Judging Battles at Garfield Park

Garfield Park's boxing show took place yesterday, and thankfully, the weather cooperated despite reports of rain.  Every time I walk into that place I'm reminded of when my late mother and I went there back in the mid-1960's so I could get my shots before starting school.  We used to live a few blocks away from the field house back in the day.

George spotted me walking on a cane.  "Stop faking with that cane!" he said, grinning.  The man gave me some good advice about stopping my knee pain, including losing weight, which I've long needed to do.  While I knew that George had been working for the park district since 1972, I didn't know he had been involved in boxing since 1964.  That's a long time.

Iz and Abraham weren't able to get fights because there was no one available to match them up with.  We might go to Taylor Park in a couple of weeks, but Iz is going to be out of town then.  Most likely, we won't attend another fight until the one at Seward Park in about three weeks.  I need to give time to Maurice and Jamire to catch up so they're ready for matches.  But between the two of them, Maurice appears to be more interested in actually fighting.  I plan to allow Maurice to start sparring in the gym next week.

Before the show began there was a touching tribute to Ed Brown, known as 'Lil Ed, who fought out of Garfield.  Brown was shot and killed several months ago not long before he was going to have a fight on Showtime.  He had 300 amateur fights and was undefeated.  Brown was also undefeated as a professional boxer.  His father and step-mother were present at the show and his step-mom read a letter from a person to whom Brown' kidneys were donated to after his death.

I spent the evening helping with judging the matches, and there were some good ones.  A girl from Taylor Park, I believe, really took it to Mikkela, who fights out of Portage Park.  I saw the Taylor Park fighter in the washroom afterward and gave her a big compliment.  Solomon and Matt, both fighting out of Loyola, did their best but did not get wins.  The younger kids (fighting out of Garfield, Taylor, Fuller, Simons, Ogden, and Portage) went wild on each other all evening.  One boy got knocked to the canvas, and the match was stopped soon after.  An eight-year-old girl agreed to fight one of the boys, but he got the best of her.  She took a hard pop to her nose and that fight was stopped.

Summer seems to be flying by.  We're almost in the middle of July, and there's still a lot of work to do.

Rainout

I knew something was wrong when I drove up to the field house and there was no sign of a boxing ring being set up outside.  When I came inside, my boss told me, "The boxing show has been canceled."  The reason was that of an impending rainstorm.  I began to feel a headache coming on.

Barry called; he was as disappointed as I was that the LaFollette boxing show would not be happening.  In addition to kids from his youth class, he was going to help with the guys from Alan's class who wanted to fight as Alan wasn't able to come to the show.

Of course, Thomas' (the head of the park district boxing program) announcement that the fight wasn't going to happen didn't reach everybody.  His announcements never do.  Everyone is not a fan of checking emails.  I was on my way to work when the email was sent.  People from Portage Park showed up, and so did Marty from Simons Park.  I sent the kids of my gym -- Jamire, Iz, Abraham, and Ariel -- home since class had not been scheduled to take place today.

About the only good thing that happened was that I signed up a couple of teens for the class, Noel and Mikkala.  I also some other people including Miguel, who has been helping Johnny out over at Humboldt Park.

It would have been my third show since I've been a paid coach; now I have to wait until next year.  Park district boxing shows are not re-scheduled if they are canceled.

One Out Of Four

Iz appears to be the only one who is going to compete in tomorrow's boxing show at LaFollette Park.  Abraham hurt his foot yesterday, Jamire doesn't want a match, and David continues to be MIA.

Two new kids, Maurice and Uriah, were signed up today by their mom.  They won't be in class until after the Fourth of July.  Their mother is also interested in taking the class, but she'll have to wait until September.  That's when the adult boxing class will (hopefully) be back on the schedule.

I finally had to get on Jamire today about being lazy and talking too much.  His grandmother backed me up when I told him about the importance of doing all of the workout and being focused.  I didn't yell or scream, but I was firm.  He sparred with Iz who took it easy on him today.

