The trick is to not get overwhelmed, but keep putting out a lot of punches and for goodness sake, move.

"Are the Golden Gloves over?"  Pastor Roger asked me Monday morning.  "Yes, but the show fights are ongoing, and the Chicago Park District tournament season starts soon," I told him.  There are lulls between fights, but there's never a cessation period. 

This morning, I stopped at Starbucks to get a little breakfast.  One of the clerks commented on my boxing hat, the red one that Steve gave me about two years ago.  "Stacy, one of the the people that works here, started going to a boxing gym," she said.  "I know -- she goes to the same gym that I do," I smiled.  "Cool!  I like your hat," the clerk replied.  Stacy wasn't in the gym last night.  I hope she comes in tomorrow.

Little Man Returns

Carlos came in, followed by Justin.  "What did you get for Christmas?" I asked. The five-year old showed me a hand-held video game.  His dad had brought him some new games to play on it.  "Do you read 'Dick and Jane' in school?" I asked Justin.  He shook his head, indicating that he had never heard of the series.  I guess a lot of things don't happen in Kindergarten like they did when I was there.  Justin had the day off from school because of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

Neither Jenay or Oksana came in; maybe they thought the gym was closed due to the holiday.  I had to call myself to check if the place would be open.  Cynthia answered the phone and confirmed that the field house would be hope during its regular hours.

Long and tall Kevin returned to the gym.  He told me that he wanted to get some more training before he came back to Loyola Park.  Alan was talking to him, Carlos, Jeremy and Jamil about the Golden Gloves.  Carlos and Jamil would like to compete there, but they're still not sure.  Alan told Carlos, "There are other guys who'll be there who are heavyweights.  You have the stamina, and you won't get knocked out.  You could handle them."  He reminded Carlos that he needs to get his weight down.  I thought to myself, "I need to get mine down, too, and I'm not off to a good start."  I've been ordering too many chopped steak deluxe meals from JB Alberto's lately.

I sparred with Alan, giving him a good shot to the stomach starting out.   "I was thinking that my right hand came out too hard at one point.  Didn't you hear me say I was sorry?" he asked after we completed our rounds.  "No, but you did get me in the eye," I grinned.  My left eye always seems to be a magnet for other people's punches during sparring. 

While he drove me home, I asked Alan if he goes to temple in the city or in the suburbs.  He explained that he attends service at a home near his house.  I thought to myself that I had heard of churches that met in people's homes, but never a synagogue.  But then, that is not out of the ordinary.  I seem to remember stories about people meeting in small groups in the Bible.  "They serve lunch afterwards, but I don't usually stay because I go to work.  I know I'm not supposed to work on the Sabbath," he grinned, "but I haven't gotten to that point yet."  "We all have to work out our own salvation," I said. 

Grabbed By The Neck

I heard footsteps going towards the Pastor's office on Tuesday, but I hadn't heard the doorbell.  I was the only one in the church building at the time, so I had to investigate.  Pastor Roger was in his office; he just came through another entrance.  "You were going to get beat down.  I didn't know who that was walking up here," I half-joked.  I came into church this morning to do some extra work on the annual business reports.  Pastor came in and called out from down the hall, "Hillari?"  "Yeah?" I called back.   "It's me.  Don't beat me up," he responded. 

Michael, Jeremy and I were the first ones in the gym this past Wednesday.  "My arms are still hurting.  I overdid it while I was shadowboxing on Wednesday," he groaned.  He said his arms felt heavy from having to hold them up.  It's a common complaint of those who are new to the sport.  "They'll feel like that at first, but after awhile, you'll get used to it," I assured him. 

Later in the evening, Janay showed me her knuckles and said they felt raw.  "Should I not be hitting with them?" she said.  She had been trying out the double end bag.  Her hands were wrapped up.  "No, you're supposed to use your knuckles.  They'll be like that for awhile, then you won't feel it," I said.  "They'll get calluses," she joked.

