He Keeps Going and Going. . .

When I got to the gym, only Alan and a colleague of his, Patty, were inside. "Where is everybody?" I asked. "Maybe the rain is keeping them away," Alan supposed. It was about twenty minutes before anyone else got there. Ricky's sons arrived first.

Carlos sparred with both of Ricky's sons. Ricky had a pair of gloves on. "Are you going into the ring?" I smiled. "Oh, no! I'm perfectly willing to be the parent who encourages the kids to participate," he laughed. The boys didn't do bad at all against Carlos.

It was my turn to step into the ring with Carlos. He and I had not sparred before. Carlos didn't hit as hard as he could have, but then, I wasn't hitting him hard, either. He willingly gave me some openings to get punches in, but by the middle of the second round, I was moving like an old turtle. Carlos was light on his feet, which was amazing, considering he had just gone several rounds with Ricky's sons. Carlos is like the Energizer Bunny whenever he's in the ring.

Carlos' son Justin gave both his dad and I curious looks when we came out of the ring. He said something like, "Dad, you fought the girl?" The little guy is funny to me.

It seems that I have fewer hand wraps than I did before. Some of them were given away -- I gave Jamil a pair, and I think I gave either Sadiq or JJ a pair awhile ago. I have a black pair that Country (Mike) gave me a couple of years ago, a couple of red wraps, and some blue wraps. The blue wraps are mismatched. One is from Ringside and I think the other is Everlast. Who knows how I misplaced the hand wraps. The blue ones are for kids's and women's hands, and they are shorter.

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I prefer the longer wraps because of the extra padding -- and protection -- they give my hands. There are many ways to wrap the hands to sort of cut down on injuries (but not completely). As a middle-aged person, plus being a writer and currently working as a church secretary, I have to be particularly careful about my hands.

It's The Shoes

I had ran into Barry on Tuesday afternoon as I was coming home from work. He was very concerned about Deo and his injury. I told him what Deo had said Monday about his progress. "I'm thinking of having a boxing class for 18 to 21 year olds," Barry said. That might be a good idea. Sometimes, I sense that the people in that age group may feel a little out of place training with old folks like myself. But then, I might be wrong.

Once again, I only lasted one round on Wednesday with Oscar during sparring. My stamina is way down, and I can't blame it all on age. Ieisha did better while she was in the ring with Jamil. Carlos sparred with Alan again, and he kept going like the Energizer bunny.

It's good that women's boxing will be in the 2012 Olympics. It's not so good that only three weight classes are allowed for the women. One of the men's weight classes were dropped to make room. Well, I guess having three weight classes is better than women not being allowed to box at all in that competition. Hopefully in 2016, the female boxers will be included more.

My boxing shoes have to be almost two years old. I noticed they're holding up pretty well. The last pair was made of faux leather. I'm very hard on shoes, so they wore out quickly. I've only worn my current pair outside once on Halloween. I was still working at the non-profit agency, and I dressed in my boxing shorts and jersey for the occasion. Not wanting to take the time to change back into my other clothes to go to lunch, I went outside as is. A lot of curious looks came my way on the Evanston streets that day.

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Ieisha pointed to a chest protector near the headgear. After Alan and Carlos sparred, she suggested that maybe Alan should wear the protector. "You're still able to feel those punches if someone hits hard. It's just like headgear -- it only offers so much protection," Alan explained. My chest protector is somewhere at home. It's somewhat of a pain to put on. But there have been times that I've wished I had it on during sparring.

Deo's Progress

It was a surprise when Deo walked into the gym last night. I assumed he'd be out for awhile due to his eye injury. Deo explained to Alan and I that his sight is still blurry in his left eye. When Leon hit him, the muscle around that eye got caught up in the bone fracture. Doctors were able to move the muscle back in place, but Deo has to be careful for awhile. He's still under a doctor's care. Deo hung around for awhile to talk to Alan, who also experienced a bad eye injury years ago.

Carlos sparred with Alan. The oppressive heat in the gym was bothering me, so I did one round on the uppercut bag, then I watched the guys. I reminded Carlos to keep his hands up. Alan likes overhand rights, and he tagged Carlos a few times with them. Carlos improves each time he spars. Regardless of what he gets hit with, he keeps coming forward. He tends to back away straight from his opponents, however, and I also reminded him to be mindful of that.

Upon looking at the class roster, Alan noted, "Ieisha hasn't been in for awhile." The other women have not been around, either. Some of that could be blamed on the weather. It's been too hot outside, and unfortunately, there's no air conditioning in the gym.

One of the last times I sparred, my mouthpiece became very loose in my mouth. Teddy Atlas of ESPN's "Friday Night Fights" grumbled once during a match when a boxer's mouthpiece kept flying out onto the canvas. He stated that there's no reason -- or excuse -- for a mouthpiece to keep slipping out. It was a sure sign that it's not fitted properly. I've had both of my mouthpieces for several years. Maybe it's time to change them.

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Since I've had my mouthpieces, I've had five of my teeth removed: all four wisdom teeth, and another tooth in the back that was too bad to save. I'm guessing that when dental extractions have been done, a boxer should be fitted for a new mouthpiece. I would love to get one professionally done by a dentist, but the cost is steep. Most of the ones that can be brought from boxing equipment companies are very good, however.

Back To Sparring

Oscar and I sparred last night, and he has become greatly improved. He got me with many combinations. I got winded early, and it showed. Remember, I hadn't been sparring for awhile, not since Ieisha scored a TKO on me about a month ago. My mouthpiece was choking me. Alan ran water over it, and he was going to put it back in, but I declined it. I have to get used to wearing it again. "Keep your mouth closed," Alan told me.

I was popped in the mouth, and I tasted blood. After the two rounds were done, I asked Alan if I was bleeding, and he didn't see any red. This morning, I noticed a small cut inside my lower lip. That's the second time I've been cut open in the ring.

My eyes looked puffy too. Upon closer inspection, it looked more like signs of aging, a series of wrinkles/crows' feet forming. That was how Dad looked around the eyes the older he became. Today would have been his 76th birthday. I can still hear him laughing when he learned that I box.

I learned that Alan is about 10 years older than I. I remembered that Steve, the former coach, was about 12 years younger than me. I've now had the pleasure of getting boxing wisdom from both an older man and a younger man.

Alan sparred with the younger of his cousin Ricky's sons last night. I was relieved to see that he wore his headgear. I had just come off of sparring with Oscar, so I sat on one of the stools ringside to watch. Alan popped the kid a bit hard in the face. "I'm sorry!" he told him. "What are you trying to do, Alan? Kill him?" I joked. Later, Alan asked me, "Was I hitting him very hard?" "No, just that one time you caught him," I assured him. "I'm an old man, so I can't out slick guys in the ring anymore. I have to rely on my hands to keep them off of me," he explained.

I've been thinking about having a heavy bag in the house for some time. I have a plastic, inflatable bag that I brought from Everlast. It's okay, but it reminds me of that pop-up clown bop bag I had when I was a little girl. I can't hang one up in the apartment, but I could get a stand alone one, like a Cobra bag. If I had a heavy bag, I could also go back to practicing my martial arts moves. It's been a while since I've been in a martial arts class, but I still remember the techniques. Muscle memory is a beautiful thing.

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"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.

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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.

Fallout After The Punch

Mary was very concerned about Deo (not Deon, as I wrote on Monday) being hurt in the gym. She asked Alan to come down the hall to talk with him about it. They were gone for a long time, and I feared that Alan might get into trouble because of it. Deo is 19 years old, about 6 feet tall, and thin. Leon is 36 years old, 6'5, and is easily over 250 solid pounds.

