The Sport Gets Shorted

A run-off election was held in Chicago yesterday, and the boxing gym at LaFollette was used as a polling place.  It was the first day of the spring session, but of course, the class did not take place.  Four of the kids showed up, and I had to express apologies for the gym being occupied.  None of those in the adult class showed up, and no teens had signed up.  I've been sending emails to Sahia to let her know about what was going on with maintenance issues in the gym, but I haven't heard from her.  As usual, it was a poor start to another ten weeks of class. 

None of the parents had talked to me before registering their kids.  I received the usually surprised looks when I brought up that yes, class is five days a week, and all of those days must be attended in order for people to compete in the upcoming boxing shows.  Most of the kids are signed up for other sports where the parents and guardians have no problem with the practice schedule.  I don't understand why parents and guardians feel it's okay for their kids to give short shrift to boxing practice. 

A conversation with one of the younger kids alerted me to the fact that not much research was done about what it takes to box before they registered.  That's typical, too.  The kid was overly concerned about the possibility of being knocked out.  "Do they actually throw a towel in the ring to stop a fight?" they asked me.

Honestly, I'm not looking forward to running this session.  My mind's not in it. There was too long of a layoff between the premature end of the winter session and the beginning of the spring session.  I already have a good idea of who is not going to finish out this session.  I'm not going to the City-Wide Boxing Tournament because I don't have anyone who is ready for it.  In addition, I'm not hobbling out to the south side on public transportation with a cane.  It's difficult enough for me to make the long trek to LaFollette these days. 

While At The Doctor's Office

I often joke about how my health was very good up until I turned 40 years old.  For the next several years, every time I went for checkups, doctors would discover I had inherited something else from my family's medical history.  After awhile, I dreaded going for checkups because I was always steeling myself for more bad news.

It's tempting to tell doctors, "I'm fine" to avoid being prescribed more medicine, to avoid being told to make diet and exercise changes, and to just the get the heck out of the doctor's office because the wait was too long to see them in the first place.  But people should never hold back on telling medical personnel about health concerns.  This is even more true if patients are actively participating in sports.

Boxing is a tough sport that the whole body is engaged in.  Whether having a regular checkup or going to the hospital to have an injury looked at, here are some general tips:

1) Tell the doctor the truth.  The doctor may not figure out right away that a patient is boxing, but ones who have been practicing for a long time are going to figure out quickly that some bruises and bumps aren't the result of accidentally walking into a wall.  There's a possibility that the doctor will suggest that the patient stop boxing and take up another sport.  There's also a possibility that depending on what is found during the exam, the boxer will have to seriously take that advice.  Boxing is great, but one's health is more important.

2) Please see a doctor after any knockout.  Concussions are no joke.  The USA Boxing rule book states that no one should take a fight or even spar for 30 days after being rocked like that, so it's a serious matter.

3)  Lights flashing in the eyes means run, don't walk, to the eye doctor.  That situation happened to me, and luckily, I learned that I did not have a detached retina.  The lights went away, and I was told that my eyes were experiencing normal aging.  It was a relief to know that I would not have to go through laser surgery to repair my right eye, nor be faced with the possibility of losing sight in that eye.

4)  Find out what effect, if any, will existing health conditions will have on boxing.  Once again, I offer myself up as an example.  I have to take care of cuts with a quickness.  I'm diabetic, and cuts do not heal as fast as they used to do.  It's also a good idea for me to keep glucose tablets in my locker, just in case my blood sugar drops.  Please get the facts about effects of medicines, what to do in case warning signs occur during workouts, making adjustments in the workout routine, etc.

5)  Protect the teeth.  I was not happy, when I had to miss my aunts' good Thanksgiving cooking last year because a back tooth broke in half that morning.  I had taken a hit to my jaw during sparring a few days before.  That could have hastened the break.  It also could have been the result of me not having been to see a dentist in a long, long time, and not catching that something was wrong a long time ago with that tooth.  Who knows?  I used to never have a problem with going to the dentist, but now I do.  Some people have been nervous about seeing a dentist from day one.  But that exam has to be done because if teeth and gums aren't taken care of, that can affect overall health.  Fortunately, there are dentists these days who know how to deal with anxious patients.

6) Chiropractors are beautiful.  Currently, I can't afford to see the one I used to have, but being put in alignment cannot be beat.  Initially, I went to see them because of a couple of incidents that did a number on my back.  I would feel excellent all over after every appointment.  Having an alignment does the whole body good.

Have any tips regarding how to take care of health while boxing?  Feel free to leave a comment.

Vintage Knockout

I always appreciate a good knockout. Not necessarily on me (smile), but a beautifully executed one is a thing of art. Here's Vonda Ward and Ann Wolfe.

"You Do What?"