Carlos came in, explaining he'd been out due to a hand injury.  "I had a knife in my hand, and I wasn't holding it right while I was sharpening it.  The next thing I knew, I had sliced my hand open.  Had to go to the emergency room and get stitches."  He showed me his left hand, and the cut was scabbing over, a sign that it was healing.  "How's Justin?" I asked.  "I've been having him do exercises at home.  He gets tired afterwards and wants to go to sleep.  He doesn't even want to come here with me to the gym anymore," Carlos said.  "He probably thinks you're going to make him work out here, too," I grinned.

Ed came in, and he sparred with Carlos, Jamil and Ralphie.  Ed is quick.  While he was in the ring with Jamil, I observed how he carefully watched Jamil for openings, then took advantage of them.    The newer guys in the ring watched their sparring with interest.  I overheard Ed saying that he was planning to compete in the Golden Gloves again. 

Carlos ended up with a bloody nose again, but I don't think Ed was the one who gave it to him.  Carlos had sparred with Ralphie, too, so that's when it may have happened.  "Is your nose okay?" I asked.  "Eh, I have a few bloody boogers, but I can breath," Carlos replied with a grin. 

I begged off sparring, but maybe I shouldn't have.  I didn't spar last week.  Oksana didn't come in Wednesday, and I was thinking that maybe we could have sparred.  I told Alan I have to work my way up to it again, and he smiled at that.  In reality, I wimped out.  The guys who sparred that night seemed to have a lot of energy, and I had a feeling that I just might have taken some bad hits if I had gotten into the ring with them.  Boxing is a sport where people get hurt, and yes, that was a silly thought for me to have.  But sometimes, it is better to listen to your instincts.

Alan and I worked on the punch donut.  He had backed into one of the corners as I pounded away.  Suddenly, he reached out his hand, took me by the back of my neck, and turned me around quickly.  I ended up being flinged into the corner.  Good thing I had decided to take my glasses off before we got into the ring.  "That's an illegal move.  You can't do that in amateur boxing," Alan grinned.  That's would be a good move to remember to use in a street fight, however. 

Photos of the Old Girl's Fight

Alan called me last night to say that there would be no matches available tonight.  There's a charity boxing show at the Evanston Boxing Club this evening.  There was a possibility that Carlos and I might have gotten some matches, but it was not to be.  The Chicago Park District has several more weeks of exhibition boxing shows, so we'll just have to try again.

I met Barry a couple of days ago at Starbucks, and he gave me pictures that Kitchens had taken during my fight back in September:

I'm hoping to get at least one fight in because Meg and I have a rematch in December.  The next photo shows that I did take some shots to the face:

In the next photo, I'm looking worn out as Alan gives me instructions.  This must have been taken between the second and third rounds:

That was not my headgear; my own is red.  I wish I could have worn my own, because what I was wearing kept slipping.  Headgear and gloves are provided to boxers during Chicago Park District amateur shows, and during the Golden Gloves, as well.  Boxers aren't allowed to use their own gloves and headgear.  The main reason is to keep things on the up-and-up.  Also, the amateur boxing gloves are either red or blue with white to help the judges distinguish between the boxers in the ring.

Getting The Uppercut In

Leon, Ralphie and Carlos did a bit of interval training on Wednesday. The drill went like this: one person hits the heavy bag for 30 seconds while another person holds it. Then the person holding the bag hits the bag for 30 seconds while the next person holds it, and so forth.

I sparred with Carlos again earlier that evening, and managed to make it through two rounds. I caught him a couple of times with uppercuts. "Nice," I heard Alan say from the sidelines. For the longest time, I have been trying to figure out how to get in uppercuts on opponents. As short as I am, it's not easy. Carlos likes to do a lot of bobbing and weaving. One of the times he ducked down is when I got him with a left uppercut.

