A Matter Of Attitude

In addition to issues in the neighborhood that have a negative impact at LaFollette Park, there are attitudes that also present challenges to running the boxing program. 

The program is free for those between the ages of eight and seventeen (a few of the gyms will take youths as young as six years old). There are beginning and end dates for each session, but parents and guardians in the area tend to sign up their kids whenever.  Free doesn't mean the class has unlimited spots open.  In order to give proper attention to everyone, there can only be so many participants.  Yet most parents and guardians believe I should make room for youths who often don't show up until halfway through the session.  Youths who sign up later throw off the balance in the room especially when there's a groove that has already been established with those who were there from day one.

Many youths and some of the adults are in the class for the wrong reasons.  I need to talk to people, especially parents and guardians, before anyone registers for the program.  It says so online and on the class fliers.  Most parents and guardians ignore that rule, and it's easy for them to do since everyone can sign up online.  It also says on the fliers that boxing is not a self-defense class, but parents and guardians expect me to teach youths to handle bullying situations. I'm aware that schools have zero-tolerance policies for violence.  I keep wondering why most parents and guardians around LaFollette don't seem to know that or are willing to ignore those policies. 

I'm also curious as to why some parents and guardians don't feel an obligation to let me know if their youths have physical and/or mental conditions. If the staff doesn't have that information beforehand, an incident can turn tragic very quickly.  I've observed that some of the parents and guardians think their youths' health situations aren't that serious.  Some don't seem to have ever taken the time to analyze whether an activity will be appropriate for their youths in light of that.  They just want their kids in -- and I suspect information about health situations gets deliberately withheld.

I've long been tired of parents and guardians who think boxing is going toughen up kids who they believe need it.  I've never forgotten a dad who grumbled that his son's mom (whom the dad was no longer with) was raising their son "soft".  The kid didn't want to be in the class, but dad refused to accept that.  Another parent was angry when they learned their child had no interest in sports at all.  Boxing was the umpteenth sport that they had forced the kid into with no success.  "Ask them what they really want to do, then put them in activities that speak to that interest," I told the parent.  That should have been common sense.

There are the youths in the class whom the parents put in purely for babysitting purposes.  A lot of kids at the field house, regardless of what activity they are in, are not there because their parents care about them having positive experiences.  Parents and guardians who operate on that level do not support the program nor encourage their kids to be more active participants. 

Parents and guardians don't pay attention to what time the class begins.  Time management doesn't exist, and personal responsibility doesn't seem to be taught much.  But I'm expected to work miracles with youths who are twenty or thirty (or more) minutes late to class every day.  I can't enter participants who don't train properly into the City-Wide Boxing Tournament, the Chicago Golden Gloves, nor the park district boxing shows. 

There are youths who have numerous discipline problems, but when I point that out to some parents and guardians, I get no response as to what they are going to do to put a stop to the behavior.  Even more troubling are the ones who tell me, "I can't do anything with her (or him)."  Why do they think that I should keep putting up with it?  Trust me, I won 't.

As for the adults who take boxing, time management is often an issue with them, too.  People forget about the other obligations they have like changing work shifts, dealing with their kids, going to college at night, etc.  Some adults confuse the park district boxing program with the professional boxing classes that are run out of private gyms.  Due to the issues in the neighborhood, many don't sign up because they don't want to be around when the bullets start flying across the park -- and I can't blame them. 

Two Years Ago Means Nothing Today

Ben (on the right) eyes John during their sparring session at Loyola Park in the photo above.  It was a good night of sparring as the ring canvas stayed occupied. I was too stiff to spar again, even though I would have otherwise.

Back at LaFollette Park, I was highly irritated when once again, Jermaine showed up to ask about signing up for the boxing class.  Jermaine was hanging around the gym along with his younger brother and his cousin Marquis when I first started working there.  My records in the equipment room don't go much past 2015, but I don't think Jermaine was ever formally signed up for the class.  There was a lot of confusion regarding registration back then which I have straightened out.  "Is there a boxing tournament?" he asked.  "Brooks Park is having a boxing show tomorrow, and that is the last one we're going to this year," I answered.  "Aw, man," Jermaine sighed.  I don't know why he thought he could participate seeing how he's not in the class nor has he trained for a fight.

Jermaine a couple of boys who were a few years younger than he had trailed behind him into the gym.  I had to keep yelling at them to stay off of the equipment.  Jermaine asked if he could have a paper form to fill out.  The last time we had the same conversation, I told him that the park district stopped doing paper forms two years ago.  "My parents don't know how to use computers," he said.  "Then they have to come in person to sign you up," I replied.  He held up his cell phone for me to see.  "I can call them right now and get permission to be in here."  "It doesn't work like that.  If they don't know how to use a computer, they have to come here in person to sign you up," I said as my irritation kept rising.

"But I was in here two years ago," Jermaine said with a smirk.  "That was two years ago," I said with no trace of humor in my voice.  The boy ticks me off because he has potential, but he refuses to act on it.  Now that I have three kids who have won trophies under me, I don't have patience for kids who want to brag that they take boxing yet don't put the work in.  Jermaine obviously thought I was stupid because he kept trying to slick talk his way into the class without following the steps.  "I have to have your parents' permission for you to be in here, Jermaine.  I'm NOT about to do something that I'm not supposed to do and jeopardize my job.  I like to be able to pay my rent.  Do you understand?" I snapped.  He and his little entourage left after that, but I don't believe Jermaine comprehended the message -- again.  Give it another few weeks or months, and he'll be back in the gym with the same con game again.  After hearing it so many times, I know Jermaine is not serious about the sport.