This past weekend, I attended my high school class reunion. The classes of 1978 and 1979 celebrated together (I'm part of the latter class). People were asking each other what do they do for a living now. "I'm a church secretary by day, and an assistant boxing coach at night", I told Dennis, one of my former classmates. His eyes lit up, and he laughed. "That's how we Whitney Young High School students are -- full of surprises!" he said. Then we talked about how good of a fighter Manny Pacquiao is.

Others at my reunion had similar reactions when I told them. Dorian, andother former classmate, had taken martial arts for a time. Her youngest son now teaches it. "I used to spar, but I got hit in the stomach once and that was it," she told me. I told her and several others about being knocked out in the gym a few weeks ago by Ieisha. The alumni cringed. "Wow, you are something else," someone told me.

Last night in the gym, I told Leon about the damage he'd done to Deo. Alan told me that Deo had his eye operation, and was doing fine. "You're kidding me," Leon said. "I feel so bad. I didn't think I hit him that hard." I thought the same way when I knocked out Maggie, but I underestimated my own strength.

Alan mentioned a bout to Leon that is taking place out in Mundeline. I overheard Leon say that he had no boxing gloves. I thought about a pair that I have at home, but I think they are more suited to martial arts than boxing. I brought them while I was still attending Degerberg Martial Arts Academy.

Get your boxing gloves and equipment for less.

Once again I teased little Justin about him and I sparring. He gave me a funny look as he played with his Spiderman action figures. "You must be thinking, 'this woman is crazy,' " I told him. He smiled at me. His father, Carlos, sparred with Alan. I was worried when Alan took a few hits; he was not wearing headgear. Carlos and Alan kept locking each other up. I was watching on the sidelines, calling out, "Break!" whenever they did.

Carlos also sparred with Ralphie. During the last 30 seconds of the last round they were in the ring, Ralphie let loose with some fast combinations. He had Carlos up against the ropes a few times while doing that.

Jamil is getting better in the ring. He was sparring with Oscar, who kept his head down too much. I wish I had paid more attention in my high school Spanish classes. Oscar doesn't speak a lot of English. It would be nice if I could help Alan relay instructions to him. But Ralphie, Carlos and Al help with that when they are around.

Blasts From A Left And The Past

Ieisha and I sparred last night. "I don't have a mouthpiece, so don't hurt me too much," she joked. I agreed to go light. After taking a long bike ride up to Fort Sheridan the day before, my knees weren't in the best shape. Since I couldn't move as fast, I had to rely more on punching. I also had to watch out for Ieisha's punches, which I thought I was doing better than I did before.

Alan noted that I wasn't hitting hard. "She's breathing hard, too. Get in there," he told me. I also thought I was covering myself up better, although Ieisha got me with some good body punches during round one. During round two, I should have remembered that Ieisha can fight southpaw. She caught me across the bridge of my nose with a punch, and I backed up. Each time I came in, I went more for the body then for the head. The hooks weren't getting in well.

She caught me in the face with her left, and I was stunned. It was my intent to shake it off and keep going. My legs decided they were done, and they buckled under me. I found myself looking up at the lights in the ceiling. "I'm fine, I'm fine," I told Alan from my prone position on the canvas. "Stay down, stay down," he told me. After a few moments, I sat up. It was another few minutes before I could stand up.

Carlos sparred with Ralphie. I noticed a guy standing near the ring watching them. I was surprised to see that it was Jamie. Jamie used to come to the gym during the first year I started going there. It was good to see him. He told me he ran into Steve a few months before. Jamie told me that he was coming back to the gym on Wednesday.

Oscar and Leon went up against each other again. Earlier in the evening, Leon was joking with Oscar. "What? What did you say?" he said menancingly to him. We all laughed about that. I continue to give Oscar credit. He took several hard hits in the head from Leon, who is literally a giant over him.

Alan asked Ieisha and I about perhaps getting matches this Friday at Garfield Park's boxing show. The coach was trying to guess our weights and heights. "You're about 140, right?" he asked me. "I wish! The last time I checked, I came in at 179," I answered. I know that's too big for someone who stands five foot one. I've been losing weight at a good rate, but I need to lose more.

Cut weight with the women's sauna suit by Everlast.

This morning, I told the Pastor I needed to get aspirin from the first aid kit in his office. "Are you okay?" he asked. "Oh, I got knocked out last night," I casually answered. "Hillari, Hillari", Pastor lightly admonished, shaking his head as I followed him down the hall to his office.

"I'm a pretty tough built chick, Pastor," I laughed. "Don't you think you might have a concussion?" he asked, as he took a seat in front of his computer. "Probably. I wouldn't be surprised," I said. "If you still have a headache after taking the aspirin, maybe you should go to the doctor and get checked out. If you have some real damage, you could die the next time you get hit," he said, his face serious. "Coach was talking about getting a match for me this Friday, but maybe I'd better re-think that. After a knockout, a boxer is supposed to take off for awhile," I answered.