Alan told Carlos that he was ready for a match, and he told him about a Park District boxing show that takes place next Thursday. Carlos works various shifts at his job, but he thought he'd be able to attend. "I have to talk it over with my wife before I say yes," he announced. "She's afraid of you being hurt," I said, and he agreed. He also talked about the possibility of being in next year's Golden Gloves. Since he's had no previous fights, Carlos would be classified as a novice in that competition.

Carlos told me that his son Justin would like to box, but his wife nixed the idea. He'll put Justin in basketball instead, when the boy turns six years old. Moms either are for their kids boxing or against it. There seems to be no middle ground when it comes to that. The ones who are supportive of it appear to be really into it when they show up at the matches.

The following day, I was on my way to help Pastor and Virginia clean and move some things up to their new apartment when I spotted Barry in the alley. Barry was working; he's with Streets and Sanitation. He was chatting with a neighbor of mine who lives on the other side of the alley. For several years now, I've been exchanging pleasantries with that particular neighbor, but I never knew his name. After I greeted them both, Barry told the neighbor, "Hillari is one of the boxers at the gym."

My neighbor smiled and said, "I figured that she was." To my surprise, I found out that he's Gabe's dad. His name is David. "I was looking for Gabe this summer," I told him. Gabe was going to college out of state, but he would stop in the gym several times during the summers. "He's going to law school downtown now," David said. I've always thought that David was a good-looking silver fox. Now I see where Gabe gets his good looks from.

Chasing Katie

Katie and I sparred last night, and I had to resist the urge to chase her around the ring. Chasing someone is the quickest way to a) get tired, and b) to get caught by a punch. I lightly connected punches to her head a few times. "If you had punched harder, I would have been laid out on the canvas", she told me afterwards. I'm getting better at countering punches. Most times when Katie through her jab, I came right over it with a right.

I attempted to jam her up in the corners, but she was moving a lot. It was not easy trying to get body punches in. Katie's long arms were effective in keeping me at a distance most of the time. We went for a couple of rounds then quit.

Oscar, a guy who won the Golden Gloves in the 119 pound category ten years ago, came into the gym. He sparred with Sadiq. Sadiq is getting back to the quickness he had before when he was training at Loyola on a regular basis. Oscar took a lot of straight jabs and upper cuts. Those watching were surprised that he hung with Sadiq for four full rounds.

Walk-Overs, Trophies, and a Pro

Samantha didn't get to fight at the Golden Gloves last night. Her opponent pulled out of the tournament, claiming something was wrong with one of their knuckles. "We all know that's code for they didn't want to fight," she told me. Her dad and I agreed. That's so frustrating to train all that time, get up to the show, then the other person backs out. Samantha won the championship by walk-over.


From reading the posts on Twitter, the Golden Gloves publicist seems to have a bias against female boxers. The publicist, Trayce, is female, and a few times she posted "Yuck!" about the bouts. "The girls are 99% garbage. I lost my feminist membership a long time ago," she said in another post. It's bad enough when that stuff comes out of men. It just strengthens my resolve to promote and encourage women in boxing.


Somebody said Kelly Pavlik was in the building. I didn't believe it at first until JJ came running over to me with his cell phone. "I took a picture with him!" he said. I ran to the other side of the gym, and found Toby (Kevin). "Where's Kelly Pavlik?" I asked him. "He's right there," Toby answered. Pavlik was sitting down a few steps from Toby, signing an autograph for someone. I got a couple of shots of him. The first shot is Pavlik standing with the Loyola Gym boys. I don't know the name of the kid standing directly left of him, but in the foreground is Nate Jr., Toby and Diego. The second shot is of Pavlik standing with Andre (to the right) and another amateur boxer.







JJ got the trophy for being the best boxer at the Golden Gloves this year. The picture below is of myself and JJ, along with Coach Barry (on the left) and referee Gary Cruz (on the right).