The bulletin board closest to the gym entrance had been tampered with.  I know it was the summer camp kids.  I didn't bother bringing it up to Tina, the camp coordinator since things are still frosty between the two of us.  It's not that she nor the camp counselors would have done much to stop it, just like they haven't been doing for the past couple of summers I've been working there.  I just reinforced the damaged areas with tape and hoped that I don't find the board jacked up again.

Meanwhile At Mandrake

There was a coaches' meeting held at Mandrake.  Basically, it was for the purposes of picking up this year's T-shirts for the boxing participants, hoodies to award to the most improved boxer in our gyms, and fliers and signs advertising the boxing shows.

When I arrived, Jeff, the coach at Taylor Park, hugged me and said, "The champ is here!"  I had hobbled there on my cane, having taken public transportation to get to the meeting.  Thank God Alan was there because I couldn't have carried a box of T-shirts back on the train.  He'll keep them in his car until I can pick them up from him next week.

Thomas asked me why were the summer camp kids allowed to be in the gym at LaFollette when I'm not there.  I had mentioned to him my concerns about the gym equipment and bulletin boards being tampered with as well as food being dropped on the floor.  Summer camp begins next week.  I learned that kids should not be in any park district boxing gym if the coach is not present.  The idea is to prevent accidents from happening due to kids playing around on the equipment.  I emailed my boss and cc'd the summer camp coordinator with the information I received from Thomas as soon as I arrived home.  I'm certain I will get push back from the summer camp counselor as the kids' presence in the gym has been a touchy spot between her and me for the past two summers.  However, I have to follow the rules of the program I'm working under, and the camp counselor will have to respect that rule.

A Straight Right Changes The Mind

Still no sign of David, but Jamire, Iz, and Abraham came to class today.  I was extremely happy to see Iz and Abraham because I was afraid that I would be stuck for the whole hour and a half alone with Jamire.  Don't get me wrong -- Jamire is a nice enough kid.  But the whining about "I'm tired" and constantly making conversation and asking incessant questions to avoid doing training has gotten on my last nerve.  Jamire was also going on about being sleepy and his stomach allegedly hurting, too.

When sparring began, I put Iz and Jamire in first.  Jamire was using both of his fists, crossing his feet, turning his back, and allowing Iz to pummel him every time he was backed into a corner.  It wasn't much better when I put Abraham in.  Abraham caught Jamire with a straight right to the chin.  Jamire crashed to the canvas.

For a second, I thought that Jamire had been knocked out.  His mouthpiece was laying to one side on the canvas.  Jamire wasn't moving.  Abraham and Iz also rushed over to see if he was okay.  Jamire shook his head "no", so I removed his headgear and made him sit up.  Abraham gave him some water.  "Do you want to keep going?" he asked Jamire.  Jamire shook his head again.  I let Iz and Abraham spar for an extra round and told Jamire no more sparring for him today. Iz and Abraham both gave Jamire advice on how to do better the next time.

 At the end of class, Jamire's grandmother arrived to pick him up and I told her what happened.  She smiled, "He just has to get used to it."  Jamire has changed his mind about participating in next week's boxing show, so that leaves me with just three contenders instead of four (that's if David ever shows up).  "I think I need some more experience," Jamire told me and his grandmother.

A More Than Full House

I walked into the Loyola Park field house to find about 25 people lining the hallway for boxing class.  Today was the beginning of the summer session there; LaFollette Park's summer session began a week ago.  "Woo!  There are a lot of people here today!" I said as I walked down the hall.  Several of the new people smiled.

I didn't do much of a workout because I was very stiff.  Most times I can work the stiffness out, but it wasn't happening.  Besides, it was very packed in that small gym, so I thought it would be better to help both Alan and Paul get the new people situated.

William told me that he was going to public school for the first time in the fall.  "I've been homeschooled all of my life," he said.  I know a few kids who are being homeschooled, but I have not come across many teens who have been.  I hope the transition is not too difficult for him, especially since William will be starting high school.