Johnny was in the hallway jumping rope, and Ieisha was walking towards us, having just arrived at the field house. Johnny asked if Deo was okay. "Leon's punch broke Deo's eye socket. He has to have surgery next week," I told him. "No fucking way!" Johnny exclaimed. When Ieisha heard this she said, "I was thinking about not sparring today. Now I know I don't want to spar today." As my left hand is still acting funny, I wasn't hot on sparring either last night.

Mary put the hammer down: no one can work out and/or spar in the gym unless they have paid to be there. Alan wanted to make exceptions for people like Willie and JJ, who come in from time to time, but Mary would not budge. I told him, "Mary used to get on Steve about that all the time." I understand Mary's position. It's a liability issue. Leon is not officially signed up to train at Loyola Park. I also understand Alan's stance. It seemed to be a understanding that people who train at Chicago Park District boxing gyms could go train at other gyms in the Park District system without paying a fee. That would also go for boxing officials like Gary and Yale, for example. Even though it has happened, I'm assuming that it is not looked upon favorably by Park District administrators.

Willie remembered Leon trying to goad him into sparring one of the last times he was there. "I guess Leon made it bad for everyone else. Now I've got to come up with the fee," he said. Alan had to tell his cousin Ricky to sign up his sons, and he also told Art, a new guy, that he had to pay. "Mary's the boss, so I have to go along with it," Alan sighed.

Taking It To The Eye

I teased little Justin last night. He came in again with his father, Carlos. "You and I are going to spar on Wednesday," I told him. Justin gave me an amused look, and his dad laughed. Willie did a workout last night and noticed E's son. "Hillari, didn't you say that he was the one who knocked you out?" he winked. E's son gave us both a confused look as we giggled.

E thought he had taken a hit to his eye during sparring. I was working out on the uppercut bag while he was in the ring. He rested in the corner closed to where I was during the time out. "Is my eye swollen and red?" he asked. "No, not at the moment," I answered. His son stood next to Alan on the other side, helpfully holding up his dad's water bottle.

Alan's cousin, Ricky, came in with his two sons -- one 20-years old and the other 17-years-old. The sons worked out. "I saw your blog," Ricky smiled. More and more people that come into the gym tell me that.

Ieisha was going to ask me about sparring until she saw me rubbing my left hand. It doesn't hurt as much as it has been, but it still does, depending on how I move it. I was going to do uppercuts on the teardrop bag, but Ieisha suggested that I not do that. "I'm older and that's why it's taking me longer to heal," I said. "They say that 40-something is the new 30," she said. "Can't prove that by me," I grinned. Alan also asked me about sparring. When I told him about the continuing pain in my hand, he said something that indicated he found my claim dubious. "I don't want to get knocked out before I go to my high school reunion," I joked. I can imagine showing up with a black eye and having my former classmates thinking, "Who knew she was that crazy when we were all in school together?"

Deon (I think I have his name right) and Leon sparred. Alan kept warning Leon not to go so hard. I was working on the heavy bag that's closest to the ring, partially paying attention to the action. Several people gasped, and I turned to see Deon fall to the canvas. Leon had hit him in his left eye. Alan instructed Deon to remain laying down, and he did for several minutes. When he finally arose, Deon was a little unsteady on his feet. He said that his vision was blurry in that eye. I overheard Alan admonishing Leon about his heavy punching.

Alan ended up driving Deon to the hospital. I left a message for Barry to say that Deon left his bike in the gym -- he didn't have a bike lock, so that was the best place to leave it. I hope his eye is okay.

Protect The Hands

Ieisha asked me about sparring last night, and I turned it down. My left hand is still sore. Perhaps next week, it'll be okay to punch again. I just want to make sure. A boxer's hands are their most important weapons. If they're not functional, then getting into the ring is not a good idea.

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Carlos sparred with Leon. While they were in the ring, Carlos' son Justin was recording the action with a little Nintendo gizmo. I didn't know such a thing existed; see, I learn something new every day. Leon popped Carlos good while he was up against the ropes. At the end of a round, Carlos was kneeling in a corner.

There another new guy in class who's name I haven't learned yet. He sparred with Ieisha instead of me. She was getting the best of him early in the game. A few left jabs got him square in the face. But then, the tide changed. Ieisha got tired, and her opponent had better wind. He backed her into the corners more than once. "He was trying to knock me out," she said afterwards.

I was thinking that while my late dad did not know how to box, he did know how to fight. There are numerous stories around about Dad putting beat downs on people. Unfortunately, he had a bad temper, and it didn't take much to set him off. A few months before he passed away, he was talking about jumping on someone whom he felt disrespected him. The old man was in the hospital at the time. "All you are going to do is lay in that bed and rest," I told him. His habit of putting his hands on people influenced my boxing to an extent. But, fortunately, I learned a long time ago that always being on war alert is not a good thing.

Monday's Coach

Everyone was hanging around in the hall outside of the gym on Monday, wondering where Alan was. "He's probably running late," I answered. Then I remembered he said he wasn't going to be in that evening. I found Carol and BK so they could open up the gym.

Two new people, a man and a woman, were there. The man looked familiar to me. He might have signed up for the gym in the past and not stuck around for too long. The woman's name was Shanice, I believe. I spent time showing them the one-two combination (left jab, right cross) and how to stand.

I didn't get much of a workout in, partially because I was lazy, partially because I was coaching people, and partially because I was watching the room. Three other people roamed in, two guys and a girl who looked like they were in their late teens/early twenties. The taller of the two guys asked if he could hit the bags. It's annoying when people walk in and assume they are entitled to play around just because the door is open. However, I was polite as I explained they had to pay to play. Fortunately, they strolled back out after a few moments.

Carlos brought his little boy, Justin, in with him. Justin got bored, as five-year-olds will do when asked to sit and stay still for long periods of time. He had a couple of action figures to play with, but Justin kept getting up and down. "Which superheroes are those?" I asked him. "One is black Spiderman, and the other is red Spiderman," he answered. "Do you read the comic books?" I said to him. "Yeah, sometimes," Justin replied. "I used to read Spiderman comic books and watch the cartoon when I was little," I informed him. Justin gave me a curious look. "Spiderman was around when you were little?" he inquired. "Spiderman first came out when I was a little girl," I smiled. I didn't tell him that the character was created in 1962. Little kids cannot wrap their minds around the concept of decades. It's kind of funny, actually, about small kids and their concept of time. Years ago, another five-year-old told me that I was old. I was fourteen years old at the time.

"Girl, Don't Do That Anymore!"

It was another no sparring day for me last night at the gym. My left hand and arm are still not performing up to par, so I wisely begged off from getting into the ring.

Alfred was sparring with Alan. He was not committing totally to a lot of his punches, especially the jab. I have the same problem, basically because I worry about really hurting someone. I know that's silly, given that boxing is partially about inflicting pain. Alfred had sparred earlier, with Josh, I believe, and both men were stiff. Alan kept telling Alfred to "stay loose".

Carlos got in the ring with Leon. Leon wore him down, but Carlos remained in the ring until the rounds were over. At one point, Carlos was on all fours on the canvas, crawling around, dead tired. But he got back up and into the game.

"None of the women showed up," Alan said later as he drove me home. "It's not like any of them were hurt." "You're right. I was the only one who got knocked out," I laughed, but that wasn't entirely true. I had forgotten about Maggie, whom I knocked out a few weeks before. I called my friend Linda, who was at home recovering from a fall. I told her about me being laid out in the gym. She gasped. "Maybe I'm getting too old to keep taking hits like that," I said. "You have to be careful. Girl, don't do that anymore," Linda said. Paulette, a fellow church-goer, had told me that perhaps I should concentrate more on the coaching aspect of boxing instead of the fighting aspect.

It keeps crossing my mind. But I made a promise to myself that I would stop competing and sparring when I turn 50 years old. That won't be until 2011. I figure that if I still feel good enough to fight between now and then, I might as well. I still have to figure my weight loss goals into that. While I was out running errands today, a guy trying to get a date with me asked if I was pregnant. Last night in the gym, I kept looking at my pot in the mirror. I really need to do something about that.

