Willie and JJ

September 26 -- that's when the fall session of boxing at Loyola Park begins. Our boxing show takes place a few days after that, I believe.

No Bridget on Friday. I don't know what happened. Candace and I spent a good amount of time reviewing what I had shown her before, then we went over how to block punches. I didn't get that much of a workout because I gave Candace extra time. If Bridget had come in, I would have limited the lesson to about an half an hour. I want to give people as much attention as I can when I'm giving lessons, but I have to get my box on, too.

The usual round robin of sparring took place this past Friday, with Willie and JJ taking it to each other during their time on the canvas. Nate Sr. also went a couple of rounds with JJ. Nate declared, "If I come in here and don't get a piece of JJ, I feel left out!" Steve and I were trying to think of other guys that Willie could spar with. "Maybe Terrell?" I said, but Steve shook his head. "Terrell goes a little wild," he commented. "Wally, then," I suggested, and Steve agreed.

Candace, Bridget and a Blogger

Yesterday was Steve's birthday. He's 34 years old. "I'm not going to do anything. I'll probably just go home and have a beer," he told me. I noticed he was able to get in a fair amount of working out on the bags last night, which was a good thing. He spends so much time with all of us that he often doesn't get to exercise himself.

About ten minutes before Steve came in, Ceedub, whom I met through the Broken Heart of Rogers Park blog (http://morsehellhole.blogspot.com) stopped in to check out the gym. It was very nice to put a face to someone whom I had talked to via the Internet. He liked the setup of the gym, and he plans to join when the fall session starts in late August/early September. I need to find out the exact date.

Candace and I went over all of the punches and some footwork. Later, she was working on the pads with Willie. Normally, the newcomers don't get on the pads for awhile, but she looked impressive. She's had some kickboxing experience. Willie held pads for a lot of us last night, including myself and Ben. I heard him tell Ben, "Man, you punch the old school way!"

JJ was not in, and it seemed to have been the result of miscommunication between him and Steve. Last night was the monthly boxing show at the Sabre Room, but Steve opted not to go. He had talked about what he might do on his birthday, and JJ might have assumed that Steve was going to take off and close the gym up that night. JJ went out to Elgin to work with his conditioning trainer.

Bridget came in with her daughter Penny, which was a bit of a surprise. She explained that some things had come up, which was why she hadn't been in. I told her we could pick up where we left off the last time, and she promised to come in on Friday. Actually, that works out, because I can review the basics with her and Candace at the same time. After the review is over, we'll start on learning how to block and slip punches. That's something I need to work on myself, so it'll be a review for me, too.

Garfield No Go

Steve, JJ and I were late getting out to the Garfield Park fieldhouse on the west side. Barry had two smaller kids there, whom I had never seen before, and they had matches lined up. Unfortunately, there was nothing available for either JJ or Little Jermaine. We hung around for a little bit, talked to Catchings, who was there taking pictures, then rode back up to Loyola Park for a quick workout.

I thought I wouldn't get much done that night, but it turned out extremely well for the 30 to 40 minutes we were in the gym. My gym bag was at home, but fortunately, there were a couple of wraps inside my locker, and I could use the bag gloves in the equipment cabinet. I also keep a pair of tennis shoes in my locker, too, as my old boxing shoes are just about worn out. Eventually, I'll get around to buying a new pair when I catch some on sale. There's not a great need for me to buy a whole lot of equipment since I can't compete anymore, but I still need some things to do the workout.

Yet Another New Face

Steve introduced me to a woman named Candace who will begin coming to the gym next week. He explained to her that the gym would be closed tonight because JJ is scheduled to fight at Garfield Park. She seemed very pleasant, and had a lot of questions about what goes on in the gym. She was concerned that maybe Steve wouldn't always have time to work with her. Before he left us to talk, he explained he had to get back to working with some of the guys. I told her not to worry, and that I would help her out.

It seems the gym has been very busy this summer, which is unusual. The regulars still come around during the season, but usually, not many new people sign up. There have been a lot of people coming by the gym to inquire about joining, as well. I even had a person named ceedub, who posts regularly to another blog I visit, make plans to join when the fall sessions rolls around in late August/early September.

Dazed and Stunned

I saw something that I thought I would never see in the gym this past Friday. Tall Jermaine -- who's about 6 foot 5 and 265 pounds -- was knocked to one knee by Terrell. They were sparring, and Terrell caught him with what looked like a left hook.