As Alan drove me home later, I told him, "I like my job at LaFollette Park, but I don't dig the office politics and gossip."  After having been caught running my mouth about things I didn't have the facts straight about early on in my working life, I learned to stay above and out of office gossip culture as much as possible.  However, the run-in I had with Tina at LaFollette Park a week ago also proves that despite one not buying into the gossip game, there are others who will not only take the ball but keep running with it while refusing to recognize the path is heading into the wrong goalpost.  We can't really change what people want to believe about us.  But dealing with pettiness and foolishness caused by those beliefs is a pain in my backside.

Musical Chairs In The Gym

Jamire, one of the new kids in the boxing program, showed up yesterday with his grandmother.  Jamire appears to be a nice kid, but his grandmother was accurate in her assessment of her grandson being lazy.  She told me of her concern about her grandson always sitting and playing video games and generally not being active.

It wasn't long before Jamire was complaining about being tired and the workout being hard.  After just about every round the boy was sitting down, then taking too long to get up when the bell timer went off again.  His grandmother noticed it first, and she got on him about it.  It was as if Jamire was playing musical chairs. I gave him, as well as Abraham and Iz who came in later, a bit of a pass because it was hot in the gym.  The built in the fans in the gym were only pushing air around; that's all the fans ever do.  But I told Jamire that I don't allow people to sit for long periods of time.  "If you want to win fights, you'll do the workout," I said.  Before I went home yesterday, I left a chair out for his grandmother to sit in, but I put the other chair, which I normally use, away.  I can stand up, and Abraham, Iz and David seldom sit down when they are there.  Jamire is not going to keep sitting down when he's there.

Abraham and Iz sparred, and Jamire wanted to get in on it.  But he has to learn the punches first.  I no longer teach all of the punches in one class because that was not an effective way to do that.  I was doing that in the past because most kids who signed up before class began were not showing up until a week or two later.  I wanted to get them up to speed quickly.  Others were not signing up until after the class had been going on for three weeks or more.  But I'm not making that my problem anymore.  Regardless of when anyone signs up, that first week is reserved for teaching the punches and going over basic footwork.  No one new will be allowed to spar until the second week they are in class.

Of the four new kids whom I called the other day to remind them that class had begun for the summer, Jamire was the only one who came in.  I'm not making any more phone calls.  If the others don't show up after a few days, I'll have to assume there's no interest in the class on their part and just keep it moving.

I'm not one for roaming around the LaFollette Park field house.  I'm supposed to be in the gym the majority of the time I'm at work so that's where I stay.  I didn't see Tina, whom I had a run-in with the other day.  Her car was in the parking lot, so I knew she was there. I'm still deciding how to respond to her.  I pride myself for having not escalated the situation.  I have a volcanic temper, so trust me when I say that was a credit to me when I decided not to blow up on her.  Perhaps I am becoming a little mellow in my old age.  I'm thinking I should go with the "kill them with kindness" route and at least acknowledge that she exists when I see her.

But I'm also leaning heavily towards giving her a piece of professional advice -- that is if she wants to listen.  I was a few years younger than her  (Tina is in her late 20s) when I got caught up in the gossip culture at the place where I was working.  I foolishly repeated something that someone else had said about a co-worker, just like Tina did to me.  I caught hell for it from the target of the gossip and rightfully so.  I learned a lesson the hard way that day.  Tina needs to learn that before she repeats and/or acts on some wayward information again.  The next time she does that, no matter whether it's at the Chicago Park District or at another job down the line, it may cost her something in terms of her job or career.  She can't afford that, and to be honest, neither can anyone else in any workplace.

Two Lessons Not Often Taught

Recently, I learned of an incident that took place a couple of months ago at the Chicago City-Wide Boxing Tournament, which is run by the park district.  One of the kids lost a fight.  When the second place trophy was handed to them, the kid threw the trophy down in anger.  "I don't want that!" they yelled before stomping away.  An attempt was made to give the trophy to the kid's coach.  The coach had an even worse attitude about their kid's loss.  They didn't want the trophy either.

