Coaches' Public Service Annoucement

A PSA for parents who have kids enrolled in boxing classes:

I, nor any other coach is there to coddle them. That's what daycare and nurseries are for. That's what Miss Crabtree, or Mr. Jones, or whatever the names of your kids' grade and high school teachers are, may be doing. 

I'm not there to teach your kid how to beat up some other kid in school or in the neighborhood who is picking on them. I am aware that most schools have zero tolerance for violence policies, and I and not going to contribute to violating those policies. Teach them how to hand out those types of beat downs at home, like my mother taught me at home, if you want the kids to be able to defend themselves. Boxing is a sport, and I'm preparing your kid for competitions, not for scraps out on these streets.

I'm not paid to babysit, and I seldom do that in my personal life, so don't use my gym as a spot to push the kids off on me because y'all don't want to be bothered with them.  I might get personal and ask why y'all wanted to have kids in the first place.  

If a kid is being disruptive and disrespectful, I will turn into my mother on them. And while I can't put my hands on your kids, I can and will hurt their feelings to the quick if they try me. 

Don't complain about me admonishing and/or yelling at your kids when they are not focused because my job is to push them to be the best they can be while they are in the ring. I used to compete, so I know how easy it is to get injured. I don't have time for lazy, unmotivated, uncoachable kids.

Don't get an attitude when I suggest that your kid should sign up for a different sport or activity when it's obvious they don't want to be in boxing. 

Don't expect your kid to learn how to box if they can't show up to train every day.  No, your kid can't train for two or more sports at one time, especially if all the practices are going on at the same time. They need to stick to one whether it's the one I coach or another sport in order to get good at it. I have a lesson plan that covers the several days the gym is open not one day.  I don't have time to keep up where I left off regarding your kid's training when they are showing up to gym one day and missing several other days.

Don't assume that boxing is a good fit for a special needs child, or a child who is dealing with some other mental, emotional or physical issue. First of all, I'm not a medical doctor nor mental health professional. Don't send some social worker to convince me to take your child in my gym.  Talk to me before you enroll them, whether the kid has an issue or not. I need to tell you about the program and what the expectations for your kids are so we are all on the same page.

Don't expect your kid to be first in line always when I've got to deal with the other kids in the gym, too. Their parents expect me to give them attention, too. 

Don't bring along your other kids, nieces, nephews, godchildren, grandchildren, young cousins, and friends' kids to the gym if they aren't signed up for the class.  The kids who are actually in the class don't need to be distracted while training.  I'm not going to give lessons to kids who aren't on my attendance sheet, and they aren't going to be allowed to touch the equipment.  

No, your kid may not get a fight every time we go to a boxing show because there may not be a suitable opponent available for their age, weight, and experience.  I'm not even going to consider putting them in a fight if I know they haven't trained enough for one, and that will be my final decision. It's not up for discussion.  If the kid gets a fight and doesn't win, I'm not going to argue with the referee and judges in a vain attempt to try and change their decisions.  I'm not going to tolerate a parent causing a scene because they think their kid was "robbed".  I'm also not going to tolerate a kid who is a sore loser.  

Yes, I DO mind when I'm being told how to run the gym and a parent thinks they have a right to play coach when I'm already doing the job. If a parent wants to be a volunteer, fill out the application and submit to a background check.  Even if accepted as a volunteer, parents need to never lose sight of the fact that there is only one boss in the gym, and that's me.  

Seward Slugging and the LaFollette Rumor Mill

Two people from Loyola Park fought at Seward Park's boxing show last week, and I was in both of their corners.  Solomon attends Barry's class, and my primary function was to use his cell phone to record his fight.  Solomon won his bout.  Ro fought a tough opponent, and held his composure, but he lost.  However, his opponent came over to shake mine, Alan, and Ro's hands, complimenting Ro on his skills.

Donovan and his parents were in the audience, taking in the action.  Donovan keeps saying he's not ready for a match, and his parents are reluctant about letting him participate in one.  I assured his parents there are still more boxing shows to come when and if their son wants to get a bout.

