Boxing and A World-Wide Health Issue

The Chicago Park District has been closed since late March. The latest news is that the place will be closed until the end of this month. The spring session was canceled entirely. There are plans to have a shortened summer session, including the summer camp. I don't see how that's going to happen in light of social distancing rules. Regardless of what happens, it's unlikely that I will be allowed to continue there.

Steve, my supervisor, and everybody else noticed me using a cane for a little over three years and seemingly had no problem.  All of a sudden, me being on a cane became an issue. Way back in February of this year, I was ordered to see the company doctor. The doctor released me to go back to work on light duty. Human Resources refused to listen to the doctor's advice nor make an effort to place me elsewhere in the organization.  I've been in limbo ever since the last of my PTO (paid time off) ran out in March.

Not long afterward, COVID-19 rolled through and put everyone's plans on ice.

The boxing world is shut down. Oh, there's a lot of talk about staging pro fights without audiences to cut down on the spread of COVID-19, but in general, the sport is down for the count. The Chicago Golden Gloves were canceled. There's talk of rescheduling that for later this summer, but I have my doubts that will happen this year. However, the way things were going at LaFollette Park during the winter session, I probably would have come up empty-handed again when it came to having participants in the Gloves.

During my self-quarantine, I've been watching a lot of boxing videos online. One of my favorites is The Fight with Teddy Atlas, where the boxing analyst gives his thoughts on the sport. Just today, I saw a video by Shane Fazen where he offers a video sparring session to keep boxers on their game. It appears that the Chicago Park District has given up on me; however, my love of boxing remains. I need to figure out what to do with that love now.

Looking At The Front Door

I was low sick all this past weekend, and I was not 100% today.  I have no doubt that I caught something from one of the kids in the gym although I don't know which one.  Every time an adult catches something from a kid, like me for example, the adult is affected ten times worse.

I put in a phone message to Mike O'Hara as suggested by Riccardo, a former coach who has been coming around lately to LaFollette Park.  Mike is involved in boxing and is looking for a place where he can bring some people who want to train.  Riccardo would like to help build up the boxing program.  But I often wonder if it is a case of too little, too late for LaFollette Park.

The last time Riccardo came in, Keon and Keith were in the gym.  Whenever those two thought I wasn't paying attention, the usual slacking off would start.  Riccardo noticed that, too.  "Those who don't want to train need to be told to go in the corner while you work with the ones who are serious about this," Riccardo told me. Good advice, but easier said than done.  I seldom have serious contenders on the attendance list, but plenty of those who not only waste my time but don't even finish out the ten-week sessions.  Depending on my level of irritation and who is causing that, there are days where I don't give out much in terms of instruction. 

Like an old rap song said, "I'm looking at the front door."  Seriously.  All the effort I've put into trying to make that boxing program work has come to naught.  I appreciate Riccardo wanting to help out.  However, any revival of the current situation has to attract willing participants who will stick with the class in the long run.  Unfortunately, serious people do NOT register for the boxing classes. 

I keep hearing that the former boxing coach at LaFollette was a guy named Pat LaCassa.  I understand that LaCassa was a former boxer and went on to train some good amateur and professional boxers.  I would sure love to talk to him to learn if he faced the same challenges I've always had to deal with in the gym. 

Pizza and Punches At Loyola Park

Caiden, his little brother, his mom, and his aunt beat me down to Loyola Park's boxing show today.  There was a good turnout, especially among the fighters.  I arrived just as pizza from JB Alberto's was delivered for the coaches and officials.

Mary, who is now retired from her position as supervisor of that park, came out to see the show.  It was very good to see both her and Carolyn, an attendant at the park.  "I miss seeing you," Carolyn told me.  I realized that I miss going there on a regular basis.  I also saw Manny, who tried to get a fight but couldn't find a matchup.  Sebastian, Kevin, and Shelia were in attendance, too. 

Ten fights were presented.  Caiden's fight was the sixth of the evening.  The boy he fought was from Humboldt Park.  They were close in weight and it was the first fight for both.  Caiden was doing okay.  I kept yelling for Caiden to keep his eyes on the other person, to stop pawing, and to throw straight punches and strong hooks.  Caiden fell once, but Shifty the referee pronounced the fall to be a slip.  The other boy won because Caiden was gassed out.  We'll have to work on that back at LaFollette Park.