Program Miscalculation

The Golden Gloves finals program had Zugic winning over JJ. JJ was on Zugic from the first bell. He hurt him badly a few times, knocking him into the ropes at one point. From the middle of the second round on, Zugic looked as if he wanted to be anywhere else but in that ring.

I heard Jerome's (JJ's conditioning coach) nephew yelling out instructions from the top balcony at St. Andrew's Gym last night. "Don't wait on him! Get his ass! He's hurt!" I could hear him yelling over everyone else in the place. Alan, Matthew, a friend of Matthew's, Jeannette, a friend of Alan's, and myself were sitting on the lower bleachers. JJ kept pressuring Zugic until there was no choice but to award JJ his third championship belt. JJ later told me that he is going to the National Golden Gloves to be held later this year in Utah.

George wasn't looking very pleased that Zugic lost. I didn't realize that Zugic was one of George's boys until I saw him in Zugic's corner last night. George left the apron before the decision was announced. JJ's belt was given to him by professional boxer Andrew Golota, one of many VIPs who were in the building yesterday.

A sales manager for the Chicago Cubs gave out another of the belts. The audience booed the guy at first. Then the announcer said, "Wait a minute, folks! We're on the north side! This guy works for the Cubs!" Then the cheers came. But I could still hear some boos. We were on the north side, but everybody in the building does not live on the north side.

Tiffany, the little boxer who made such a good showing the other week, easily picked up a championship belt.

There was another female bout, between two heavyweights. It was the last bout of the evening. The bigger of the two women kept holding the head of the smaller woman. It looked like one of those old playground fights where the bully is holding off the smaller kid. The bigger female boxer was booed at the end, but she won the championship.

"But, She'll Kick My. . . !"

Alan's suggestion to the women in the gym that they spar last night, didn't go over well. All of them begged off. Melanie wasn't going to, but then she asked me questions about about it. "Have you ever had a fight with anyone before?" I asked out of curiosity. "No, I've never been in a fight in my life," she said. "I was in a lot of fist fights when I was younger, so boxing was just a natural progression," I chuckled.

Later, I heard Alan asking her about sparring again, and she told him, "But, Hillari will kick my ass!" I promised Melanie that I would go easy on her, and I did. That's my rule: if I'm sparring with a woman, and I know she hasn't had much experience, I do not go hard. It's not fair to them. Guys, on the other hand, regardless of what experience they've had, I whale on them (smile).

Alan said he didn't mind that sparring went on while he was gone, but he didn't think that Mary would approve. As a rule, I won't let anyone spar while he's gone anymore, regardless of the fact that I'm now registered as a coach. Steve would only let people spar when he was out if Nate Sr. or Barry happened to be hanging around the gym that day.

I emailed Steve to tell him about getting my coach's license. I also updated him on what's been going on at Loyola Park since he's been gone. Steve has been following JJ and Edward's progress in the Golden Gloves.

Speaking of Barry and Nate Sr., both of them were in the gym when I got there last night. Barry had his little girl, Laila, with him. Finally solved the mystery of the digital scale being left out and unlocked. Barry wants to keep it ready to weigh the guys in who have tournament matches coming up. Edward was also getting in extra practice. His match at the Golden Gloves finals takes place on Saturday. He assured me that he was going to bring it when he steps into the ring. "I know that's right!" I told him. Edward is hungry, and he looked very good against his last opponent during the semi-finals.

Certified

I dragged myself out of bed at 5:00 AM yesterday in order to catch a Metra train to Harvey, IL. A coaches' clinic was held out at Harvey Boxing Club that morning. I had been expecting to have a hike to get to the gym once I got to Harvey, but it was practically around the corner. Carlos ran the clinic, which I found out normally runs for six hours. Mike Q. was there before it began to collect the applications and the fees.