Unfortunately, I had no kids from LaFollette in that show.  I went to Seward anyway because I had scheduled that as one of the shows to attend.  Besides, even if no kids participate, I always make myself useful by helping out Thomas, the head of the city's boxing program and/or helping out the other coaches.  It was a pleasant evening at Seward.

Too bad last week wasn't as pleasant at LaFollette.  The gym was closed due to the Seward Park show, and I knew it would be shut on Saturday because the local alderman always commandeers my gym for part of her summer festival that she holds each year.  But I did not expect it to be shut down on Friday in order to prep for that festival as well.  So that was three days lost of training.  On Friday, I had to sit on front desk duty because I had nothing else to do.

The only good thing about yesterday was that Coach James was kind enough to take down the ropes on the ring in order to prevent the alderman's festival goers from messing with it.  I also taped up the only speed bag in the gym so that it could not be tampered with.  Unlike last year, I didn't have to spend my day yelling at people to stay off of my equipment.

One more annoying thing about last week:  there's a rumor going around that I "hate" kids.  Some staff members have been making snide comments disguised as jokes about it.  I made it clear when the issue was brought up to me that no, I don't love every kid I come across.  I thought that would be the end of the matter, but the "jokes" are still popping up.  It should be common sense that if I had zero tolerance for kids -- and trust me, I know PLENTY of people who don't -- I wouldn't be working in a job where I had to be in close contact with them.  My being childfree has no bearing on my job nor does it impact staff.  However, some people cannot wrap their minds around other people's choices nor stay out of others' business.  I'm not going to make their issues my problem.  But there's only so much more of the "jokes" I'm going to tolerate.

From The South Side To The Stadium

It was a long day.  It began with my stepmother's funeral, which was held at the same funeral home on the south side where my dad's wake took place twelve years earlier.  The situation felt very unreal to me -- a busy, lively woman laying in a coffin, looking as if she was only sleeping.  After the service, I went straight home.  I took the day off from the gym.

Later, I went up to Cicero Stadium.  It was Kathy's turn to step into the ring.  Kathy beat everyone to the gym.  She had been there two hours when I arrived.  Alan showed up a little while afterward.  Kathy's bout was the ninth of the night.  Alan told her to get ready, because the prior fights may end early.  The first two fights of the night did.  Another fight ended due to a disqualification.

When I first got to the stadium, I went to the washroom.  There was a woman, dressed to box, sitting out in the hallway.  Later I found out that she was Kathy's opponent.  During the boxing match, Alan kept yelling for Kathy to "punch!", but the other woman threw non-stop punches.  It was hard for Kathy to return any punches back.  Joe, the referee, gave Kathy an eight-count twice.  The third time Joe not only stopped the action, but he stopped the fight.

Kathy was not upset at the outcome.  She was relieved that all the tension that had built up to that point was finally over.  I told her she would probably sleep good that night.  "I bet I will!" she smiled.

I saw two people whom I hadn't seen in awhile.  I ran into Emmanuel downtown as I was changing trains to get to the stadium.  JJ was at the fights; he was telling Alan about an injury to his hand.  Other familiar faces were on-hand, too, including Rita, Tina, Sam, Percy, Shifty, heavyweight boxer Fres Oquendo, and ex-boxer David Diaz.

Kathy said she didn't know if she would fight again.  I hope she takes another chance, perhaps at one of the upcoming park district boxing shows.

Class Interrupted

Because everyone at the field house is not there at the same time, staff meetings are held at odd times.  A meeting took place in the middle of the eight-to-12 year olds' boxing class.  I hoped it would only run a few moments.  It ended up running until that class ended.

Before I went to the meeting, however, I had to once again contend with Michael about putting on the hand wraps.  Michael just about had one wrap almost all the way on when the whining started.  "I can't do this," he kept saying.  Michael refusal to focus and a tendency to want to be babied all the time was not something I was going to put up with yesterday.