I'm waiting for Ivan, who backed out of going to Loyola Park, to say anything out-of-turn the next time I see him.  At least Caiden made the effort. 

A Boxing Program That Lacks Much

My supervisor recently told me that he won't buy extra equipment for the boxing gym.  Low attendance numbers are the reason.  There are many reasons for that.

1) The neighborhood.  I grew up in Austin.  Haven't lived over there since 1977, but trust me, not much has changed.  Not many want to hang around LaFollette Park after certain times of the day.  Please, most of the staff members don't want to be up there after dark.

2) Lack of awareness of the program.  The Chicago Park District heavily promotes the football, basketball, baseball and swimming programs.  Boxing doesn't get mentioned much.  Even floor hockey gets more press.  There are many people who are not aware that there is a boxing program within the park district.  There's only so much promotion I can do based on the limited resources and time I have.

3)  Lack of interest in the program.  The team sports provide a social aspect, particularly where the youths are concerned, that boxing as an individual sport does not.  Boxing has fallen out of favor over the years in general.  Most under 40 years of age find the sport too slow.  They prefer to watch MMA.  There are plenty of professional wrestling fans under the age of twenty, and boxing doesn't often enough flash for them.

4)  Equipment issues.  Juan's father, Pedro, was constantly grumbling about the lack of equipment at LaFollette Park's boxing gym.  Some of the people who have come through the gym were splitting their time between a private gym and LaFollette.  Private gyms are charging money to everybody and charging more frequently than the park district.  They can afford to upgrade when necessary.  Pedro voiced his opinion, but I'm sure others have thought the same way and changed their minds about registering for the program when they saw what wasn't available.

5)  Time issues.  The park district gyms are only open on average three to four hours a day.  Most of the gyms are open five days a week, but some are only open for two or three days.  People complain, and mostly the grumbling is coming from those who have trained in private gyms where the hours are longer.  People who are looking to be professional boxers complain about the time schedules, too.  But the boxing program is mainly an after-school program and that's it.

6)  Lack of support for the program within and without.  Other boxing coaches have complained about supervisors not caring about their programs.  It is known that some supervisors like some programs in their field house better than others.  I know from dealing with some of the youths' parents there is often little to zero interest in helping me make the program successful for the youths involved. 

Some parts of these issues can be fixed, but a lot of it can't and won't.  Until everything can be solved in a satisfactory manner, the attendance numbers are going to continue to sink. 

Summer Continues To Stumble Along

As summer stumbles along, situations in LaFollette Park's boxing gym remain the same.  Jaylen and Damaris appear, for all intents and purposes, to have dropped out of the class.  Damaris' attendance has been spotty since the season began.  Jaylen's attitude wasn't right the last time I saw him, and I had a feeling I wouldn't see him anymore.  Their parents have not contacted me to explain the absences.  The youth class has been empty.

As for the teens - Darnell straight up told me he does not want to compete.  Darnell's parents are more interested in their son getting in shape.  I have been having Darnell do combinations on the punch mitts.  I plan to do that with the participants from here on in because I hadn't been teaching combinations as much as I should have.  Juan wants to fight and he splits his time between LaFollette and a private gym.  Juan is advanced in terms of his skills, so I don't have to constantly watch him.  Sahia gives Juan a lot of drills outside of the ones I have posted on the bulletin board. 

I'm not much in the mood to attend boxing shows this year, but I will have to make some effort for Juan as well as for some of those who sign up for the fall session who may want to compete.  I skipped Seward Park's show.  Jaylen was supposed to attend that but didn't show up regularly to train for it.  Sahia has suggested that Juan should attend as many of the boxing shows as possible.  However, I'm probably going to skip Sheridan Park's show, too.  Sahia has generously offered to go to some of the boxing shows in my place with the youths who want to attend.  I plan to take her up on that. 

The Difference Between Night and Day In The Gym

Juan and Darnell, two teens in the boxing class, are different as day and night.  Darnell doesn't have an interest in competing.  His relatives are more interested in Darnell becoming fit and knowing how to defend himself.  So far, I'm constantly pointing out that Darnell needs to pay attention in class.  Also, Darnell can't do simple exercises properly, which is mainly the fault of the school system which does not provide good physical education classes these days.