Erin's uncle, John, was there to re-up his certification. "She can come to my garage and workout. I have it set up with boxing equipment," he said. I had seen Carlos before, and I'm acquainted with Mike Q., but other than John, I didn't recognize the other guys there. Carlos was a professional boxer, and now he's a professor. He was very clear, and made sure we received lot of valuable information. I took a lot of notes that I plan to review often. He gave us his business card at the end of the day in case we had any boxing questions in the future. I was the only woman in attendance.

The Harvey Boxing Club is a nice facility. I had heard about it many times. During a break, I peeked in on the kids training. There was one girl in the gym, and she looked like she was either 12 or 14 years of age. The girl looked very comfortable working out with the boys, which is always a good thing.

I got most of the questions on the test right, so now it's a waiting game to receive my license in the mail. "It depends on how fast Colorado (home of USA Boxing) will send the licenses out," Mike Q. told me. "Oh, I know. I waited awhile for my boxing license to come when I first signed up for one of those," I told him. The receipt I have should allow me to get into the Golden Gloves finals later this week with no problem. On the way home, I thought to myself, "About time." Ever since I was diagnosed two years ago with diabetes, I kept saying I was going to get a coach's license.

Today, after Easter church service, I told Pastor that I passed the Level 1 certification. "You got it? Great!" he said, and we gave each other a fist bump like Obama and Michelle. Two young men were standing nearby; I assume they were Pastor's relatives. He has several nephews. "She was an amateur boxer, and now she's a coach," he told them. The youngsters had a look on their face that seemed to say, "Girls and boxing don't compute." I smiled to myself.

A Kid's Request

I received an odd request from a little girl who was hanging around the gym on Monday night. She wanted to borrow a pair of boxing gloves. "I'll bring them back on Wednesday," she said. She claimed that she was visiting the city and would be going back to New York soon. "The gloves are Park District property, and can't be given out," I told her. I don't know what she planned to do with the gloves.

It appeared that half of the new people who began the Spring session last week did not return to the gym. That's not unusual. What was unusual that it was the first time in seven years that the adult boxing gym didn't at least have two or three guys competing at the Gloves this year. The gym is usually hopping with activity this time of year with guys preparing to go for the belts.

I was going to buy Golden Gloves tickets online, but I had a funny feeling. I didn't notice anything that assured me that the web site was secure. I'll just have to take my chances and show up early next week to see if any tickets for the final bouts are left.

There is actually a coach's certification clinc on Saturday. I'll have to get up early in the morning to catch a commuter train; the clinic is in Harvey, IL. I downloaded the latest copy of the rules and regulations (I had last year's copy at home) to make sure I was up on the new changes in the rules.

Peeps At The Gloves

For the first time since 2003, I had to pay to get into the Golden Gloves. But Friday night's card was worth the $15.00. I knew that Man-Man (Edward) was boxing, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that JJ had a fight also that night.

It was old home boxing week as I re-connected with a lot of the usual suspects. From officials like Gary, Alan and Shifty; Mike Q., the president of the local boxing council; Rita and Samantha, top female boxers; and coaches like George and Percy. Of course it was a pleasure to be around Mike W., JJ, Man-Man, Barry, Diego, Nate and Toby (Kevin).

I learned that there will be a coaches' clinic in Harvey, IL on April 11th. I'm going to try to make it, if only to find out what that all entails. I've been wanting a coach's license for a couple of years now.

JJ fought a nail-biter that fortunately went in his favor. He will face a guy in the finals with the last name of Zugic. JJ's fight was the last of the evening, and he and Zugic pulled their shirts off and mugged for the cameras afterwards. It was funny. Man-Man looked very confident against the guy he blew out of the water earlier in the evening.

Three fights stood out. One ended barely before it got going. One boxer knocked the other down -- twice -- before a minute has passed in the first round. In the second fight, the two guys went at it like gangbusters. Both guys had strong cheering sections, but of course, someone had to lose. When the decision came down, I thought one guy's camp was going to start throwing chairs because they were so ticked off. JJ knew the losing boxer, who told his side of the story. "The guy's hooks wasn't hurting me at all, and I was slipping most of his punches. But, fuck it. It happened," he said.