Since I had no one in that tournament, I did not attend this year.  After hearing what happened, I'm glad that I wasn't because I would have had to say something to that kid and their coach about their behavior.  I don't tolerate that type of stuff at my gym nor at boxing shows and tournaments from my fighters.  No coach should be condoning behavior like that from their fighters.

Just last year, I was at a boxing show where several young men from one gym kept grumbling about being "robbed" and being "cheated" after most of them had lost their bouts.  At the end of the evening, the young men were still grumbling on their way out of the field house.  I had enough of their comments and was about to put them in check, but two other coaches beat me to it.  Their admonishing had no effect on the young men, who choose not to listen to reason.

The year before, I had to deal with someone in my gym who completely lost it when their fight was stopped during another boxing show. The referee, myself and the head of the city's boxing program all caught the brunt of that person's anger.  As a result, that person was banned from LaFollette's boxing program.

It doesn't appear that two important lessons are being taught to young people these days.  The first lesson is life is not fair.  The second lesson is everyone is not going to get what they want every time.  Those lessons should be started early and reinforced often.

Imagined Offence Syndrome

All I said was, "I need to use the computer."  That request prompted Tina, the gymnastics and modern dance instructor (in addition to being the summer camp coordinator) to snap on me today.

Today was the first day of the summer session at LaFollette.  I needed to check the computer to see if any other kids had signed up for boxing.  Without any emotion in my voice, I made my request to Tina and her little daughter, who were eating at the desk where the staff computer sits.  I was patient and quiet as they moved.  The next second, Tina snaps, "Hillari, I know you hate kids, but you did not have to be rude.  I don't do you like that!"

Let me back up a couple of years.  Gossip was spread by another staff person based on their observance of my no-nonsense, old school ways of dealing with unruly kids at the field house that I "hate" kids.  If I was that intolerant of kids, I sure as hell would NOT be working for the Chicago Park District.  However, the gossip has continued to spread. I know she made that statement based on what she heard two years ago, as opposed to asking me directly for correct news reports.  "I didn't think I was being rude, but I apologize if you thought that," I replied.  Tina wouldn't let well enough alone as she kept grumbling about my alleged rudeness as she and her kid left the room.

I followed her out to the front desk.  "Excuse me, but the fact that someone does not have kids is not an indicator of how they feel about them," I stated.  She dismissed me and kept walking.  "Whatever," I said dryly, and I went back to doing what I get paid to do.   Sometimes, one has to allow people to stew in their own excrement.

Abraham and Iz came in, but no sign of David.  For the running portion of the class, I had them run on the track that is up above the swimming pool.  We did the punch mitts when we returned to the boxing gym.  I'm very glad I thought to ask both boys what they felt they needed help doing.  Abraham told me he wanted to work on his left uppercut so we did.  He's getting better at lifting his foot up slightly to give a little more power to that punch.  Iz wanted to work on his hooks.  Iz's left hooks snapped nicely into the punch mitts.

The other four kids in the class -- all new kids -- didn't show so I called their homes.  A couple of the parents/guardians straight up forgot that the class began today.  "Don't worry," I assured them, "they didn't miss anything."  I just continued the normal routine with the ones who were there.  The new kids may have a chance to compete in this month's boxing show, but a lot depends on if they attend class regularly between now and then.

A Dead Transfer and Hordes Of Teenagers

It appears that a coach was hired to run the boxing gym at Eckhart Park, so my attempt to be transferred there is now dead in the water.  For the time being, I'm stuck with a long commute to LaFollette Park, mostly indifferent kids, and parents who don't appear to support the program.  I remember hearing that the community really wanted a boxing program re-opened there before I was hired.  But, honestly?  The community's alleged enthusiasm for a boxing program has never appeared to be very high.  Not by a long shot.  I've been there nearly three years, and my efforts to generate more interest in the boxing program has been difficult to achieve.  That really bothers me because I know how boxing can benefit youths in so many ways in and outside of the ring.