Juan has had four fights, and he splits his training time between a private gym and the Chicago Park District.  His parents are very supportive of their son being in the sport, more than most of the parents that come through LaFollette Park.  From what I've seen of him so far, Juan is a decent fighter and he believes in working hard.  Juan also acts respectively towards adults.

Respect is something that has been lacking where Damaris and Jaylen are concerned.  Neither one of them has been in the gym this week.  Damaris is averaging once a week as far as her attendance is concerned.  She is still showing her disinterest in the sport and lack of motivation.  It was brought to my attention that she cursed at her mother recently.  I have witnessed Damaris smarting off to her mother in the past.  However, I never realized she was going that far with her disrespect.

I never get a notification when Jaylen isn't there at all nor acceptable excuses upon his return. Jaylen continually shows up late, often as much as twenty minutes some days.    Then several more minutes are wasted waiting on Jaylen to put on hand wraps and change his clothes and shoes.  Jaylen moves like molasses and gets an attitude when I expect quickness.  I've grown tired of the "I forgot" excuses used about things Jaylen has done numerous times before.  If I and Sahia don't stand over Jaylen, not much gets done.

I want to take Juan to the boxing shows that are scheduled in August.  Damaris' poor attitude disqualified her from participating in the shows some time ago.  I was going to take Jaylen to Seward Park next week, but that's now a no-go. 

A Cool Night For Boxing

Finally, after two years of being rained out, there was another boxing show at LaFollette Park.  The skies were overcast in the morning, but as the afternoon went on, the sun broke through and the threat of rain went away.  Only five other parks were involved in the show: Franklin Park, Portage Park, Garfield Park, Hamlin Park, and Loyola Park.  Barry, the youth coach at Loyola Park, told me it was his first time at LaFollette.  "This is a nice big gym over here!" he smiled.  "This place is at least twice the size of Loyola's gym," Alan, who runs the adult class at Loyola, said. 

There was no fight available for Jaylen, the only kid from LaFollette who was available to participate in the show.  There were other eleven-year-olds on the premises, but Jaylen was bigger than the other kids. 

Before the show, Sahia was telling the Portage Park coach that she wanted to get back into boxing.  The challenge was going to be finding people her age to have fights with.  I understood that completely as it was always hard for me to get fights while I was competing for the same reason. 

Only eight fights took place.  The first fight was an exhibition match.  I helped judge the fights.  I had a hoodie on, and I shivered a little as the cool breeze was not summer-like at all. 

Gabe and his brother Sebastian, who I hadn't seen in a long time were there.  Gabe did get a fight against a guy from Hamlin.  Gabe lost, unfortunately.  The guy he fought kept jamming Gabe up against the ropes. 

All in all, it was a good day for fighting.  I told Jaylen that the next show we'll go to is the one at Garfield Park.  Hopefully, there will be an even bigger crowd of fighters who will show up there so Jaylen may have a better chance of getting a fight. 

Recess Vs. Exercise

A couple of new kids in the class, Cristal and Leslie (their brother, Armani, was not in attendance), weren't doing the floor exercises they should have been during the end of the class yesterday.  The girls didn't make much of an attempt to figure out what to do nor to ask Sahia or myself, so I was vexed.  I barely held back being irritated when I asked them what do they do in their physical education class at school.  "We just play," Cristal said. 

That's not a gym class, it's recess.  Over the past several months, I've had to deal with youths, particularly those in grade school, who are not being taught basic exercises nor other sports for that matter during the school day.  Some don't have physical education classes at school at all.  One of the main reason many of the youths don't stay in boxing is that it requires a lot of exercise in order to keep up.  The fact that physical education in grade school and some high schools as well does not appear to be a priority anymore makes it difficult for me to run an effective boxing program.

I wonder why it appears that most parents and guardians don't demand that physical education classes not be watered down or eliminated for their kids.  Some of those same parents complain to me their kids are playing too many video games and watching too much TV.  Yet it seldom occurs to them that limiting the youths' time with video games and TV, in addition to making them move around more, would go a long way in improving the youths' physical health.  Doing housework is a form of exercise, but from what I hear and observe, youths don't do much of that at home these days.