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Fighting With The Sidewalk

I should have waited to put my roller skates on until I got to one of the empty parking lots around Loyola University. But no, I mistakenly thought I could skate there all the way from my apartment during Sunday afternoon. A fall I took as I reached the other side of a busy street made me change my mind. "How in the hell did I skate on the street when I was a kid?" I thought to myself. The pair of roller skates I had back then had metal wheels on them, but somehow, I was able to deal with the cracks and bumps on the pavement. My past youth and lost flexibility must have had a lot to do with that. I did get to the parking lot, and skated longer than I should have, ignoring the cries of my right knee.

Luckily, I had a pair of skating gloves on, so my hands didn't get scraped up. Unfortunately, most of my weight was on my left hand and arm when I connected with the ground. I iced my hand and arm up that night, but it still hurt all day yesterday. I avoided the heavy bags Monday night, and of course, sparring was out.

A guy was in the gym who looked familiar to me, but I couldn't place him at first. "I'm Brendon. I was here back in 2005," he said. He lost some weight, and he seemed to have become taller. He smiled when I told him I remembered his daughter Briana. "She's seven years old today," he beamed.

Jamie was asking about the tear drop bag in the gym. It wasn't there the last time he was attending on a regular basis. "It's good for hooks, uppercuts and body shots," I told him. I had to avoid that bag, too. Even hitting the speed bag and double end bag was aggravating my left hand. I did a lot of shadow boxing last night. I really need to take care of my hands better than I do.

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Alan announced that Leon has a show fight lined up this Wednesday. It's going to be at a country club in Lincolnwood. I would love to see him fight, but I have to open up the gym for the others that evening.

My aches and pains have officially become a running joke between Pastor Roger and myself. This morning, Pastor walked into my office, grinned, and asked something along the lines of, "How did you injure yourself this time?" I've shown up to just about every job I've had since 1976 with an injury at one time or another. It's only been in the last eight years that a lot of the injuries have been from boxing. Before that, it was mostly due to roller, in-line and ice skating.

Promise To Pastor

I came by the church today to do some work on my laptop. It was cheaper than going to the coffee house and having to buy food and drinks in order to sit at one of their tables. "I kept my promise and didn't spar last night," I informed Pastor. "Don't you feel better, energized, happy?" he said with a grin. He went on to say that I needed time to heal.

"You should have told him you just had a headache," Alan told me yesterday. "That's why he admonished you. Or else that you were boxing for God." I didn't think of that one. There are always people who say, no matter what they are doing, "I'm doing it for the Lord!" "We need to get him to come in here," Alan continued. It would be a good idea for Pastor to come in and look around. I know his wife Virginia is concerned with him losing a little weight.

Nicole came in with Julio, but she didn't stay long. She appeared to be tired, and she probably wanted to go home early. Leon showed up during the last ten to fifteen minutes of the evening, and wasn't able to get a workout in. E didn't stay long either; I think his thumb is still bothering him.

Alan noticed my bag gloves and thought they were new. "Oh, no. I've had these for a few years," I told him. There is a little tear on one of the gloves near the wrist. I will have to replace them eventually. I don't have a pair of regular boxing gloves, mainly because the gym has both sparring and bag gloves available. But it might be a good idea to have my own pair.

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Gary came in to workout. He and Alan agreed that Raymond would make a good pro boxer. Raymond started training with Barry and Steve a few years ago. He's now a grown man with a full-time job. Raymond comes in to train once in awhile. He can't always do that because he's busy with other things. That's how it is for a lot of the young guys who were once always hanging in the gym. They go to school (like Mort), they move away (like Ike), they have a kid, their jobs keep them busy, etc.

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.

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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.

The Only Woman

Alan sparred with Oscar last night, and he wore headgear that had a faceguard on it. Josh commented that he thought that was good headgear. The faceguard may offer a little bit of protection from getting a broken nose, but like most headgear, it will not prevent a knockout.

Matthew was there, and he told me he's been doing a lot of weight lifting at Clarendon Park. His goal is to become an MMA fighter. Since Matthew has also trained in boxing, he's one up on a lot of MMA guys who don't throw punches well, nor are able to take a lot of punches.

Alfred and I sparred. "You can hit her harder, she can take it," Alan told him, but Alfred and I had agreed to go light before we stepped in the ring. Alfred caught me in the face with a right cross, but it only stung for a second. I had a feeling if that right cross had full power behind it, I might have found myself looking up at the ceiling.

E hurt his thumb again while sparring. He had sprained it before. I think he sparred with Jamil. He had ice on it when he and his little boy left the gym.

Several minutes passed before I realized that I was the only woman in the gym. Ieisha, Nicole and Tanya did not come in. It reminded me of when I first started going to Loyola Park, and I was the only woman in the gym for about a year. Just like now, I was sparring with the guys.

Little Woman vs. Tall Woman

Nicole and I were the first to spar last night. I did a much better job of covering up, so my head didn't get knocked around as much. I punched back a little harder than I did the last time. Alan told me that I have to get in closer on her to get in the overhand rights. I throw them, but I'm usually too far away to make them effective.

Manny came in with his adorable little girl, Anjolie. "She's gotten bigger since the last time you saw her, hasn't she?" he said, giving a proud papa smile. Anjolie put on a pair of bag gloves and was hitting the heavy bags. Manny also held pads for her as she playfully hit them.

E didn't bring his son with him yesterday. "He wanted to stay with the women," he explained. I've gotten so used to his son being in the gym that I miss him when I don't see him.

Alan sparred with Oscar. Alan was not wearing headgear, and Oscar was catching him in the back of his neck with punches. Manny was telling Oscar not to do that. "He's short, and he can't help it," Alan said. He caught Oscar in the face a few good times, but Oscar kept coming forward. "Oscar is like a pit bull," Alan commented after they were finished.

The gym was rather full. JJ came in to get a workout, stating that he was taking a day off from training at Evanston Boxing Club. Steve, the former coach, had been in town for a few days, and JJ saw him. I wish I could have seen him, too; I miss him.

Julio sparred with Jamil, and Julio was worn out afterwards. Jamil got Julio in the face several times, and I could have sworn that Julio's headgear had been knocked a little crooked. Jeremy, a guy who trained with Alan at Clarendon Park, was also in attendance. Ieisha didn't come in, but I remembered her saying that she mentors children one night of the week.

I had a lot of energy after Nicole and I sparred. I was on both heavy bags for several rounds. If only I had that burst of energy every day! It sure would make my life a lot easier.

Boxing At The Baseball Field

Last night, a group of young men who are planning to compete against young men in Ireland, showed off their boxing skills last night. It was a fundraiser to help drum up money to help pay their way there. The boxing show was held at Thillens Stadium, which is a baseball field favored by various Little League teams. A ring was set up in the middle of one of the baseball diamonds.

I ran into JJ there. A Park District coach was telling JJ that he doesn't need a conditioning coach. JJ told me that he no longer goes to see Jerome for conditioning; the commute to Elgin is too far. However, JJ thinks he needs someone to motivate him to do his conditioning. The Park District coach disagreed. "Man, you need a strength coach to work your muscles. How old are you? Twenty-two? You can motivate yourself to do your own conditioning!"

The fights were good, particularly one that involved Tracy Jr., who is trained by his dad. I hadn't seen him in awhile, and it looked as if he had gained more muscle. His opponent was showboating a little too much. Tracy Jr. answered him with a flurry of combinations.

Today, I had to run some errands. On the way back, I passed Hamlin Park. I ducked inside to use the washroom, and noticed the boxing gym was open. Coach Bill was there, and about three guys were working out. Bill has been coaching at Hamlin for 35 years. "Don't you spar up at Loyola Park?" he asked me. I told him I did, and he said a couple of women usually come in on Saturdays. "You could come in and get some sparring in with them," Bill told me. I thanked him and told him I would stop in next week.