Today is the first day of the summer session for my program.  Alan's class at Loyola Park ended on June 7th, and I believe it doesn't begin again until June 19th.  He's going to have a lot of returning people for his summer session, however.  Several of the guys -- Roman, John, Michael, Ben, Reif, Matt -- expressed interest in fighting at LaFollette's boxing show later this month.  I have to get out the word to the other park district coaches that there are some light heavyweight and heavyweight fighters who are looking to have matches at my show.

William, who looks like a college student, but who is actually 14 years old was in Loyola's gym last night.  I'm assuming that Barry has been giving him permission to come to the adult class for extra training in light of the fact that the boxing shows will soon commence.

Frenchessa was the only other woman who was in the gym last night.  She kept going on the speed bag even though the bell was red.  "I think I'm a good height to box.  It appears there are a lot of tall women in this sport," she said.  A little more height might have helped me while I was competing.  But like an aunt of mine who is 4 foot 10 always says, "Dynamite comes in small packages."  Frenchessa is in her early 20s, and she wants to train for a couple of years before competing.

I saw that another kid signed up for the 12 and under boxing class at LaFollette.  I have not met either of the two new kids who will be joining the class, nor have I talked to their parents.  That bothers me, especially when now the phrase, "please talk to the instructor before registering" is on the paper class schedule and online.  Either parents aren't noticing that request or they are ignoring it.  If it's the latter, that has the possibility of causing negative issues as the class goes on, and I'm never in the mood for that.

Something else I have to watch out for -- hordes of roaming teenagers hanging about in the gym.  Over the last couple of weeks, I've had teens strolling in asking about the class.  Most do not appear to be serious about it, and frankly, I have zero toleration for that.  A few of them were led by Desire, a kid I met when I first started working at LaFollette.  Her younger sister was in the class back then, but Desire was not.  Desire has been talking about signing up recently, but I haven't forgotten her saying "I don't want to box because I don't want people thinking I'm a man!" three years ago.  I suspect her real motivation (like too many of the teen girls at LaFollette) is to position herself in spots where she thinks most of the boys will be.  I like Desire, but I'm not running "The Dating Game" nor "Love Connection" out of the gym.

I'm not running a free babysitting service for parents who want to dump their little darlings off on me because they want them out of the house as much as possible, either.  Neither the youth nor the teen class is filled up completely at the moment.  But give it time.  Several parents, having forgotten once again that summer happens every year, will show up four to five weeks into the session to beg me to take their kids in the class.  The window was missed for putting their little wonders into summer camp, so they have to scramble to find another activity.  Unfortunately, out of that group, I end up with kids who don't want to be in boxing and they scrap the class after a few times.  It happens too often.

Before I forget, I saw the movie Wonder Woman over the past weekend.  It was way better than the other superhero movies of late.  Former boxer Ann Wolfe -- who is now a trainer -- was in the movie.  Her part was small, but I hope if there is a sequel, her character will have a bigger role.  In one scene, it looked like she gave a devastating body shot to a male soldier (the film is set during WWI) who along with other soldiers, had invaded Paradise Island.  She was handling her business for real.

Jobs At The Fights

Blood was in one of the sinks in the men's washroom in the gym a couple of days ago.  Both David and Abraham were rocked by punches given out by Iz during sparring.  The real test is going to see how fast that blood gets cleaned up -- if it is cleaned at all.  I wasn't at the gym yesterday because I had to go to CPR training, so I didn't see if that job had been done.  There's long been a problem with the downstairs washrooms not being as clean as they should be.  I'll put it like this -- spraying disinfectant in the air and just pouring bleach in the toilets and leaving it is not the proper way to clean the washrooms.

I was thinking that by the time Ariel signs up for the summer session two or three weeks will have gone by.  She graduates from 8th grade today, and she's going on vacation next week.  She will not be ready for LaFollette's boxing show due to the days she will miss on top of the days she missed training during the spring session.  If I'm not mistaken, Ariel showed up less than 20 days during the session which runs for 50 days.  She has good hands and decent movement.  However, none of that is necessarily going to help her against another girl who was training more.  I plan to put Ariel to work -- if she shows up -- on helping with the glove table at the boxing show.