Cristal, Leslie, Armani, David, and Henry are the only ones showing up to the youth class right now.  Of those five, the most serious about doing well in boxing is Henry.  The teens are long gone, and the one adult who takes the class hasn't been in since right before Chicago experienced a couple of dangerously cold days last week.  I wasn't in for a few days last week myself.  I took a fall on the street right before the weather changed. 

Plus, my car is gone.  It had become too expensive to keep up on the salary I receive.  The last straw was a hit-and-run accident I experienced on my way to work.  I sold the car for parts.  Sahia commented yesterday that I looked tired.  "Maybe that's because it now takes me three trains and a bus to get here," I dryly replied.  A co-worker asked if I was using Uber to get to work.  Well, if I had money for that, I would probably also have money to buy another car. 

"Are you going to move closer to here?" was the co-worker's next question.  I don't have money to just pick and move, either, or else I would have been living somewhere less expensive by now.  But the west side is not an option.  "I grew up over here, and that was enough.  When I left years ago, I didn't look back," I told the co-worker.  Unlike too many in the 'hood, I recognized it was a good idea to expand my thought processes beyond the 12-to-14 block area I used to reside in not far from LaFollette Park.  I'm not going to regress.  My attitude with kids who come to the gym and don't want to work, or who don't come to the gym at all is colder than the temperatures outside were last week.  My patience with parents and guardians who expect miracles but don't want to work with me nor the program to help their youths be successful has evaporated.  Major changes need to be made, but the culture of the neighborhood is not going to lend itself to making changes. 

The Issue of Having a Raggedy Gym

My supervisor recently told me that the company installing new windows at LaFollette Park had the time to complete their work extended to the end of the year.  The original date of completion should have been the first of November. 

The gym looks like a bomb went off inside.  Not only have I continued to find the main door to the gym standing open every day, but the supply room has been left open a few times, too.  Some equipment is missing, most notably one of the jump ropes, and all of the green hand wraps except for one.  The installation company keeps tampering with the equipment and moving it around unnecessarily.  Of course, with the door being open all day, there's the constant problem of kids and adults playing around on the equipment. The floor is badly scraped up, plaster keeps falling from the ceiling, and the walls have huge patches where the paint has worn away.  The women's washroom is not in use at the moment.  Several cans, usually full of debris, sit outside of the men's washroom. 

The installation company never cleans up afterward.  On top of that, the attendants at the field house don't always get around to cleaning the gym.  Yesterday, Walz asked me if a group of teen girls could possibly use a corner of the gym to practice their dance routine.  "Yeah, that is if they don't mind all the dirt and dust floating around in here," I replied. 

Now that November has arrived again, the gym is mostly empty.  Lael has gone back to only putting in two to three days a week.  Even Henry and David have been missing days for one reason or another.  Two new kids in the program -- George and DeMarius -- have already established that they can't train every day.  George plays football.  DeMarius lives far out in the suburbs and can't always make it in.  Sahia, the volunteer, is still out due to situations that she needs to handle.  Once the holiday season starts, most people disappear anyway, but the installation going on has hastened the exit of most.

The supervisor also told me the gym will have to be painted again.  The window installers should do that since the damage in the gym was caused by them.  But they got off the hook for that so the park district painters will be doing the job.  The work order won't go in until early next year,  and exactly when the work will happen is a mystery.  I remember the last time the gym was painted, the job took two months to finish.  All that time the gym was shut down.  I expect the same thing will happen next year. 

Situations just keep going from bad to worse at the gym.  I can't wait for this fall session to end.

Second Year Cancellation

As soon as I drove up to the field house, Steve was outside telling me my boxing show scheduled for today was canceled.  I knew that already, considering it had rained all day long. This is the second year in a row that LaFollette Park's boxing show has been canceled due to the weather.

 The youths were told yesterday to show up to the gym even if the boxing show was canceled because we would just have regular training as usual.  No one bothered to show up.  I woke up this morning with a headache and the fact that I had to sit in an empty gym for several hours did not make it better. Neither did finding a sign torn down from my office/equipment room door.  The sign was another reminder to both outside maintenance crews and on-site attendants to lock the door afterward if they have to be in there for any reason.  I found that door open again sometime last week.  My sign was crumpled up and laid in a spot where I wouldn't miss seeing it.  I put up another sign.  If that one goes missing, I'm going to use Super Glue to post the next sign up.