The third fight was the only female bout that took place that night. The woman who won was named Tiffany, and she was very good. She measured her punches and timed her opponent. The tournament's publicist commented that Tiffany fought like a man, and she did. I saw her walking around after the bout and complimented her on her skills.

Man-Man, JJ and Samantha are all in the finals, and I want to see their fights. I think it's Man-Man's first time at the Gloves, and so far, he's doing well. It would be extremely cool to see Samantha take a win. And if JJ wins, it'll be his third championship belt. Gio told JJ that he was going to have to work hard and train in Gio's way.

Earlier in the day, I ran into Deb, who was returning from a business trip. She's doing physical therapy because she hurt her elbow hitting the pads. I used to wonder how in the heck people could get hurt while training. Then I hurt my right hand and wrist from hitting the heavy bags a few years ago. People get sprains and even break bones during boxing training.

National Anthem Time Again

Tonight was the annual Loyola Park Boxing Show, and it felt a little different without Steve being around. Some of the old gang did show up: Pete, Otis, Eric, Mike, and JJ brought his Golden Gloves belt along. I sang the National Anthem for the sixth time at the event.

There were nine fights in total. Only two of the bouts featured boxers who were not from Loyola Park. The crowd was smaller this time. I'm guessing that was because the first of the Presidential debates between Obama and McCain were aired this evening. The matches were better entertainment than the usual political arguing. All of them went fast.

The fastest match was also one of the strangest. The boxer in the blue corner kept taking punches from the red corner boxer, and didn't return much fire. He was running from the guy several times. Near the end of one round, the blue corner boxer decided he had taken one hit too many, and he turned tail and ran -- straight out of the ring and out of the gym. The red corner boxer won by default.

JJ and Mike were honored for winning belts at the Golden Gloves, and the announcer also gave credit to Steve for leading them to their victories.

Several people asked me what was going on with the adult boxing program. I wish I could have given them a better answer. People want to come back. Even JJ said he missed the feel of Loyola Park. But things continue to be up in the air about whether it will re-open soon.

Possible New Recruit

Martha is a crossing guard that I see most weekday mornings on my way to the temporary custodian job at my church. She saw me with a Golden Gloves hoodie on, and inquired if I boxed. I told her that I go to Loyola Park, and she was interested. "I need to tone up," she told me. I gave her info about when the summer session will begin. "Don't sign for spring, because that session is almost over, and the Park District won't give you a discount because of that. You'll have to pay the full fee, then pay another full fee for summer," I told her.

Keith strolled in on Wednesday night, asking where Steve was. I know Steve told him he was going to resign. Perhaps Keith forgot. He hung around for awhile, then left. Deb, Carla, Paul and myself were the only ones in the gym until Jermaine came in later.

Earlier on Thursday, while riding the 'L home, I ran into Arin, who hasn't been in the gym in weeks. She said she would try to make it back in.

I think I'm going to suggest to Mary that the gym should be closed during that week in-between the spring and summer sessions. My goal is to keep characters from roaming in, looking for a free workout. Once June rolls in, activities in the fieldhouse increase, meaning more people hanging around. If no coach is hired by the time the summer session starts, then the week off would be a good time for me to come up with an interim lesson plan for the newcomers.

Learned that Brian hurt more than his thumb sparring the other week. Paul told me that Brian's hand had been broken in two places. I hope it heals up soon.

Wednesday After The Gloves

I saw Jim as I was walking up to the fieldhouse. It wasn't long before his usual complaints began. Steve interacted with him as little as possible. Jim seems to have a fixation with working on the punch mitts every time. Steve was tired, having worked with JJ on the mitts for most of the evening. Jim opted to spar instead, and he got in with Brian. I think he only did a couple of rounds before stepping out of the ring.