Stunned and Stopped

Alan asked me if I wanted to spar last night. "I don't know. I'm not feeling that well," I told him. My stomach was acting a little funny, probably because I hadn't eaten much yesterday. A check of the scale in my bathroom showed that I lost another ten pounds. A combination of always sparring and not eating a lot due to the recent heat may be the culprit. I'm glad for the weight loss, however; I still need to lose more.

Ieisha was there, but I later agreed to spar with Nicole. Nicole is similar in build to Katie (who didn't return for the summer session), with long arms and legs. Right away, I knew I had to be an inside fighter. "Don't hit me too hard. I'm not wearing a mouthpiece, and I haven't done this before," Nicole told me. "Have you ever fought with anyone at all?" I asked. "Just play fighting," she answered. "I'll go light," I said, as I adjusted her headgear. "Remember to keep your mouth closed," Alan told Nicole.

As soon as the bell rang, Nicole came out with a hard left jab. "Okay," I thought to myself, "I promised to go light." I proceeded to go to the body, and tapped some hooks to her sides. The hard punches kept coming, so I decided that I had to take some to get some in. Nicole put out both fists at one point, and Alan told her to use one hand at a time.

I stepped back to avoid one of her punches, but didn't get back far enough. WHAM! Nicole caught me full on the left side of my face with a right hook. I stopped cold in the middle of the ring. I was stunned. Alan watched me carefully. A few seconds later, the bell rang signaling the end of the round. Nicole decided one round was enough for her. "I want to get used to it, so I know what to expect. The next time, you can hit me a little harder," she told me. I took a round off and sat down. The side of my face was stinging.

Ieisha went a couple of rounds with Ralphie. He wore a mouthpiece, but no headgear. "Uh-oh," I thought to myself, remember how hard she had punched me during sparring. She caught him good several times. Leon and Carlos were commenting on how good her punches were. Alan smiled again and said, "She's lying. I know she's done this before!"

Leon and Michael sparred. Michael took a rough punch from Leon, but I couldn't tell which punch it was. I turned around in time to see Michael doubled over in the corner. It might have been a low blow or a punch to the gut.

When I got home, I checked my face for wear and tear. It was still stinging a bit, but I saw no cuts or bruises. I'm surprised it's not hurting today, but then sometimes, it takes me a couple of days to feel more pain. I escaped being totally knocked out again, but one of these days, I might not be so lucky.

Tylenol Punches

This morning, I went looking for the first aid kit in Pastor's office. "I need some aspirin", I wearily announced. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked. "I got knocked in the head last night, but I didn't feel it until today. I wasn't expecting the punches to be that hard," I replied.

Last night, I sparred with Ieisha. I called myself going easy on her, because Ieisha said previously that she hadn't sparred before. I think I got one shot in, and that was a left jab early on in the round. After that, I was pummeled with a series of very hard, strong punches. Alan was after me to keep jabbing and throw overhand rights, but I spent most of the one round we did covering up. "Those were some good strong punches," I told Ieisha afterwards. "Are you sure you haven't done this before?" Alan asked her. She indicated that was true. Alan smiled at me, "I think she's not telling the truth." Later, he would say that Ieisha showed "natural ability". Somebody get that girl a fight!

E returned with his little boy last night. "No one from the previous session signed up again?" he asked me. It certainly looked that way. For example, Maggie never returned after I gave her that right hook. Melanie and Heather disappeared before the spring session ended, and Oksana had been gone.

Another guy came in with his little boy for a few moments. I heard him tell the kid, "I used to box here a long time ago." Before I got a chance to ask him anything (he walked in during the middle of a round, and I was shadow boxing) the guy and his son left. He might have trained under Harlein, a former coach who passed away several years ago.

Four younger boys hung around the door of the gym. They witnessed the sparring session between Ieisha and I. I came out to look at the clock in the wood shop room (the clock in the gym is currently not working). One of the boys said, "She was fighting with that other girl." I walked back to the gym, and another boy asked, "Were you fighting?" "Yeah, and she throws very hard punches," I answered. The boys looked impressed.

Pathway To Boxing Glory

Alan was out this past Wednesday, so I ran the gym. A couple of guys came in, one of whom I recognized as a former tenant in the building I live in. The former tenant's friend was looking for a place to learn how to box because he wanted to go professional. Amateur boxing can be a springboard to a professional boxing career. The Chicago Park District's boxing program is purely an amateur program. But joining a boxing gym/club is the first step.

Starting training early, preferably before the age of eighteen, is a plus. Train often, and maintain a stable weight. Sparring is good practice, but a boxer will have a better handle on their strengths and weaknesses when they participate in an actual match. It is good to go up against a variety of opponents.

Males still have the advantage in this sport because there are several avenues they can take to move up, especially if they have an eye on the Olympics. Competing in the Golden Gloves, the P.A.L. tournaments and the Pan-Am Games are crucial steps in that direction. The Olympics are not yet open to female boxers, but work is being done in an effort to make that possible.

All boxers wanting to go pro should look into finding good trainers, as well as managers who have contacts with professional matchmakers. They should also join one of the professional boxing associations (IBF, WBO, WBC, WIBF), and obtain a license from the boxing commissions where they intend to compete.

Oscar Surprises Me

The summer session began last night, and a small group of people showed up. A few of them said they had read this blog, and one had seen an old review I had written about the gym on Yelp. That was good to hear that the blog was a vehicle to bring people in.

Oscar and I sparred again, and I stunned him a few times again. I even managed to get a few upper cuts in on him. But during the second round, Oscar hit harder and faster. I was clocked about the head a few times. He's slowly getting better. Alan told him not to dip down so low; Oscar still has to work on that. There were times I thought that he was going to end up in a headlock. I had a flashback to the fights my late sister Cindy was involved in. Putting someone in a headlock was always her signature move. Whenever her and I got into it, I was always mindful of staying out of position so she couldn't grab me like that. Our late youngest brother Ken wasn't so fortunate most of the time.

Mary came in and made an announcement that everyone needs to be paid up. Unfortunately, the ones who really needed to hear that were not in the gym last night. I told Alan that I need to remember to wear my Chicago Park District volunteer badge. I don't want to get him or I or the gym in trouble.

I had gone to Thillen's Stadium on Friday, but there was no boxing match. Instead, there were a couple of Little League games going on. I wonder what happened? I'll find out at some point.

I really need to start using that Grip Master I have at home. I brought it some time ago to work on my hand and finger strength. Last night, my right hand and wrist felt a little sore, especially when I was doing right hooks on the bag. I've had trouble on and off with my right ever since I injured it -- in the gym -- a few years ago. The Grip Master fits in your palm, and you press down on the buttons to give your fingers and hands a workout. They're not very expensive. I paid less than $15.00 for the one I have. I think I brought it through Ringside.

I received a kettlebell catalog in the mail yesterday. I had stopped using the ones I have when my left shoulder was injured over a year ago. I have no idea what I did to it. Honestly, half the time when I get hurt, or have cuts and bruises, I'm baffled as to how they got there. Anyway, it might have been residual pain from the car accident I was in back in 2005. It feels fine now. I want to build more muscle and strength, as I am not getting younger. What I really need to do is to lose that spare tire around my waist. I looked in the mirror while shadow boxing last night and thought, "I'm tired of looking like I'm a couple of months pregnant."

The Younger, Bigger Brother

Josh, who hasn't been in for awhile, came in with his "younger, bigger brother". Zev is 19 years old and 6 foot nine. Leon was taken aback when he saw him, and Leon is not a small man (6 foot 5). Josh's brother worked out for a little bit, but he was more interested in getting back to his hand-held video game. Oscar did not come in last night, and neither did any of the women.