Lee, who I hadn't seen in a couple of years, came by the gym.  I used to let him and Mike -- the late Johnny Heard's son -- use the gym to get work in.  Lee told me he now has a professional boxer's license.  He's planning on getting a fight in August.  I would love to have more professional boxers visit the gym.  Perhaps it would motivate some of the youths to straighten up and take the sport seriously.

Summer Ain't Shaping Up Too Well

For the first time in a while, the gym was completely empty this past Saturday.  I wasn't happy.  A few days before, I made courtesy calls to remind people that the summer session this week.  The majority of those registered for summer were in the spring session.  However, a lot of them did not complete the spring session.  Of those I called, I only got a hold of a couple of the parents.  At this point, I'm doubting that most will show up for the first day of class.  I do know I'm not going to keep making courtesy calls.

Humboldt Park's boxing show is coming up this week.  Kayla and Anayah are ready for it.  Sahia thinks Damaris has shown improvement.  But Damaris' continual lack of focus and motivation as well as the girl's disrespectful attitude irritates me.  Unfortunately, youths who operate on that level often learn the hard way -- during a match -- that more work should have done in the gym.  Damaris may learn that lesson if she gets a fight at Humboldt Park.

It is still officially late spring, but the weather has been fickle.  Humboldt Park has the option of presenting their boxing show on the inside.  LaFollette does not, and my show was rained out last year.  If that happens again this year, it'll be another setback for a boxing program that already contends with low support and visibility.

Already Kicked Out Of Class

Most everything I needed to get done in the boxing gym at LaFollette Park is done.  This week will be quiet until the winter session begins next week. 

I've already written the withdrawal letter to send to Jahnaja's mother.  I spoke to her mother in mid-December.  "She's busy with stuff because she'll be graduating from high school next year," her mother told me.  I was also told that Jahnaja would call me to confirm whether or not she'll be attending the boxing class.  This is the third time she's signed up for it and not completed it.  She didn't even bother to show up at all the last time she registered.  The new attendance policy states that people can't miss two weeks of class without an explanation.  But based on Jahnaja's track record, I don't have the patience to wait and see what she's going to do.  As far as I'm concerned, she's already kicked out of the teen class.  If she doesn't show up the first day, the letter will be dropped in the mail.  I'm done dealing with no-shows to the class.

My patience has also been low with parents and guardians who won't get it in gear to sign their kids up.  I've told Malik a few times that he needs to send his grandfather in to re-register him for the teen class.  I've left voice messages for his grandfather.  Malik's name has not shown up on the attendance roster yet.  Chasing people to re-sign up for the class is something I seldom did in the past.  This is the year that I stop doing that completely.  I'm also done with frustrating myself about other people's lack of motivation and being proactive.  I'm not interested in excuses as to why people don't do what they need to do at this moment.  

When I last checked the class registrations, numbers of the youth and teen classes were low.  No one has signed up for the adult class at all.  So much for a rush of people signing up as part of New Year's resolutions.  

Looks like I can forget about having anyone in the Chicago Golden Gloves this year.  Mikaela and Noel want to get more park district fights.  Other than the City-Wide Tournament which doesn't take place until early spring, there won't be any other park district fights until late June.  I'm not going to encourage any of the new teens who have signed up for the winter class to compete in the Golden Gloves because they won't have enough time to train for it.  Anyone planning to participate in that should have been training at least three months in advance of the registration dates which are in mid-February.  I've heard people grumbling that the park district bouts are little more than glorified sparring sessions.  But that is not the case at the Golden Gloves where people fight as if their lives depended on it.  

I don't know if I mentioned that two staff members are gone.  Both Leonard and Pam were transferred to other field houses late in December.  I miss them.  Their departures did little to cut down on the constant gossip and backbiting, unfortunately, something both Leonard and I were always irritated about.   At least I can hide down in the gym and have some peace from the whispers as most of the staff seldom come downstairs.  

Outside at Loyola Park

For the first time in 20 years, the Loyola Park boxing show was held on the outside.  A ring was set up on a basketball court in the park.  In the photo above, Mikaela holds the pads for her brother Noel before his fight.  Noel's fight was number two on the list.

I didn't sing the National Anthem, but Xavier, who had sung it there in the past, did a great job.  Tonight was the first time I heard him sing. 