Maz, Donovan, nor James will be at Brooks Park tomorrow.  Maz's braces are bothering him, and they need to be fixed before he takes on another fight. Donovan claimed he didn't know about the show, but I remember talking to both him and his parents about it some time ago.  James just didn't want to go.  It's just as well because James still hasn't begun to lose the weight he needs to lose in order to get a fight.  That leaves Ariel, who expressed interested in going to that show.  But she didn't show up to train today, so I'm not totally sure that she will go to the boxing show.  I have a feeling I'll be there alone.

The Summer Fifteen

This photo of my nieces (my late younger sister's daughters) is from a couple of years ago when they visited me at Loyola Park.  Today is Jalissa's birthday; she's the one on the left.  Her sister Erica is on the right.

A guy came to LaFollette's boxing gym yesterday with his quiet, nine year old son.  The 12 year old and under class is full, but since the the dad was so sincere about wanting his son to take boxing, I took his son in.  The dad is also willing to be a volunteer in the gym.  But then he added, "I have two other kids who really are interested in doing this, too."  Now I have a whopping 15 -- count 'em -- 15 kids in that class.

I had planned to take on some extra kids anyway because of summer.  But I have to shut the door on any more participants for my own sanity.  It is likely that not all of them will keep showing up on a regular basis after the first week or so.  Having five extra kids in the class is somewhat like insurance padding for the ones whom will drop out.  It's an experiment that I'm only going to do for this upcoming session.  I'm not going to add extra participants in any of the youth classes for the fall, winter, and spring sessions.

The routine for that class is going to have to be adjusted because the younger kids only have an hour to train from here on in.  The shorter time will likely work better because I can really have the kids focus on one or two skills each class meeting.  The hour does not allow for any playing around, however.  Kids who don't focus will find the class time is over before having learned much.

Time keeps slipping away as the July boxing show approaches.  Shanita and Julius did not show up to the gym yesterday, and neither did Kishaun.  There's only about two weeks and a half available for training before the show.  Kishaun's dad used to box, so I'm hoping there's some training going on at home.  Shanita plays basketball, but that's not boxing, and Julius is probably not doing any exercise at all.

I'll be working extra hours when the summer session begins.  I wish the extra hours involved boxing.  Extra hands are needed to help with the summer camp activities.  Summer camp is yet another situation where how well it goes depends on the attitudes of the kids involved.

A Paid Volunteer

The guy from the community organization who mentors kids told me he would like to be a volunteer in the boxing program.  Since I'm not familiar with the kids whom he has signed up for the program, it would be a good idea to have someone in the gym who knows them.  Unlike some people who talk about volunteering, the guy -- Mentor -- knows there is a process that one has to go through in order to be a volunteer.

The Chicago Park District takes volunteering seriously.  Interested individuals have to fill out a form, and the Park District does a background check.  It's not a quick process.  I believe I waited at least three weeks before I heard back from them when I applied to be a volunteer while I was still at Loyola Park.  The main reason for that is most of the activities and programs cater to youths.  The Park District has to be careful about whom they allow around the youths, whether they are volunteers or paid staff members.

I have a couple of individuals who would gladly help me out in the gym.  Their help is really needed now that the 12 and under class is full, and that the 13 and up class is becoming more popular.   I know I can depend on them, and they know the sport.  However, there is resistance on their part about filling out the volunteer forms.  Steve, the field house supervisor, will not let anyone just show up to volunteer without them having applied previously and being approved to do so.  I'll put in a call to those individuals again, but I must emphasize that they have to follow the procedures.

There's a possibility that I might have to wear an extra hat at LaFollette during the summer.  It's a common story; something that wasn't disclosed during the interview process or during employee orientation.  Seasonal employees come in to help run the summer activities, but staff may be pressed into running activities due to a) not having an extra seasonal employee to do that and/or b) based on having a large amount of youths that need to be occupied.  But here's the issue: I do have a job during the day.  It's commissioned based.  I have flexibility with hours, but the bottom line is I have to put in more effort to make money there.  It's a juggling act that I've been successful so far at keeping going. But I'm concerned about perhaps having to take on more responsibilities with the Chicago Park District during the summer and keeping the balance at the day job.  Hopefully I will learn soon if that will be the case so I can make adjustments early on.

Saving Face

I had been out sick for the past couple of days, so it was catch up time in the gym.  Sparring began for the eight to 12 year olds in the gym.

One kid took a couple of rough hits.  The second time I checked to see if he was okay, I noticed the kid's eyes were red.  The kid was holding back tears.  I could have said, "Oh, don't cry," and other similar remarks.  However, that's not what that kid needed or wanted to hear from me.  "Do you want to do another round?" I asked, and the kid shook his head.  "The both of you all did good.  We'll go over it again tomorrow," I said, taking the kid's gloves and hand wraps off.

If I had played a mommy role and started soothing him, it's possible I could have embarrassed the kid.  The kid may have made a decision not to come back to the gym.  Instead, he took a permission form to take home to his parents to sign.