I believe the spring session ends this week, and the summer session begins next week. Mary told Alan to watch out for people who show up frequently at the gym, but haven't paid the fee. It appears that several persons have been doing that for a long time. When Steve was there, he'd let folks get a workout in from time to time who hadn't signed up. But now, the Chicago Park District is auditing programs and cracking down. No one is going to be allowed to participate in programs for free anymore. I think most gyms have the problem of people just dropping in whenever to work out simply because the gym is open. But unlike private gyms, the Chicago Park District does not have a setup where people can pay for a one day pass to workout.

At the end of the evening, only Alan, Leon and myself were in the gym. Leon was talking about breaking up with a long-time girlfriend of his. He said something about "black women are materialistic." "Yeah, white women don't ask for things like black women do," Alan agreed. Leon looked at me and said, "No disrepect!" and Alan said the same thing. I had to agree that some black women do demand financial favors. I once asked a boyfriend to pay my light bill. I wasn't working at the time, and needed the extra money. The now ex-boyfriend did not honor my request (among other things he didn't do, but that's a long story), but expected me to help him a few dollars here and there. I found a job not long afterwards, and never asked him to help me financially again. I also stopped funding him, especially after he never felt the need to pay me back. The jerkass still owes me $200 dollars.

I learned that Toby (Kevin), Tracy Jr., and Nate Jr. are fighting at Thillen's Stadium tomorrow. I want to attend. The weather is supposed to be better tomorrow (it's raining today), and Thillen's is an outdoor stadium.

Hit Her!

I learned last night that one can't throw an uppercut when your opponent is bent over. But I did catch Oscar a few times while we were sparring. He's got to learn to keep his hands up. It was too easy to catch him full in the face with jabs and crosses.

Alan noticed something that I also did, that Oscar was not hitting very hard. Before Oscar and I got into the ring, Alan told me that I could hit Oscar harder than I normally when I'm in with one of the women. "You can hit her, Oscar. I don't mean whale on her, but you can hit her," Alan told him during round one. Oscar still didn't put much force behind his punches. "Come on, Oscar! Really hit her! You can do that!" Alan admonished him. I nodded my head in agreement. He put a little more pepper on his punches, but not much. I ended up stunning him a few times with some jabs and rights.

While it's nice to know that a lot of males are still being raised not to hit women, guys have to throw that training out while they are sparring with a female. It doesn't matter if they are in the boxing gym or in the martial arts dojo. An opponent is an opponent is an opponent.

Watchin' For Maggie

Maggie didn't come into the gym last night. Now I'm beginning to worry that I indeed scared her off.

I sparred with Katie, and I was very winded and somewhat dizzy after two rounds. "I can never get you into the corners!" she smiled. I don't think anyone has ever caught me in the corners in the ring. As short as I am, it would be too easy to just beat me down once they got me hemmed in.

Alan pointed out again that I seem to hold back on punching. "I go easy on the women because so many of them have never been in a fight of any kind. But I go harder on the guys, figuring they can take it," I told him. "Then I'll put you in with the guys more often. You and Oscar seem to be a good match," Alan replied. Oscar is not that much taller than I. He has a bad habit of not protecting his face, and I'm already feeling guilty about taking advantage of that. But Oscar has to learn to cover up, or else he might find himself laying on the canvas. As for Katie, Alan told me, "You have to get inside. You have to take a punch to give a punch", which is true.

The Chicago Park District tournaments will be written down in my day planner so I can keep track of them. They're starting late this year, beginning in July, and ending in early February of 2010. I'm going to try and get my pastor to come out to at least one. For the past several years, I've invited him to the boxing shows at Loyola Park, but he hasn't gone to one yet. Maybe his wife, Viriginia, will want to go too, and she'll encourage him to check it out. Loyola's show is not until September.

Where Are All The Women?

Raymond, who started off training with Barry and Yale, came in last night. He didn't much feel like sparring, but he did move around in the ring a little with Michael. Michael has a very, very deep voice. He said something like, "It's cool?" to Raymond. Raymond thought he said something about school. "Man, I've had this deep voice since I was 15 years old. I'm used to people sometimes not understanding what I've said," Michael laughed.

"Where are all the women tonight?" Alan asked me. "Maybe I scared them off," I joked, but I certainly hope that's not the case. I noted to myself that Maggie hasn't been back in since I knocked her out.

I haven't been down at the gym during when the kids are there in some time. There was one girl in Barry's class, but the last time I was there on a Tuesday or Thursday, I didn't see her. I wonder if she has dropped out. So few females stick with boxing. I wish more would. I also wish a lot of them would start younger. That's an advantage most male boxers have. I've known of both amateur and professional male boxers who started training while they were toddlers. Most females are in their mid-teens when they begin, if they start young. Other females are in their twenties and older when they take up the sport. If one plans to go pro, the younger the training starts, and the earlier one can get matches, the better.

Alan asked me if I would be interested in getting a match. "You know I can't box in a sanctioned match," I told him. He said there is a possibility of me getting a unsanctioned one. The boxing matches that take place during the Chicago Park District boxing tournaments are not sanctioned, as those are not recorded in the license books of the fighters involved. I don't think some white collar boxing matches are either, as there are no winners. People are rewarded more on the fact that they actually agreed to get into the ring. "I'd be interested," I told him. If I could get one knockout, maybe I could get another one.

Boxing Photographs

Katie and I sparred last night. I had the feeling that some may have been waiting for another knockout to happen, but nope. I got in a good overhand right, and some hooks to the body, but that was it. Katie still has the advantage of having long arms. You can also see from the picture that she is way taller than I. I asked Alan to take pictures of us sparring. I plan to send them on to my older half-sister Mary, who I have recently reconnected with after almost 30 years. It's a long story; I'll just say that our late dad was mostly at fault for that.


Katie and Maggie work together. I heard John asking her, "Where's your friend?" "I don't know," Katie replied. Later, Katie told me that last week was the first time that Maggie had used a mouthpiece. Maggie had commented that she had a hard time breathing exclusively through her nose while wearing it. While I was sparring with Katie, I found myself breathing through my mouth. The mouthpiece slipped as a result, and I had to push it back in place. It is very hard to breath through one's nose during the course of a round, but it should be done. Mouth breathing is always a sign to the opponent that the other boxer is tired.

Alan, Sadiq and Rafael (Ralphie) were talking about how tough body punches are. I haven't experienced too many of those, but they do take the wind out of a person. There is a reason why some trainers will tell their boxers, "Break down the body first, then go for the head."

John's son Josh came in the gym. The last time I saw him, he was a little guy. Now he's about 13 years old and lean. I was showing him how to hit the speed bag. I noticed it had been changed out again. Last week, the bigger speed bag was up; last night, the smaller speed bag was in place. I like the smaller one better. Too bad the speed bag platform can no longer be raised up and down. Both Josh and I had to stand on the aerobic steps to reach it.

My right knee was acting up all night, and today, the left knee has decided to take a turn. I don't bob and weave like I used to because of the arthritis. It irritates me because while I don't always have to go low with a tall opponent, I do need to do that with people closer to my height.

I knew people at my church were going to trip out about me knocking out Maggie last week. Margaret, the choir director exclaimed, "You hit a woman? My goodness!" Alex and Nigel shook their heads in amazement. Alex said, "See, I should have been in on that action. You should make me your manager!" David, the Sunday School Supervisor said, "Please tell me when you have your next fight so I can come to the gym." The pastor cracked, "Remind me not to drop my left."

Pepper On A Right Hook

Jilberto opened the door for me. Two unfamiliar guys walked in the gym. One guy, whose name I learned was Carlos, stated that he had signed up for the summer session. He wanted to check the gym out. The second guy looked like he was in his late teens. He barely grunted when I said "hi", then proceeded to punch on every bag in the gym.