The kid Noel fought was from Loyola Park, had two prior fights, and was built a little bigger.  Mikaela correctly pointed out that the other kid kept going for a knockout.  At the end of the second round, I told Noel to watch out for the wild punches that were being thrown at him.  Noel did get in a few good head shots.  The other kid kept pinning him up against the ropes and in the corners.

Noel did not win, but as usual, I was happy that one of my fighters was able to get a match.  A few people told me that they believed Noel had great form.  They figured that if he had pressed the other guy a little more, Noel might have won.

Most of the other fights were brawls.  John used his long reach to great advantage to get a win over Connor (not the same Connor who trains at Loyola), who did a back flip in the ring before the outcome was announced.  William, the polite home schooled teen who now goes to a brick-and-mortar high school, broke off his opponent with precision.  He deserved the "Best Fighter" award he received at the end of the night.  Reif and Ben faced each other during the last -- and most excellent -- fight of the evening. Reif got the winner's trophy, but the both of them were working their game well.

Shamar, a staff member at Loyola, was the announcer for the evening, and he kept the crowd laughing.  Barry was calling out punch combination numbers during one match.  Shamar said, "I heard what is the square root of four!  The coaches are teaching math in the corners!"  It was a fun evening. 

Rainout

I knew something was wrong when I drove up to the field house and there was no sign of a boxing ring being set up outside.  When I came inside, my boss told me, "The boxing show has been canceled."  The reason was that of an impending rainstorm.  I began to feel a headache coming on.

Barry called; he was as disappointed as I was that the LaFollette boxing show would not be happening.  In addition to kids from his youth class, he was going to help with the guys from Alan's class who wanted to fight as Alan wasn't able to come to the show.

Of course, Thomas' (the head of the park district boxing program) announcement that the fight wasn't going to happen didn't reach everybody.  His announcements never do.  Everyone is not a fan of checking emails.  I was on my way to work when the email was sent.  People from Portage Park showed up, and so did Marty from Simons Park.  I sent the kids of my gym -- Jamire, Iz, Abraham, and Ariel -- home since class had not been scheduled to take place today.

About the only good thing that happened was that I signed up a couple of teens for the class, Noel and Mikkala.  I also some other people including Miguel, who has been helping Johnny out over at Humboldt Park.

It would have been my third show since I've been a paid coach; now I have to wait until next year.  Park district boxing shows are not re-scheduled if they are canceled.

One Out Of Four

Iz appears to be the only one who is going to compete in tomorrow's boxing show at LaFollette Park.  Abraham hurt his foot yesterday, Jamire doesn't want a match, and David continues to be MIA.

Two new kids, Maurice and Uriah, were signed up today by their mom.  They won't be in class until after the Fourth of July.  Their mother is also interested in taking the class, but she'll have to wait until September.  That's when the adult boxing class will (hopefully) be back on the schedule.

I finally had to get on Jamire today about being lazy and talking too much.  His grandmother backed me up when I told him about the importance of doing all of the workout and being focused.  I didn't yell or scream, but I was firm.  He sparred with Iz who took it easy on him today.

The bulletin board closest to the gym entrance had been tampered with.  I know it was the summer camp kids.  I didn't bother bringing it up to Tina, the camp coordinator since things are still frosty between the two of us.  It's not that she nor the camp counselors would have done much to stop it, just like they haven't been doing for the past couple of summers I've been working there.  I just reinforced the damaged areas with tape and hoped that I don't find the board jacked up again.

Meanwhile At Mandrake

There was a coaches' meeting held at Mandrake.  Basically, it was for the purposes of picking up this year's T-shirts for the boxing participants, hoodies to award to the most improved boxer in our gyms, and fliers and signs advertising the boxing shows.

When I arrived, Jeff, the coach at Taylor Park, hugged me and said, "The champ is here!"  I had hobbled there on my cane, having taken public transportation to get to the meeting.  Thank God Alan was there because I couldn't have carried a box of T-shirts back on the train.  He'll keep them in his car until I can pick them up from him next week.