Later, Terrell was dazed when Wally caught him in the face with a punch. Both Terrell and Jermaine were pretty much finished for the night after those incidents. At one point, Jermaine said, "I'm still dazed."

Willie sparred with Nate Sr., and Willie wasn't pulling his punches at all, and he had energy for days. Both Steve and I were worried that Nate Sr. might end up getting hurt. However, Nate Sr. likes to spar, and knows how to handle himself in the ring. He used to be a professional boxer.

Two of the three newbies who showed up on Wednesday were missing on Friday. I kind of figured that Ahmed would disappear quickly, but I was a little disappointed that Bridget didn't come in. She showed real promise the other day.

New Appearances

Three more new people showed up last night. Steve and I were baffled why they showed up just then, considering the summer session began three weeks ago. He asked me to go over the initial lessons with them, while he went forward with the other new people.

Bridget showed up with her daughter Penny, a cute 7-year-old. Bridget has taken Tae Kwon Do, so she was not unfamilar with fighting techniques. Ahmed is long and tall, and the third person -- a husky guy whose name I can't remember -- is a MMA fighter. The third person basically just wanted to work out, so the lesson was geared towards Bridget and Ahmed. We went over how to stand, the left jab and the right cross. Bridget showed good form while Ahmed. . . well, he didn't seem to be very coordinated. Instead of throwing the jab straight out, he flung it in the air, and he couldn't seem to get the concept of turning his body and putting his weight into the right cross. Time will tell how well he'll progress.

The gym was busy last night, between the other new people continuing their lessons, and a few of the regulars sparring and/or doing drills. Willie stopped in to get in a quick workout, and I held the pads for him. I have to be very mindful of how I'm holding them, because he hits very hard. However, judging how poorly things have been going at my job lately, it might be a blessing to be laid up because of punch that missed its mark.

Dealing with constant annoyances, irritations and frustrations on my job always make me wish I had a punching bag at home. It would warm my heart to tape either a picture or the name of the person(s) who pissed me off on a heavy bag then beat the bag down. There have been too many of those over the past two weeks. For example, last week, Les had me take the pictures of entertainers down off my wall, because he felt they did not contribute to a professional office. It was more like him worrying about what someone else was going to think -- probably about the new COO who keeps an office on our floor, who has been in and out of my office with nary a comment as to what was up on the walls -- as usual. Irked the hell out of me. For five years, the pictures posed no problem, now all of a sudden, they do? My office suddenly looked like a bare tomb. After a couple of days, I couldn't take the lack of color anymore, so I had some family photos copied and blown up, and now they are up on the office walls.

G announced that his wife had a baby girl the other day. I didn't know he was married and already had a 2-year-old daughter. I find out something new every day.

Fights On Weed Street

Javonta didn't get a fight, which was really a bummer, considering that Joe's Bar was overrun with guys looking to get matched up in the ring. Steve grumbled that many of the fight nights held in bars are disorganized. "They are looking for heavyweights and open fighters," he commented.

Barry was able to get a fight for Montrell, who beat his opponent in a close match. During that fight, I was using Barry's camcorder to tape the action. Montrell and his opponent slammed against the ropes, and a spray of sweat covered me, the judges nearby, and the people sitting in the front row. I had always heard of people ringside being sprayed with either sweat or blood. Now I have that experience.

I had been inside Joe's before, but never during a boxing show. The last time I was there, I was a member of a singles group I joined several months after my younger sister passed away. The singles group had events practically every day. Around Christmas, I attended an event where the old TV Christmas specials, like "A Charlie Brown Christmas" were shown on a big screen. It was nice and cozy up in the little balcony area sectioned off for the event. By the following spring, however, I had paid off my membership for that year, and I left the group. Too many events centered around hanging out in bars, which, like drinking, is something I don't do on a regular basis. Plus, in addition to the monthly membership fee, on top of a joiners fee, I had to shell out extra to participate in the events.

Bovon (I have mistakenly referred to him as Bovino in past posts) was there. Yale asked another guy to help hold Bovon down so he could shave his goatee off. I know that guys can't compete wearing facial hair, but I hoped Yale was kidding about tackling the guy. Later, Bovon was seen clean-shaven.

Sparring In A Sweatbox

Terrell, JJ, Javonta, Wally, Jermaine and Bony (one of the new people) sparred this past Friday. Once again, the windows were open and the fan was running, but the humidity remained high. I ran into Ben, a guy who plays basketball at the fieldhouse over the weekend. "I knew several guys would be sparring that night, but it was too hot back there for me to come in," he told me.