I expect Iz, David, and Abraham to work the glove table if they don't get fights, too.  They could also help me in the corner if one of them gets a fight and the others don't.  It has irritated me a bit when kids who didn't get fights in past LaFollette boxing show immediately go home.  They should stay to watch the fights especially if they've never had one to get an idea of what to expect.  I'm also about teaching kids how to work the corners and warm other kids in the class up for fights by using the mitts, so they should stick around for that, too.  My goal is to show the kids that there are many other jobs in the gym other than fighting.

Back To Loyola

Yesterday, I went to Loyola Park after not being there for a few weeks. I plan to go there weekly again during the summer months, but play it by ear once the weather turns cold again.  I was surprised at the energy I had; it was a good workout.

There was a good amount of sparring with the most interesting session taking place between Erica and Danielle.  It may have been Danielle's first time sparring.  She was covering up her face a lot, but she was not returning a lot of punches, even when she was close enough in range to do so.  Danielle would run up on Erica, but not do much when she got there.  Later, Danielle told me that she didn't want to hurt her.  Erica took it easy on her during the session and gave her some tips.

Meanwhile at LaFollette .  .  . I've already gotten notices from Barry at Loyola and Ernest at Fuller that they want me to contact them.  Everyone wants to see if they can pre-match fighters for my boxing show which happens during the last week of this month.  I'm thinking I shouldn't have much of a problem with getting bouts for Iz, Abraham, and David.  I have been putting a little more on the boys to get them ready.  I have them run on the track in the back of the field house for a few laps a couple of days out of the week, for example.

Ariel graduates from 8th grade this week.  She is the salutatorian of her class.  She told me she's going to have her mother sign her up for the summer session which begins next week.   I'm wondering with her busy summer schedule that includes a job and volunteer work how is she going to fit training in.

Due to new crash bars that have been installed on the doors in the gym at LaFollette, some of those doors can no longer be locked.  I don't like the feeling that the gym may be less secure, but there is not much I can do about it.  Someone was in my office/equipment room space again -- things were moved around -- which irritated me and did not add to me feeling positive about the crash bars.  The bladder inside one of the speed bags was busted, so I had to replace it.  I was also able to hang up another bag so finally, all three of the heavy bag/speed bag stands has a speed bag on it.  Now if I could only get the other equipment I ordered months ago, that would be nice.

Coaches' Public Service Annoucement

A PSA for parents who have kids enrolled in boxing classes:

I, nor any other coach is there to coddle them. That's what daycare and nurseries are for. That's what Miss Crabtree, or Mr. Jones, or whatever the names of your kids' grade and high school teachers are, may be doing. 

I'm not there to teach your kid how to beat up some other kid in school or in the neighborhood who is picking on them. I am aware that most schools have zero tolerance for violence policies, and I and not going to contribute to violating those policies. Teach them how to hand out those types of beat downs at home, like my mother taught me at home, if you want the kids to be able to defend themselves. Boxing is a sport, and I'm preparing your kid for competitions, not for scraps out on these streets.

I'm not paid to babysit, and I seldom do that in my personal life, so don't use my gym as a spot to push the kids off on me because y'all don't want to be bothered with them.  I might get personal and ask why y'all wanted to have kids in the first place.  

If a kid is being disruptive and disrespectful, I will turn into my mother on them. And while I can't put my hands on your kids, I can and will hurt their feelings to the quick if they try me. 

Don't complain about me admonishing and/or yelling at your kids when they are not focused because my job is to push them to be the best they can be while they are in the ring. I used to compete, so I know how easy it is to get injured. I don't have time for lazy, unmotivated, uncoachable kids.

Don't get an attitude when I suggest that your kid should sign up for a different sport or activity when it's obvious they don't want to be in boxing. 

Don't expect your kid to learn how to box if they can't show up to train every day.  No, your kid can't train for two or more sports at one time, especially if all the practices are going on at the same time. They need to stick to one whether it's the one I coach or another sport in order to get good at it. I have a lesson plan that covers the several days the gym is open not one day.  I don't have time to keep up where I left off regarding your kid's training when they are showing up to gym one day and missing several other days.