He was kicking the smaller of the heavy bags. "Don't do that. That's not what they're for," I ordered. The guy asked Paul a few questions about the gym. I watched the guy carefully. He took one of the jump ropes, grabbed his backpack and jacket, and walked out of the gym. I followed him. "Excuse me, young man, but where are you going with that rope?" He walked back, mumbling something about wanting to jump rope outside. There wasn't that many people in the gym at that point, so he would have had plenty of room to do that there. "Why would you take a rope? That's Park District property. You can always buy your own," I said with a bit of irritation. He put the rope back and left again. Alan came in a moment later. "You just missed a would-be thief," I told him.

Later, I sparred with Katie and Maggie. I still have not figured out how to get around Katie's long arms. On top of that, she's getting better at feeling her range. I took a lot of shots to the top of my head.

Maggie and I are about the same height, so moving around her was easier. During our second round, I realized I kept moving the same way each time I threw a left-right combination. Maggie was able to anticipate what I would do next. "Why don't I try to slip a hook in?" I thought to myself. Maggie's left dropped for a moment after she threw a right. I came over with a right hook. The next thing I knew, Maggie was on the canvas.

My memory dialed back to the last time I physically knocked someone down. The first person that came to mind was a worthless ex-boyfriend who had the nerve to hit me nearly 20 years ago. I cut his cheek open with a right, and his head snapped back, but his 6'3 frame did not go down. There was a fight between my late younger sister and I that took place a few years before that. I do remember knocking her down and cutting her lip open in the process. That was a long, long time ago.

Maggie got to her feet and caught her breath. She assured Alan and I that she was okay, but she looked shaky. Alan stopped the round and took her gloves off. I asked her again if she was fine, and she said she was. "You're a knockout specialist, beating up on poor social workers," John the lawyer said, referring to Maggie's job.

Punching While Short

"Are you loosened up?" Alan asked me. "As much as a middle-aged woman can be," I answered. I sparred twice last night, first with Maggie, and then with Melanie. Maggie had no mouthpiece, so I had to pull punches and be extra careful of putting my fist in her face. I started off strong, throwing a lot of jabs, but I got tired out. Definitely need more conditioning in my exercise routine.

Katie and Heather sparred next. Katie is getting better at using her arm length. Heather's jabs are coming along, but she hesitates a lot before throwing the next punch. She doesn't use her right enough, either, but that will come in time.

When they came out, I got in with Melanie. She is getting more confident in the ring. I took a few hard shots from her. "You don't mind if I hit harder, don't you? I just assume that you will hit back harder," she said to me last night. "No, I don't mind," I smiled. I can take a bit of punishment. I've always figured that was because I come from a family of short women (on my mother's side) who are built quite tough. My Aunt Mary, who is 4'11, is always fond of telling people, "Dynamite comes in small packages." "Why were you hitting me on top of my head?" Melanie asked. Alan had told me a few times before to utilize the overhand right. But Melanie is closer to my height, than say, Katie.

Alan joked to Steve, a newer guy in the gym (not to be confused with the former coach) that he retired Kiki. Kiki was the doctor that used to come in the gym with his fiancee Sol. Kiki's eye was injured during a sparring match between him and Steve. Sol has come in on ocassion, but Kiki hasn't been in since.

Oscar and Leon sparred, and I noticed Oscar kept going for Leon's head. Oscar is not a whole lot taller than me, and I'm very short (5'1). Leon is about 6'5 and muscular. I thought, "If I was in there against Leon, I'd have to fight inside the whole time." I'd just waste a lot of energy constantly going for the head of anyone who towers over me.

Leon claimed that he was going to travel to an amateur boxing tournament in another state. Alan, Ralphie and Sadiq wanted proof. "Oh, I'll bring it in and put it up on the wall," Leon said.

Keys and People

Alan told me some time ago that he asked Mary if I could have a key to open the gym whenever he's running late or not going to be in. I wasn't surprised that Mary told him no. Nate Sr. has been volunteering with the kids in the gym for years, and he's never had a key. I'm not upset about it, because I understand the reasoning behind it. I'm not a Chicago Park District employee.

Also, it's not a good idea to allow everybody to have keys. That's a problem at my church, where there are three congregations, and people are often roaming in and out as they please. The fieldhouse is a public building. Keeping a tight rein on who has access cuts down on maintenance, custodial and security problems.

Barry left me a message that he left the digital scale out. I worried about that because from time to time, things do come up missing from the gym. Alan, after noticing all the gloves weren't matched up, wondered why someone would take one glove and leave the other behind. I don't have the key for the cabinet in the back, or else I would have locked it up. I did put in back in its case and put it behind the cabinet.

Older John, the attorney, came in last night, wondering, "Where is everybody?" Just like on Monday night, the number of people in the gym was small. My best explanation was that it is late spring, and the attendance always drops off after the Golden Gloves are over. Plus, once the weather gets warm, the gym attendance goes down even further. People don't necessarily want to be inside when the weather is nice.

Young John came in. He hadn't been around for awhile, and he inquired about Jim. I don't think I've seen Jim since February. "He trains at other places, then makes his way back here for awhile. Give it a few months, and he'll be back," I told John.

Leon must have given Sadiq a wallop during sparring. I was hitting the heavy bag, and had my back to the ring, so I didn't see the punch. I turned around to see Sadiq frowning at Leon and asking, "What the fuck?" Sadiq wanted to quit the sparring session, but was talked back into finishing the round. Alan warned Leon, like he always has to do, to take it easy.

Leon Takes All Comers

Never a dull moment at Loyola Park's boxing gym. Leon came in last night and sparred with three people. Josh was a new guy who came in yesterday, who decided to jump into the ring his first night there. Fortunately, Leon took it easy on him. Not so on Oscar. Now that was a mismatch. Oscar is not that much taller than me, and Leon has got to be about six foot three. Leon kept catching Oscar with hooks and uppercuts. "If you're brave enough to get in the ring with Leon," Sadiq told Oscar, "then you and I can get in the ring the next time."

The third guy was a teenager, the son of dentist that Alan knows. Father and son came in to check out the gym. The teenager lasted with Leon, but it was tough going. Katie and Maggie joked with Leon about being a bully.

Erin, whose uncle John was a professional boxer, came in last night. She hopes to sign up for the summer session. It was very good to see her. We keep in touch on Facebook, but I haven't seen her in person since before Steve moved away.

Like Dad, Like Daughter, But Different Sport

Since 2001, I've met more and more people in the boxing world. I've made more friends and contacts. People recognize me from the boxing events that I'm always hanging around. I went from competing (or attempting to, anyway) to being a volunteer coach. I'm just like my late dad in that respect, but his favorite sport was football.

Dad played professional football briefly, before I was born. He played for a Canadian team, of which I couldn't tell you the name. I have to do research. There are pictures of Dad suited up on the field, ready to go. He never talked about it to me, but then there were a lot of things he never divulged about his younger life. I only found out about his playing career after he passed away almost five years ago. He might have been playing for a team in Canada because of the lack of opportunities for African-American football players in the USA at that time. I don't know why he gave it up. Perhaps he was injured.

Years later, Dad's third wife had a younger son who was on the football team. Both her younger son and myself were attending the same high school. I don't like football, so I paid little attention to the school's games. I only attended one football game, and at the time, I had been out of high school for several months. The game was being played at Soldier Field. Dad went all the way down to the playing area. He was used to doing that, because he did it a lot at the Chicago Bears' home games. Dad stomped back up to where we were sitting that day, cursing because the high school coaches wouldn't take his advice on how to run the plays of the game.

Dad was known to the Bears' players and coaches. He was a thirty-year season ticket holder. Despite Dad's gruffness, he possessed an air of charm that got him into places and around people that others couldn't. There are pictures of him hanging around the Bears' training camp, smiling with various people. He hung out with Walter Payton, Richard Dent, Gayle Sayers, and others.