The real surprise was Bony, who mixed it up with Javonta. He never took his eyes off of him, and didn't make many of the mistakes that first time sparrers usually do. Steve is very impressed with him. "He's 42 years old. If only I had met him when he was 15. He'd be a champion by now," he said. Bony has natural talent, and has quickly picked up the techniques that Steve has taught so far.

Nikki came in and gave me some info on fasting and raw food dieting. I noticed that of all the new women who started, she was the only one who returned. The other three disappeared after the first class meeting. I don't expect to see them again, but you never know.

Holiday In The Gym

No one was sure if the gym was going to be open this upcoming Wednesday, which happens to be the Fourth of July. Steve told all to just assume it wasn't going to be open.

JJ sparred with Terrell and Javonte sparred with Tommy. Some of the newcomers stuck around to watch. In fact, most of the regulars stopped to watch, too. It was a little funny; we were like kids hanging over a fence watching something going on in the neighbor's backyard. This will be the real test for the newcomers. Usually, after they see a sparring session, a lot of them disappear, never to be seen at the gym door again.

Nikki didn't come in, and I was a little disappointed because I wanted to see what information she was going to bring in regarding the raw food diet.

Humidity

Water ran down my face as if someone had thrown a bucket of it on me last night. It was extremely humid in the gym. The windows being open and the fan being on didn't do much. Plus, there were a lot of people in the gym.

One of the new people, Nikki, was telling me that her sibings and her mom are diabetic. She has been trying a raw foods diet, and she told me she would bring some info in for me to look at on Friday. I don't like most veggies and fruits; I have to force myself to eat them. I am interested in the raw food diet, since I've heard a few things about it.

Turns out that one of Nikki's sisters went to school with Mort. Nikki said that her sister had a crush on Mort when they were small children, and was always talking about him. Small world. Mort gave Nikki his number and asked that her sister call him. He hadn't seen her since high school.

Steve will have a sociology article of his published in an online journal, which is very cool. It will look good on his resume as he searches for teaching positions.

Another guy named Jermaine, who usually goes to Barry's boxing class was in the gym last night. Steve introduced him to me. "She volunteers and is a great help around here," Steve told him. "Yeah, she works us ten times as hard when Steve is not here!" Tommy joked. "I have a beret and a whip," I laughed, imitating myself using an imaginary one to keep the boxers in line.

Out At The Golf Course

The gym was closed this past Friday, as JJ had a match at a private show out at a country club in Park Ridge. JJ said his first fight took place there. I couldn't remember being at that club before. All of them tend to look the same: the parking lot, the front entrance, the rooms that perpetrate the smell of old money, even though a lot of younger guys are members these days.

All of the boxers were ushered into a room where few chairs were available. Mike and Erin were in attendance, and they sat on the floor most of the time. The doctor who checked the guys beforehand wasn't even given a table to put his things on.

I only watched three of the seven fights that took place, including JJ's since I was working his corner. Too much cigar smoke in the room. I watched one guy take puff after puff, blowing it out in the air, like a kid who was able to do something he had been forbidden to do for a little while. One guy came up to JJ after he was suited up and said, "You gonna win your fight? You gonna do it for me, baby? I'm gonna put a 'G' on you!"

JJ won, but the fight was a squeaker. Steve kept telling JJ not to hesitate. We don't know why JJ always waits for the other guy to do something before he reacts. JJ had his mouthpiece knocked out during the second round, and Steve and I rushed to get it back and rinse it off so the round could continue. JJ didn't do so well in that round, but roared back during the middle of the third round. The guy who had bet money on him was pleased. "Got a 'G' in my pocket thanks to you!" he told JJ afterwards.

What irritated me the most during JJ's match were the ring card girls. Steve and I could barely get the stool and the bucket in between rounds because those chicks were entering and exiting via our corner. Ring card girls are extremely unnecessary.

The Same Out Of The New

A small crowd of new people showed up for the beginning of the summer session last night. I speculated that Martin, a friend of Graubien's, would probably continue. I didn't hold out much hope for the rest. I know that sounds a bit down, but people always disappear after the first two weeks.

Erin's uncle John is featured in a book about Chicago's amateur boxing scene. Unfortunately, the book doesn't go too far into the 2000s or else JJ's picutre would have been included, since he won the Golden Gloves in 2006. Pictures of Yale and Gary when they were young champions were also in the book. I believe I'll pick the book up the next time I go to the bookstore.

