Chilling At Hamlin Park

The video above shows an interesting gentleman that I met at the Hamlin Park boxing show named Phil.  In his younger days, he was a boxer as well as a bodybuilder.  He was showing me pictures of himself doing both 50 years ago.  He has trained boxers, as well.  Phil was showing me how he trains boxers to step into their punches, and how to pivot so they can put more power behind them.  Phil was one of the judges at the show along with Gary.  I can't wait to get back to LaFollette Park to pass Phil's wisdom to the youths.

Alan was there for awhile.  He had expected Rojan to show up, but Rojan wasn't able to make it.  I had stayed home on Monday night, thinking that Loyola Park was closed for Columbus Day.  Alan told me the gym was open, so I missed one of my workout days.

Ernest, Kenny, Barry, Jeff, Gerald, Marty, and Marlon were the other coaches present.  Marty didn't have any fighters with him, but the other guys did.  Both Donovan and James told me they could not attend the show, so I had no fighters with me either.  I helped Barry in the corner with Solomon, one of his fighters. Solomon fought one of David Diaz's fighters; he did well but didn't get the win.

It was chilly in the basketball gym where the ring was set up.  All the windows in the gym were open.  The temperatures are dropping fast in Chicago; during the day, the temps reached the upper fifties but had gone down to the forties when the sun set.   I was already a little chilled when I got to Hamlin.  I left my car at home and decided to take the bus instead.  Not willing to accept that summer is past, I just wore a hoodie with a very light jacket over it.

A young lady who played "The Star Spangled Banner" on her violin at the top of the show also had a fight (check out her story here at http://wgntv.com/2016/10/11/violinist-finds-new-way-to-manage-chronic-pain/). She knocked down the woman she with whom she was in the ring.  Barry exclaimed, "She's really working the jab on her!"  The violinist won her fight.

I've got about two weeks to try and get the youths at LaFollette prepared for Humboldt Park's boxing show.  I'm going to need a whole lot of patience.