Thomas asked me why were the summer camp kids allowed to be in the gym at LaFollette when I'm not there.  I had mentioned to him my concerns about the gym equipment and bulletin boards being tampered with as well as food being dropped on the floor.  Summer camp begins next week.  I learned that kids should not be in any park district boxing gym if the coach is not present.  The idea is to prevent accidents from happening due to kids playing around on the equipment.  I emailed my boss and cc'd the summer camp coordinator with the information I received from Thomas as soon as I arrived home.  I'm certain I will get push back from the summer camp counselor as the kids' presence in the gym has been a touchy spot between her and me for the past two summers.  However, I have to follow the rules of the program I'm working under, and the camp counselor will have to respect that rule.

A More Than Full House

I walked into the Loyola Park field house to find about 25 people lining the hallway for boxing class.  Today was the beginning of the summer session there; LaFollette Park's summer session began a week ago.  "Woo!  There are a lot of people here today!" I said as I walked down the hall.  Several of the new people smiled.

I didn't do much of a workout because I was very stiff.  Most times I can work the stiffness out, but it wasn't happening.  Besides, it was very packed in that small gym, so I thought it would be better to help both Alan and Paul get the new people situated.

William told me that he was going to public school for the first time in the fall.  "I've been homeschooled all of my life," he said.  I know a few kids who are being homeschooled, but I have not come across many teens who have been.  I hope the transition is not too difficult for him, especially since William will be starting high school.

As Alan drove me home later, I told him, "I like my job at LaFollette Park, but I don't dig the office politics and gossip."  After having been caught running my mouth about things I didn't have the facts straight about early on in my working life, I learned to stay above and out of office gossip culture as much as possible.  However, the run-in I had with Tina at LaFollette Park a week ago also proves that despite one not buying into the gossip game, there are others who will not only take the ball but keep running with it while refusing to recognize the path is heading into the wrong goalpost.  We can't really change what people want to believe about us.  But dealing with pettiness and foolishness caused by those beliefs is a pain in my backside.

Musical Chairs In The Gym

Jamire, one of the new kids in the boxing program, showed up yesterday with his grandmother.  Jamire appears to be a nice kid, but his grandmother was accurate in her assessment of her grandson being lazy.  She told me of her concern about her grandson always sitting and playing video games and generally not being active.

It wasn't long before Jamire was complaining about being tired and the workout being hard.  After just about every round the boy was sitting down, then taking too long to get up when the bell timer went off again.  His grandmother noticed it first, and she got on him about it.  It was as if Jamire was playing musical chairs. I gave him, as well as Abraham and Iz who came in later, a bit of a pass because it was hot in the gym.  The built in the fans in the gym were only pushing air around; that's all the fans ever do.  But I told Jamire that I don't allow people to sit for long periods of time.  "If you want to win fights, you'll do the workout," I said.  Before I went home yesterday, I left a chair out for his grandmother to sit in, but I put the other chair, which I normally use, away.  I can stand up, and Abraham, Iz and David seldom sit down when they are there.  Jamire is not going to keep sitting down when he's there.

Abraham and Iz sparred, and Jamire wanted to get in on it.  But he has to learn the punches first.  I no longer teach all of the punches in one class because that was not an effective way to do that.  I was doing that in the past because most kids who signed up before class began were not showing up until a week or two later.  I wanted to get them up to speed quickly.  Others were not signing up until after the class had been going on for three weeks or more.  But I'm not making that my problem anymore.  Regardless of when anyone signs up, that first week is reserved for teaching the punches and going over basic footwork.  No one new will be allowed to spar until the second week they are in class.

Of the four new kids whom I called the other day to remind them that class had begun for the summer, Jamire was the only one who came in.  I'm not making any more phone calls.  If the others don't show up after a few days, I'll have to assume there's no interest in the class on their part and just keep it moving.

I'm not one for roaming around the LaFollette Park field house.  I'm supposed to be in the gym the majority of the time I'm at work so that's where I stay.  I didn't see Tina, whom I had a run-in with the other day.  Her car was in the parking lot, so I knew she was there. I'm still deciding how to respond to her.  I pride myself for having not escalated the situation.  I have a volcanic temper, so trust me when I say that was a credit to me when I decided not to blow up on her.  Perhaps I am becoming a little mellow in my old age.  I'm thinking I should go with the "kill them with kindness" route and at least acknowledge that she exists when I see her.