Earlier, Jim decided he should give Ben some jabbing lessons. Ben went along with him, but gave the impression that he probably could have done without Jim's intervention. "He's been here a year, and he should be farther along than he is," Jim told me off to the side. "Ben has been here for a few years," I informed Jim. That conversation quickly turned into Jim complaining about what Steve doesn't teach him. I was glad when the bell rang to start the round again.

John sparred with Brian, and started giving out early. "Don't focus on when the bell will ring. The round will end when it does. Hoping and waiting for it to end will just make the round longer," Steve advised John. That's true. How many times I had I been in sparring, wondering what happened to the sound of the bell? Once you start thinking like that in the middle of a round, you're no longer focused on the opponent in front of you.

Seems like quite a few people were roaming into the gym, including Montrell, the star of the youth boxing program. A woman who claimed to be sixty years old -- she didn't look older than late 40s -- came in with her 25 year old son, who said he was interested in boxing. The duo looked around a little, but didn't stay long.

None of the new people returned, and I was the only woman in the gym tonight. It was a little quiet in the gym, as it usually is behind the Golden Gloves. Steve added JJ and Mike's names as winners on the chalkboard in the gym for that purpose.

Two For The Books

No one was guarding the door when I arrived at the Golden Gloves this evening. That was unusual, considering this is the week of the finals. I waltzed in, not having to show my license or pay.

Mike and JJ were already in the bleachers, chillin' out, when I got there. Steve showed up a few minutes later. Several of Steve's and Mike's friends showed up to watch the festivities, which thankfully, started on time. Mary, Loyola Park's fieldhouse supervisor, was also in attendance. JJ's fight was number eight; Mike's fight was number 11. There were 15 fights in total.

JJ, as expected, was highlighted in the Golden Gloves finals' program as a boxer to watch. He had been featured once before a few years ago. His strengths (long reach, listens to his coach) were pointed out as well as his weaknesses. I wondered if his opponent would read about the weaknesses and keep them in mind.

The guy JJ fought must have taken lessons from George C., a former opponent of JJ's earlier in the Gloves. He kept grabbing and holding. Barry and Jerome were in JJ's corner, along with Steve, while I stood in some bleachers closer to the ring to take pictures. I saw where JJ tried to get in some uppercuts, but they weren't fully formed. His opponent seemed to shy away from JJ in the second round, and he stayed near the ropes. Not a good idea. The guy was leaning over, away from JJ, and did not cover himself well. JJ tested him out with several jabs, then socked him with a right. The opponent thudded to the canvas. The referee stepped in and waved his arms over the fallen boxer. It was over.

Steve was so happy, that he hoisted JJ up in the air. Jerome was outside of the ring, hopping up and down, while Barry was grinning from ear to ear. I was in the bleachers, yelling "That's right, baby! That's how you do it!" while the people closest to me looked at me like I was crazy. I ran down to the ring. A litle kid came up to JJ when he came out of the ring and asked for his autograph. JJ obliged him.

A few fights later, it was Mike's turn. I was standing near while Nick, the coach of Mike's opponent, warmed his guy up. The guy looked rugged to me. "Mike's gonna have to work with this one," I thought to myself. JJ helped Steve in the corner with Mike, and I sat in an empty seat on the front row to position myself to take photos.

There was a lot of pushing and shoving, especially on the part of Mike's opponent. The referee warned the both of them about this. The opponent was also told about holding Mike so much. Finally, I heard the ref tell the opponent, "If I have to warn you one more time, you'll lose a point!" Not long after he said that, the opponent started up again, and a point was removed. Mike worked his jab to good advantage a few times, and caught the guy up in the corner a few more. At the end of it all, Mike was awarded the win.

"This is one for the books," I told Steve afterwards. "You can put this on your resume under accomplishments." He laughed. It was an excellent night for Loyola Park Boxing Club.