He also liked baseball -- Dad was a Cubs' fan -- and golf, but football remained his first love as far as sports were concerned. I'm not big on team sports. You can be Mickey Mantle or Michael Jordan, but if the rest of the team is not pulling their weight, the star's efforts aren't worth much. But my love of boxing has enhanced my appreciate of the sports I followed before I got into boxing (professional wrestling, roller derby, ice skating), and lead me to be a fan of MMA and extreme sports (snowboarding, in-line skating, BMX riding).

Ricky Hatton and Other Topics

I would have been mad if I had actually opted for the pay-per-view of the Ricky Hatton/Manny Pacquiao fight. It only lasted five minutes! Pacquiao stepped around Hatton and caught him with a left hook. Before that, he had jacked the Englishman up with a left-right-left-right hook combination. Now people are suggesting that the 30-year-old Hatton retire.

Not very many people came into the gym last night, so it was quite, even with the radio on in the background. I actually missed seeing little Markel there; I've gotten used to him hanging around. Oscar, John, Katie, Sadiq and Kevin were in attendance.

The round punching pad, or "doughnut" as Steve used to call it, was missing on Monday. It was back in its usual spot last night. I held it for John, who wanted to work on his lateral movement.

Kevin told me that he wants to sign up for the Golden Gloves next year. "I want to get six months of good training in," he said. He asked me about getting fights other than through the Gloves and the Park District. I told him about the show fights that take place at bars and private venues like golf clubs. I have good memories of when I used to attend a lot of those type fights with Steve and the other guys that used to come into the gym. I'll have to ask Alan if he ever takes any boxers to those shows.

Where Is It?

A check of my bank account online showed that USA Boxing has yet to cash the check I wrote for my coach's license. Mike Q. warned me that the folks in Colorado can be slow to get around to doing things. I knew that too, but the hold up is going on for too long.

I sparred with Heather on Monday. I couldn't seem to get the hooks in. Alan told me I should use more overhand rights. Melanie was in the gym, but she didn't spar with either Heather or I that evening. Heather won't spar with Melanie because Melanie is her boss at work. I guess she doesn't want to start any hard feelings.

To my delight, it appears I have finally gotten used to wearing my mouthpiece. Steve told me a long time ago that I just have to keep wearing it often to get over gagging on it.

Again With Oscar

Terrell came by the gym accompanied by his cousin, a friendly, cute three year old boy. Terrell has finished his Biology degree, and is going to get his Chemistry degree. He's going to be around during the summer, so he plans to come by the gym more often.

I sparred with Oscar again, and the punches were a little harder coming from me. But I noticed that Oscar wasn't hitting me that hard, so I didn't go full out. Alan told me to stop reaching, which is bad habit of mine. I feel better about blocking jabs coming in. Now if I would only get better at avoiding the right crosses and hooks that usually follow the jabs.

Finally remember the names of the father and son who come to the gym. E is the dad's name, and his son is Markel. I don't feel so bad that I initially mistook Markel for being a girl. A few other people have made that mistake as well. Markel has his hair in braids, and he has a lot of hair. I can see how people would mistake him for being a female. He's been following his dad around the gym more, and hitting the bags.

Paul's been wearing a Kangol hat lately instead of his yalmuke. Turns out that Alan and Paul attend the same synagogue.

John was telling Sadiq that while his hands still have the speed, his feet won't move fast in the gym anymore. John and I are the same age, so I understood exactly what he was talking about.

Oscar's Hands

None of the women showed up to the gym last night. "Either you or the rain scared them away," Alan grinned. "I'd like to think it was the rain," I laughed.

I sparred with Oscar (not the former Golden Gloves winner who came in the other day). Oscar was the guy who sparred with Sadiq that day that Alan was away from the gym. I overheard Alan tell Oscar, "Go easy." I wanted to say, "No, tell him to hit as if he were in an actual match." Then I remembered that Sadiq had bloodied up Oscar, mainly because the latter didn't keep his hands up. Oscar dropped his hands the same way during our sparring session. Normally, I go hard on the guys and light on the women, but I didn't want to bloody Oscar up unnecessarily. I did tap him a few times about the face and head to remind him that he needs to protect himself.

Oscar kept leaning to one side during the second round. I wanted to throw uppercuts, but couldn't figure out how to get them in. I seldom get a chance to throw those types of punches. That's usually because the persons I'm sparring with are so tall. I always think it would be wasted effort for me to reach up that far.

Willie, who I hadn't seen either at church or the gym in awhile, came in to get a workout in. He told me his grandchildren live on the west side. Willie was interested in getting the boys signed up for the park district boxing tournament that's held every summer at Garfield Park.

Leon observed Willie on the heavy bags. "I want to spar with the old heavyweight. I hear him wheezing as he hits the bags," Leon said. Willie begged off, stating that he hadn't been in the gym in awhile and was a little rusty. Leon kept pushing the issue until Alan asked him to stop bugging Willie. I was thinking that Leon maybe should rethink asking Willie to spar. I still remember when Willie and Terrell mixed it up. I was afraid that Terrell was going to get knocked clean out.

Having (Somewhat Of) A Glass Jaw

Melinda and I sparred last night. For a moment, I dropped my hands, and she came in with a right hook. I was stunned, and I stopped for a second to shake and clear my head. "Are you okay?" Melinda asked, alarmed. After assuring her I was okay, we continued on. Later, I told her, "I've been hit harder than that. But that's what I get for dropping my hands." If Melinda had put a little more power on that hook, I would have been laid out on the canvas.

Heather and Katie sparred twice, taking a break between the two times. Heather was tentative the first time, but the second time, she caught Katie with a jab to the face. That wasn't easy, seeing how Katie is taller than Heather (and taller than Melinda and I), and she has long arms. Heather had to reach to get that punch in, but she got it.

When Alan was asking if any of the women wanted to spar earlier in the evening, I immediately piped up. The other three women in the gym didn't respond right away. "Somebody other than Hillari," Alan smiled.

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.

Every Week Sparring

Melanie told me this past Wednesday, "You know I'm going to want to spar every week when I come in." She really likes it. I told her that I have no problem with that.

I also sparred with Katie, another new person in class. Alan and I told her to use her reach. "You have long arms, so you can keep me off of you forever," I said. Katie was very apprehensive, but she found that she liked the sparring, too. Katie and Maggie then sparred with each other. "She's scrappy!" Melanie said of Maggie. Maggie, who is shorter than Katie, was getting in there. Heather also sparred with Maggie. Remember, these were the ladies who did not want to spar the other night.

The gym was fairly populated on Wednesday. In addition to the above mentioned folks, Mike and Gregory sparred. Mike became tired very fast. He kept turning his back on Gregory, which is a no-no. I think they only went a couple of rounds and they were done. Joe sparred with someone; it might have been Pete, but I'm not sure. Pete told me Otis has class on Mondays (Pete and Otis both attend Loyola University), which is why he hadn't been in.

"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.

The Stranger In The Fieldhouse Hallway

Had a bit of embarassment this evening: I learned that the little child of one of the new people who has been coming to the gym is a boy, not a girl. It was an easy mistake to make. The child, who is a first grader, is small, and has his hair in little braids. His hair style reminded me of my mother grumbling about small boys around our neighborhood who had long hair. "Their mamas need to cut their hair so that they look like little boys," she'd say. He's a nice kid, however. He usually sits near the coach's desk and occupies himself playing on a hand-held video game.

Alan could not come into the gym tonight, so Jilberto opened the door for me. Just as I arrived, Jilberto pointed out a guy who was hanging around in the hallway. "Have you ever seen him before?" he asked. The guy wasn't familar. Soon I learned the guy's name was Willie, and he had recently signed up for boxing, or so he claimed. The latest class roster was not in the gym, so I couldn't be sure if he was actually in the class or not.