Jaydon returned to class, which I was relieved about.  After that hit he took during sparring last Friday, I thought he would not attend class again.  The only other kid who showed up was Jaylin.  I had to leave them to their own devices when I went to the meeting.

The meeting cut into part of the teen class as well.  Meranda and her mother had just walked in.  I told them I would be back soon, but I ended up being gone another half-hour.  When I came back, Meranda was sitting next to her mother watching something on her mom's cell phone apparently for that entire half-hour.  She hadn't even put her hand wraps on.  When she finally did that, Meranda kept doing only the left jab and the straight right on the equipment, and not putting her punches all the way out.  "Meranda, you have to practice all of the punches, plus move around and stay on your toes," I said.  But Meranda continued not to show much motivation. She was the only teen who showed up for class.

I asked her mother once again about Laquan's (Meranda's cousin) whereabouts.  "Oh, he's been having a lot of basketball games," she said.  "I can't put Laquan in any boxing matches if he's not here training consistently," I said flatly.  Meranda's mother looked concerned, but I can't afford to take risks by pushing kids into fights for which they are not ready.  I'm not going to keep worrying about Laquan, Charles, or Elijah as all of them have the same excuse for not training in the gym.

I was happy to see Jessie and Yami show up for the adult class based on how unproductive the teen class was.  Both Jessie and Yami have pretty good form.  But Jessie gave me a bit of a scare yesterday.  "He didn't tell you what happened?" Yami asked me.  By that time, Jessie's dad and little brother had walked into the gym.  Jessie's dad look concerned about his son moving around.  Jessie had injured a muscle in his leg.  He told me the doctor said it was okay to work out, but I told Jessie if his leg is bothering him, he should take it very easy.  I worked on the punch mitts with Yami, but Jessie couldn't do it because his leg started giving him trouble.  Both Yami and Jessie were tired out, so they left early.

I have three boxing competitions to worry about:  the Golden Gloves (which any of the adult participants can register for), the City-Wide Boxing Tournament (that takes place in April), and the park district boxing shows (which start in mid-summer).  I understand I have to keep up with administrative issues because I work in a municipal/public gym.  But getting people ready for those competitions is more of a concern to me right now.

Another Red Eye

Alan and Tony are all smiles in the above photo.  It was taken after Tony had sparred with Connor.  Alan joked with Tony about going into the ring with me.  Tony laughed, "Oh, no!  I don't want to end up bleeding!"

Normally, Loyola Park boxing gym is not packed around this time of year.  But last night, not only was it packed, but there were new people who had just signed up for the program.  A familiar face had also returned: Jason.

Jason was wearing a breathing mask that he said helps with his stamina.  The mask can be set to mimic high altitudes found in mountain areas.

I sparred with Celeste, and managed to catch her with a left uppercut.  "That uppercut was perfect," she told me later.  She got me in my left eye, and bopped me in the nose a couple of times.  I looked in the mirror and chuckled to myself.  David, over at LaFollette, had turned that same eye red when we sparred last week.  Celeste told me she needs all the practice she can get.  She's going out of town soon to compete in a boxing match.

"I'm surprised that Kathy didn't come in," Alan said.  He plans to take people to the Humboldt Park boxing show next week, and Kathy would be one of them. I'm hoping that one or two of the kids at LaFollette will want to fight at that show.  Unfortunately, I'm anticipating a problem with De-Fetrick, who's in the adult boxing class.

The athletic cup I lent him at the Simons Park show still hasn't been returned.  The last time De-Fetrick showed up, I explained that the cup was park district property that had to be brought back.  Then De-Fetrick disappeared for several days.  I tried calling his mom's house, but I couldn't get through.  I was able to reach his grandmother, who told me she would contact his mom about the cup. Alan suggested that I not allow De-Fetrick to work out until the cup is returned.  A few years ago, Alan had to tell one of the program participants not to come back to the gym after it was discovered they had stolen a pair of bag gloves.