Fighting Despite Limits

I told Steve on Friday about an article I saw on the BBC web site: Joanne Larkin is threatening to go to the European Court of Human Rights to force boxing authorities to let her 15-year-old son box. Her son is diabetic, and he is prohibited from competing. I know how the kid feels. Steve asked my thoughts on diabetics in boxing. I can see how being diabetic would be a problem in professional boxing. However, in amateur boxing, headgear is present, and there are checks and balances to make sure competitors are safe. The mom of the teenager asked, "Why isn't it discrimination? Diabetics are allowed to enter into any other type of sport and competition. . .why not boxing?" Why, indeed.

I was diagnosed with high blood pressure back in 2003, but I wasn't stopped from competing. My hypertension has always been controlled with meds, and my doctor would write notes comfirming that. I also have a minor heart problem. One of the valves has a small hole in it. The only thing I have to remember about that is taking antibiotics before any kind of medical procedure is done, like having a dentist work on my teeth, for example. There are many days when I grumble, "I was healthy until I turned 45 years of age," but I thank God that I'm not as bad off as I could be. I know that doctors recommend every other exercise to diabetics except boxing, but I see no reason why I should stop participating in the workouts. As long as I can move, I'm fine.

Combinations

Steve and I worked on the punch mitts last night. He had me doing a combination -- left, right, left, left, right uppercut, left hook, catch a hook, left hook, right, left hook, duck, left hook, right, left hook -- that seemed to impress the guys when I did it correctly. "Is there something you're not telling us?" Mort grinned after observing me. Later, Mort got on the mitts with Steve and practiced the same combination.

Actually, he doesn't call out, "left, right, hook" etc., but the number of the punches ("1,2,3") instead. I'll get caught up thinking about the sequence instead of executing the punches, as Steve often points out. The trick is to just let my hands go.

Among the missing last night was JJ and Muhammad. JJ has a retail job now, and unfortunately, work hours for employees in that industry change day-to-day, week-to-week. Muhammad is so hyped up about learning how to box, but his attendance has been sporadic. I understand that he's looking for a job, so maybe that's why he hasn't been in. I've been thinking about Rias a lot, too. I wonder where he's been hiding.

Tommy just happened to ask, "Did any of you see an iPod?" I remember about the one Barry found last week. I pulled it out and showed it to Tommy, who was extremely relieved. The iPod was his. "I was about to spend $150.00 on a new one!" he said. "You were saved some money!" I replied.

Steve's Back

Steve was back in the gym this past Friday. I didn't get a chance to ask him how Italy was. I'll ask him on Wednesday. Gave him a report about what happened in the gym while he was gone.

Finally figured out to adjust the Cobra bag! Took me long enough. Guess I wasn't turning the knob to lift the bag up and down correctly.

JJ was ticked because a cop gave him a $20 ticket for riding his bike on the sidewalk. Chicago rules of the road for bicycles states that no one over age 12 should ride on the sidewalks. In the neighborhood where the gym is located, the cops don't want anyone riding on the sidewalks, regardless of age. The fieldhouse sits off of a main street that has narrow sidewalks. Usually, they paint signs on the concrete at each corner saying "No bikes on the sidewalk", but they haven't gotten around to it yet. Unfortunately, JJ was caught. He doesn't like to spend money, and he was really outdone by receiving the ticket.

Things Left Behind and A New Face

Just as I was starting to walk out the door to go to the gym, Barry called. Someone left an iPod behind in the gym, and he let me know where he hid it, just in case someone asked for it. I asked the guys when I arrived at the gym, and it didn't belong to any of them. Must have been one of the kids who was careless. Most of the stuff that is left behind are the things the kids forget to take with them when they leave. If I was their mother, I'd go off on them for wasting my money like that. Most likely if they leave something behind that's valuable, they'll never see it again.

A guy came in saying that he knew Graubien. Steve didn't come in the gym last night, and the guy hadn't signed up previously, so I asked him to wait until the coach returned. He hung around for the whole night, watching people. When he got on the double end bag, I had to tell him a) he shouldn't hit the bag without handwraps and b) he should wait until he's actually signed up for the gym. "I'm just trying to get a little bit of a workout in. I really don't know what I'm doing," he told me. He claimed he had come in the gym a long time ago, but I didn't remember him.