Willie also said he had boxed at Clarendon Park in the mid 1990's, but was not familiar with Alan's name. Alan had been the coach over there for years before taking over at Loyola Park. "Will they let me box with this?" Willie asked, and he pulled up his shirt. "Very inappropriate," I thought to myself, but I noticed something was out of place. Willie admitted that he had some sort of serious operation on his stomach months ago. He had failed to mention it when he signed up for the class. Mine and Jilberto's antennae raised up. "Boxing is a strenuous sport. You need to bring in a doctor's note stating that you're fit to do this," we told him.

I told him he was free to come in and maybe hit the bags a little, but sparring would be out until he got a medical all-clear. "Well, I wanted to do more than just hit the bags," he said. He then said he wanted to go for another boxing championship. Willie claimed he won a championship when he was forty-four. He's now fifty-seven years old. "You're 57? I'm 47, and I can no longer get an amateur boxing license because I have diabetes," I stated. I was trying to hint to Willie that his seemingly serious health problems were not going to be in his favor in terms of getting matches.

Since he couldn't do what he came down there to do, he started talking about getting a refund. I repeated that he needed to bring in a doctor's note, and talk to Mary when he does. "I don't work for the Park District, so I don't know how they would handle refunding money. But for your own safety, you need to consult your doctor," I told him. "The one who did the surgery or my primary doctor?" Willie asked. I was getting the feeling that Willie wasn't comprehending what I had told him up to that point. Luckily, Jilberto was exhibiting as much patience as I trying to continue to do, and we sent him on his way.

Not many people showed up tonight. Melanie was wondering where the newcomers had disappeared. A friend of two of them, who takes yoga classes upstairs in the fieldhouse, came down to look for them, but they didn't come in.

Sadiq and one of the newcomers -- either Oscar or Severno, I can't remember his name -- sparred, and promised to go light. But the other guy didn't keep his hands up or work his jab enough, and Sadiq bloodied him up. I rinsed his face and wiped it to get the crimson off. I have to give him credit because he stayed in there, and was moving well, but he's got to mindful of where his hands are.

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.

Relaxed In The Ring

Oksana was surprised when Alan told her and I that we could spar in the ring first. Later, she apologized to Alan for being irritated the other week when she and I went in last. Alan smiled and said, "I learned my lesson. My mother didn't raise any fools."

I was amazingly relaxed in the ring. Usually, I'm a little tense. Too many flashbacks to schoolyard fights, I guess. I paid attention when Oksana gave advice such as, "Protect your face!" and "Keep your eyes open!" It was very helpful. Alan kept telling me to throw overhand rights. I will practice those on the bags, but seldom throw them during sparring. Oskana and did two good rounds.

Sadiq came in, and I was glad to see him. He asked about JJ, Mike, and some of the other guys who used to come into the gym. Melanie, who had attended the gym along with Betty about three years ago, came in with a friend named Heather. I was just thinking about Melanie the other week, and wondering what happened to her. "Betty lives out south, so it's easier for her to take boxing classes out there," she told me.

I had forgotten that tonight started the new spring session. Manny was confused by all the new faces. "What's going on today?" he wondered out loud. About eight new people signed up, including a guy who had a little girl with him. He looked young, so I assumed the girl was his little sister. She explained that he was actually her dad.

Last night, I did a long overdue update to my boxing web, www.survivethegym.com . I need to keep it fresh more often than I do.

Tough Star Guys

Wasn't able to get to the gym this week due to working at the opera.

I've always been curious about celebrities who either box currently, or have boxed in the past. I found this picture of Robert Conrad of "The Wild, Wild West" fame. Conrad, a former Chicago native, boxed for awhile when he was a young man. Apparently from this photo, he still uses boxing to stay in shape.

Several other celebs have boxed were Jack Palance, Dean Martin, Lou Costello (of Abbott and Costello fame), Mickey Rourke, Martin Lawrence, Charles Durning, and Tony Danza. I'm sure there are more.

Picture Day

Manny brought his sister to the gym. "I've been a tomboy, but I think I'm too girly girly for this sport!" she told me. Manny laughed about his sister not being able to keep up with him during a run from Howard Street to Touhy. In her defense, she said she hadn't done much running since high school.

Pete, Otis and Joe came in. Otis didn't stay long, but Pete and Joe put in a workout, which included sparring. Manny, Leon and Steve sparred as well. Oksana and I sparred, but we had to wait for the guys to take their turns. It didn't bother me, but Oksana was irritated because she thought that Alan was putting us off because we were females. Her and I actually agreed to spar after the guys had already decided to do so.

Oksana is rather aggressive in the ring. She kept pushing my head down during the one round we sparred. My aches and pains were acting up, so one round was all I could manage. Alan later told me that I was "punching easy", and that I needed to put more power behind them. I know I do, but in the back of my mind, I continue to be concerned about hurting someone. After all the years I've been in boxing, I should have gotten over that by now. Maybe it's because I still hear my mother telling me never to be a bully. She was the first one to teach me how to throw a punch. Her intent was to teach me to defend myself, not to beat people down at random.

But I am my father's daughter. The night before, while riding the train home from my usher's job, I shoved a guy. He was sitting next to me, falling asleep and leaning on me with his big backpack. It was St. Patrick's Day, and I suspect the guy had been drinking and drugging. When he didn't move fast enough as I trying to get off at my stop, I snapped "Move!" and shoved him. The guy didn't give me enough room to get by him, so I stomped on his foot. I hate riding public transportation on St. Patrick's Day. I always end up cursing a drunk out or putting my hands on them, or both.

I wasn't at the gym on Monday due to work, but I learned there was a bad fight outside of the fieldhouse. It's not even summer yet, and the outside rumbles around the fieldhouse have already begun. The park district staff tries to keep that stuff from escalating, and the cops visit the fieldhouse regularly, but incidents jump off too often.

The Wrists

On Tuesday night, I ran into Helen. She had attended the gym several sessions ago. Helen has a couple of little kids at home, and she goes to college. I told her about the new gym schedule, and she thought she might be able to fit boxing in again.

Tommy visited the gym on Wednesday. He's dealing with work issues, but he wants to come back and get into shape. He asked me if any of the old regulars have been around. I was just thinking that I haven't seen Wally and Keith for a few weeks. Of course, JJ and MoMo train elsewhere these days.

My right wrist continues to hurt on and off. Last night, I noticed my left wrist was acting up, too. When it was just the right wrist giving me problems, I suspected carpal tunnel syndrome. Now I'm leaning towards arthritis. It's already in my knees; I don't need it in my hands and wrists, too.

Manny came in. He sparred with Mike (not to be confused with the other two guys named Mike who used to train at Loyola Gym). Mike is a friend of Johnny, who also came in yesterday after having been gone for awhile. Manny kept telling Mike to remain loose. It is so easy to tense up in the ring, but it's not helpful.

I've been spelling Alan's name wrong, so from here on in, I'll do it correctly.

Wednesday Return

Oksana thought I had quit the gym because I had been gone for awhile. Work and sickness have kept me out longer than I thought. There were a couple of guys I didn't recognize; they were new. One of them was a buddy of John, who was in attendance.

"I can do defense, but my feet won't move fast enough. I guess it's because I'm 47 years old," John told me. "I'm the same age," I told him. He stopped and gave me a look of disbelief. "You look really young," he told me. "Eh, I look in the mirror and see the small wrinkles and the gray hairs," I smiled. I agreed with him that middle age slows down reflexes. My footwork isn't what it used to be, either. It's just as well I didn't spar tonight. After being out for awhile, I need to work my way back up to that.

The speed bag is still down. When Steve was the coach, it was noticed that where the bag screws in looked stripped. The bag seems to be down more times than it's up lately. I console myself by getting time on the double-end bag.

Greg is going to sign up for the Golden Gloves, Allen told me. The sign up for the tournament is soon. I need to catch up with Barry to see if he's heard anything about a coach's clinic.