When and if De-Fetrick comes to the gym again, I'm going to have to lower the boom if he doesn't have the cup with him.  I anticipate there's going to be an argument when I announce there will be no workout until the cup is returned.  But like Alan told the person who stole the gloves from Loyola Park, I can't have anybody around the gym who's walking off with equipment.  The park district is on a budget, and it is not easy to replace items that have been damaged or stolen.

I brought myself another set of kettlebells over the past weekend, so I'm donating a lone 10 pound kettlebell I have to the gym.  I've always wanted to teach the boxing participants how to use kettlebells.  Some of them may like that over using the free weights.

The Crying Game

I told Ashley that she wasn't going to spar with her sister Mya again.  Mya is too small, too short, and on top of that, she cries at the drop of a hat.  She appears to be willing to spar on the days that is allowed.  But as soon as the heat is on, Mya freezes up, does not answer punches, and turns on the waterworks.  She acted like that with LaKendrick, as well.

I paraphrased Tom Hanks' character from A League Of Their Own in my thoughts:  "There's no crying in boxing!"  Mya's not the only one guilty of tears.  Little Jordan and Nassir were crying rivers during their boxing matches last week.

No, it doesn't feel good to get punched.  But the kids not only have to focus on giving licks, but they have to learn how to take them, too.  Mya's dad said it best when he told all of the kids in the gym that they can't do street fighting in a boxing match.  "It looked so easy to all y'all until you actually got in the ring," Mya's dad said.

Big Jordan was grumbling instead of listening, mouthing off to his mom, as well as to Mya's dad, who was helping him out.  "It's not going to happen overnight," Mya's dad admonished Jordan.  "There were a lot of days when I was playing sports when I wanted to quit.  But you just have to keep going."  I suspect Big Jordan was still smarting over having been bested by Kishaun the other week.  He's always looking to spar with Kishaun now (who didn't come to the gym today), and some revenge might be behind that.

Everybody wants to fight, but few want to deal with the punishment.  They have got to understand that it is part of boxing.

Lessons From The Boxing Show

1.  Parents can be helpful.  Ashley and Man-Man's dad helped get their wraps on, and he encouraged them during their matches.  Nassir's mom told him to expect to get hurt when someone is throwing punches back.

2.  Parents just don't understand.  I got the feeling that LaKendrick's dad felt that his son was entitled to have a match.  Unfortunately, that didn't happen.  I wanted the boy to have a match, but there was no one available for him.  The boxing shows are a roll of the dice in terms of who will get a fight.  I can't make a match happen out of thin air.

3.  Kids just don't understand.  Johnathan tried to pull a fast one on me by telling me he had a match when he didn't.  I'm hoping that he watched his fellow gym mates during their fights.  Johnathan needs to realize, like a lot of the kids need to do, that street fighting will not help them in a boxing match.  Nor can they try to get a fight when there is none for them to have.

4.  Some kids need to learn a sense of personal responsibility.  Shanita and her brother Julius have been slacking off for weeks.  I made a fight for Julius, only to learn the boy had gone out of town without a word to me.  He knew he had a fight.  Shanita, who had been going on about wanting to be a professional boxer, didn't bother to attend the show, either.  I won't pre-match Julius again.  If he and his sister continue in boxing and want to participate in the shows, they'll just have to show up and hope they can get matches.

5.  Some kids will not step in a ring again.  I had made a fight for Mya, but at the last minute, she opted not to participate.  Honestly, I don't think she wants to box, but her dad wants her to keep attending the gym.  It remains to be seen whether the other kids in the gym -- regardless if they boxed in the show or not -- will have second thoughts about being in the sport.  Now that they have seen what it really is, some minds might be changing.

6.  The boxing show is a great recruiting tool.  Several parents came up to me during and after the show wanting to put their kids in the boxing class.  Both the kids' and teens' class are full for the summer, but I suspect there will be a lot of people looking to sign up in the fall.  Who knows?  I might even have to create a waiting list.