Two In The Room

G and I were the only two in the gym for about an hour this past Friday. "The weather's too nice", G said, as an explaination as to why no one else showed up. Around 8:00 PM, Jermaine came in, but it was very quiet in the gym. I closed up a little after 8:30 PM.

It is not unusual that people become MIA when Steve is absent, but that was the lowest attendance I've ever seen during the times he's been out. I'm still thankful that no stray kids, boisterous teens or odd adults came in during the past week. It makes running the gym easier when those distractions aren't in play.

No Incident Wednesday

I was hoping there wouldn't be any kids/teens roaming into the gym, being underfoot, or the occassional odd adult whose agenda about boxing is murky hanging about last night. I was pleased that the night started and ended without anything out-of-pocket happening.

Tried as I might, I couldn't re-adjust the Cobra bag down to my height. I'd been fooling with it since last Friday. I think Muhammad adjusted it so Jermaine can use it -- Jermaine is very tall -- but I can't get it back to any other height. I skipped using it as part of my workout last night.

Normally, I would use the uppercut at the back of the gym, and use the mat back there for crunches and push ups. However, I'd rather not be back there if I'm the one watching the gym, and Steve is out. Have to keep an eye on who is coming in and out. I told G last night that I was going to suggest that he not leave his gym bag near the door. He was told about when Sadiq's backpack was stolen, and when some kids tried to roll away with Steve's bike when he left it propped up by the rail just outside the door. I often offer my locker as a place where others can place their belongings.

We did intervals on the heavy bags again -- rather, everyone else did and I just called out the rounds. Did four rounds this time. Maybe on Friday, I'll suggest that all do five rounds.

Friday Intervals

This past Friday in the gym was mostly uneventful. Only Rachel, Danny, Jermaine, G, Sadiq and Muhammad were there. It was a nice night, weather-wise, so I wasn't surprised at the low turnout. I braced myself for lookey-loos rolling into the gym, but that didn't happen.

I was the first one in, so I put the radio on the oldies station. Later, after G and Muhammad came in, I went to put fresh water in the water bottles. When I came back, both guys said, "We've got to talk to you about your choice of music!" We all laughed about that. I'm not crazy about a majority of the hip-hop/rap/contemporary R&B that most of the others like to hear. Most of it is crap to me, but I don't care if the station is changed to that music. The only time I was irked when the music was changed was when John used to come to the gym. This was back when I used to bring in a lot of my old school tapes and CDs. He decided he didn't want to hear The Eagles' song, "Life In The Fast Lane", and took the tape off, without asking me if it was okay to do so. "The Eagles were lame when I was back in high school," he declared. I decided not to make a big deal of it, but it was irritating just the same.

We did intervals near the end of the evening for three rounds. I called the rounds, but did not participate. The soreness I experienced from when Steve worked us on Wednesday was hitting hard. I took Tylenol before I left the house, but that didn't do much of jack.

A Workout and A Half

We did drills for everyone last night -- a lot of pad work, exercises with the medicine ball, and interval training on the heavy bags. I was dripping sweat afterwards. It was an extremely good workout. Too bad we can't do group training every time. Since boxing is not a team sport, trainers have to work with individuals on specific techniques in order to make fighters better.

Steve will be out of the country for a couple of weeks, so the usual rule of no sparring while he's gone applies. I asked him about Nate Sr., who has been dropping in recently most Fridays to get some work in with JJ. "Uh, oh. I'm glad you said something, because I forgot about that," Steve said. He told me he would call Nate to tell him he'd prefer that he'd not spar with JJ or anyone else until he returns. Nate Sr. and JJ never go completely all out when they spar, but it's best not to take the chance on something going wrong.

The coach also asked that I not allow anyone to sign up for the class while he's out. Whenever Steve is gone, someone always comes in, wanting to join the gym. Most times, it's someone who is all hyped up about the idea of boxing, but not about the actual work that goes into it. They usually don't come back again after asking for information.

Lan came in, and brought in a cobra reflex bag. One of the anchor bags needs to be filled with sand or rocks to steady it more, but it's all good. I like working on the cobra bag whenever I go to JABB Gym, so I thought it was cool that she donated it.

Barry and Montrell stopped by. Barry had tried to get Montrell a fight somewhere downtown, but it didn't work out. Indeed, when Steve returns from vacation, there'll be a lot more boxing shows going on for our fighters to participate in.