But I'm also leaning heavily towards giving her a piece of professional advice -- that is if she wants to listen.  I was a few years younger than her  (Tina is in her late 20s) when I got caught up in the gossip culture at the place where I was working.  I foolishly repeated something that someone else had said about a co-worker, just like Tina did to me.  I caught hell for it from the target of the gossip and rightfully so.  I learned a lesson the hard way that day.  Tina needs to learn that before she repeats and/or acts on some wayward information again.  The next time she does that, no matter whether it's at the Chicago Park District or at another job down the line, it may cost her something in terms of her job or career.  She can't afford that, and to be honest, neither can anyone else in any workplace.

Two Lessons Not Often Taught

Recently, I learned of an incident that took place a couple of months ago at the Chicago City-Wide Boxing Tournament, which is run by the park district.  One of the kids lost a fight.  When the second place trophy was handed to them, the kid threw the trophy down in anger.  "I don't want that!" they yelled before stomping away.  An attempt was made to give the trophy to the kid's coach.  The coach had an even worse attitude about their kid's loss.  They didn't want the trophy either.

Since I had no one in that tournament, I did not attend this year.  After hearing what happened, I'm glad that I wasn't because I would have had to say something to that kid and their coach about their behavior.  I don't tolerate that type of stuff at my gym nor at boxing shows and tournaments from my fighters.  No coach should be condoning behavior like that from their fighters.

Just last year, I was at a boxing show where several young men from one gym kept grumbling about being "robbed" and being "cheated" after most of them had lost their bouts.  At the end of the evening, the young men were still grumbling on their way out of the field house.  I had enough of their comments and was about to put them in check, but two other coaches beat me to it.  Their admonishing had no effect on the young men, who choose not to listen to reason.

The year before, I had to deal with someone in my gym who completely lost it when their fight was stopped during another boxing show. The referee, myself and the head of the city's boxing program all caught the brunt of that person's anger.  As a result, that person was banned from LaFollette's boxing program.

It doesn't appear that two important lessons are being taught to young people these days.  The first lesson is life is not fair.  The second lesson is everyone is not going to get what they want every time.  Those lessons should be started early and reinforced often.

Imagined Offence Syndrome

All I said was, "I need to use the computer."  That request prompted Tina, the gymnastics and modern dance instructor (in addition to being the summer camp coordinator) to snap on me today.

Today was the first day of the summer session at LaFollette.  I needed to check the computer to see if any other kids had signed up for boxing.  Without any emotion in my voice, I made my request to Tina and her little daughter, who were eating at the desk where the staff computer sits.  I was patient and quiet as they moved.  The next second, Tina snaps, "Hillari, I know you hate kids, but you did not have to be rude.  I don't do you like that!"

Let me back up a couple of years.  Gossip was spread by another staff person based on their observance of my no-nonsense, old school ways of dealing with unruly kids at the field house that I "hate" kids.  If I was that intolerant of kids, I sure as hell would NOT be working for the Chicago Park District.  However, the gossip has continued to spread. I know she made that statement based on what she heard two years ago, as opposed to asking me directly for correct news reports.  "I didn't think I was being rude, but I apologize if you thought that," I replied.  Tina wouldn't let well enough alone as she kept grumbling about my alleged rudeness as she and her kid left the room.

I followed her out to the front desk.  "Excuse me, but the fact that someone does not have kids is not an indicator of how they feel about them," I stated.  She dismissed me and kept walking.  "Whatever," I said dryly, and I went back to doing what I get paid to do.   Sometimes, one has to allow people to stew in their own excrement.

Abraham and Iz came in, but no sign of David.  For the running portion of the class, I had them run on the track that is up above the swimming pool.  We did the punch mitts when we returned to the boxing gym.  I'm very glad I thought to ask both boys what they felt they needed help doing.  Abraham told me he wanted to work on his left uppercut so we did.  He's getting better at lifting his foot up slightly to give a little more power to that punch.  Iz wanted to work on his hooks.  Iz's left hooks snapped nicely into the punch mitts.

The other four kids in the class -- all new kids -- didn't show so I called their homes.  A couple of the parents/guardians straight up forgot that the class began today.  "Don't worry," I assured them, "they didn't miss anything."  I just continued the normal routine with the ones who were there.  The new kids may have a chance to compete in this month's boxing show, but a lot depends on if they attend class regularly between now and then.