7.  The gym door has to be locked.  I left it open.  Luckily, the equipment was all locked up in the storage room.  I was told later that during the show, kids kept running in and out of the gym, playing around the ring.  A few kids had their skateboards in there.

8.  I have to remember to use the stool and the buckets.  The riggers brought stools to use in the corners.  However, I did not have Ashley, Man-Man, or Nassir sit down in the corner between rounds.  It didn't occur to me to use the stool until Jordan's fight.  I forgot to bring out the spit buckets, too.

Anticipating Issues

This is a photo from when I was still at Loyola.  I was showing off my big legs for some reason; I can't remember why now.  I have yet to wear shorts down at LaFollette.  It would be appropriate now that the weather is warmer.  But then I'm still old school enough to think maybe I shouldn't be wearing shorts to work.

There's a meeting of the boxing coaches coming up soon about the upcoming Chicago Park District boxing shows.  During a previous meeting of the coaches, it was said that coaches are responsible for making sure their fighters act appropriately during the shows.  It's not the fighters I'm worried about so much.  So far, it looks as if I can only rely on Shanita, Julius, and Kishaun to actually participate in the show this July.  It's the youths who used to be in the boxing program and the ones who never were in the program whom I have to watch.

I am certain that those who are not currently signed up for the gym are going to ask if they can get a fight.  Terrance and Jermaine are the two most likely to do that.  Putting some kid in a boxing show who hasn't been training and thinks their street fighting skills are enough is a no go.  The situation would be very unfair to the kids who actually bothered to show up regularly to train.  I already know there will be a debate on that, and I'll probably have to yell to get my point across.

A few months ago, Terrianna and Te'Ria, neither of whom have an interest in boxing, were bugging me about working the corners during the matches.  Uh, no, since neither one of them stayed in the gym long enough to learn anything.  I'll choose among Kishaun, Shanita, Julius, or one of the other kids who've signed up for the summer classes to help me do that.  If Terrianna and Te'Ria keep whining and getting in the way on the day of the show, which I am anticipating, I'll put those two on the glove table to keep them away from the ring -- and me.

I'm surrounded by adults around the park who don't seem to get what boxing is about. I keep being asked if the kids at the gym will fight each other during the show.  It's been explained several times that kids from all the parks that have boxing programs compete against kids from other parks.  The other day, I was asked if the kids were going to hit each other for real during the matches.  No, the kids are going to stand in the middle of the ring and play patty cakes, I thought to myself.

Some kids are going to get their feelings hurt on the day of the show, mainly because of the annoying attitude of "I want to have my way at all times."  Those who have been doing a half-job of training will whine and complain when the outcome of a match doesn't come out in their favor.  Others will stamp their feet because I'll refuse to allow distractions and disruptions to interfere with the boxing show. Some adults will put their unwanted and erroneous two cents in, and I'll have to remind them that I'm the boss.  It will be interesting how things play out.

Advice From The Guys

The gym was packed Monday night.  JJ and Mike showed up, and they sparred with several of the guys.  The both of them were happy and surprised to hear that I'd had a fight and have another one coming up next week.  "You have an excellent stance," Mike told me.  "If you throw combinations, you'll catch her with one of those punches.  Keep your guard up.  She can throw punches all day, but none of them will matter much when it comes to scoring if she can't land them." 

Johnny told me that he noticed that Meg ran a lot in the ring during a match a couple of weeks ago.  "She throws one punch then dances away for the rest of the round.  If you can tie her up in the corners, then you can get a lot of punches in."

JJ said, "You need to get in there fast because the rounds are short.  It's almost like you have to come out brawling."

Mike and I ended up sparring for a couple of rounds. I had Mike up in the corner, giving him body shots to his right side.  "Work both sides then back up to the head," Alan told me. 

After all of the advice, I'm feeling more confident about facing Meg again.  But I have to practice, practice, practice.

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.