Don't assume that boxing is a good fit for a special needs child, or a child who is dealing with some other mental, emotional or physical issue. First of all, I'm not a medical doctor nor mental health professional. Don't send some social worker to convince me to take your child in my gym.  Talk to me before you enroll them, whether the kid has an issue or not. I need to tell you about the program and what the expectations for your kids are so we are all on the same page.

Don't expect your kid to be first in line always when I've got to deal with the other kids in the gym, too. Their parents expect me to give them attention, too. 

Don't bring along your other kids, nieces, nephews, godchildren, grandchildren, young cousins, and friends' kids to the gym if they aren't signed up for the class.  The kids who are actually in the class don't need to be distracted while training.  I'm not going to give lessons to kids who aren't on my attendance sheet, and they aren't going to be allowed to touch the equipment.  

No, your kid may not get a fight every time we go to a boxing show because there may not be a suitable opponent available for their age, weight, and experience.  I'm not even going to consider putting them in a fight if I know they haven't trained enough for one, and that will be my final decision. It's not up for discussion.  If the kid gets a fight and doesn't win, I'm not going to argue with the referee and judges in a vain attempt to try and change their decisions.  I'm not going to tolerate a parent causing a scene because they think their kid was "robbed".  I'm also not going to tolerate a kid who is a sore loser.  

Yes, I DO mind when I'm being told how to run the gym and a parent thinks they have a right to play coach when I'm already doing the job. If a parent wants to be a volunteer, fill out the application and submit to a background check.  Even if accepted as a volunteer, parents need to never lose sight of the fact that there is only one boss in the gym, and that's me.  

When Kids Disappear, So Do Their Opportunities

Ariel got in trouble with her grandmother the other day.  Grandma showed up unexpectedly to pick her up from the gym, but Ariel wasn't there.  The girl dropped in briefly to drop off her book bag.  "I'll be back," she told me, but a half-hour went by.  Ariel's been doing that since she's been taking the class.  Whenever she starts talking about getting a fight, I remind her that she needs to show up more often to train, as well as remain for the entire class time.  Grandma was not happy to find that Ariel wasn't where she was supposed to be.  In fact, it was discovered that the girl wasn't even inside the field house.  "Too much goes on out here in the streets for these kids to just roam around," her grandmother said, and I agreed.  I suspect both the grandmother and her mother had a deep conversation with Ariel when she got home.

Iz and his brother Abraham have been absent for a couple of days.  David had no chance to spar yesterday because of that.  It concerns me because Iz and Abraham have already signed up for the summer class (as has David).  I can buy the excuses about arriving late most days because of having to travel from school.  I know that they miss one day every week due to swimming.  But their tardiness and disappearances here and there are not going to cut it next session.  They won't have school as an excuse, and the boxing shows will be happening.

Commitment from the youths has always been in short supply in the boxing program.  No matter how many times I tell the youths (and parents/guardians) that opportunities, like competing for example, and sparring, to an extent are not going to be available to them because of poor training habits and poor attendance, it doesn't sink in.  I'm beginning to suspect there's a willful lack of wanting to listen.  So I'm fully prepared to take the heat when I deny youths opportunities in the program because of their own actions.

Recognizing Potential

J, a trainer at LaFollette Park, has taken an interest in Ariel regarding her training.  He had her skip rope 500 times the other day.  She did it with ease.  He's not the only one who's always checking for her down at the gym.  People are very interested in watching her train because she has good potential when it comes to competing.  Unfortunately, Ariel doesn't show up to the gym consistently.  I would like to schedule sparring sessions for her with other fighters within the park district, but her attendance, on top of the fact that she's female, makes that hard to do.

I had to lightly admonish Iz and his brother Abraham this past Saturday.  They showed up to the gym on Friday -- late, as usual -- found the door locked and didn't check around enough to learn that I was there.  In their defense, I might have forgotten to open the door that leads to the other set of doors that open into the gym.  It's happened from time to time.  But if they would at least had kicked and banged on the door, I would have heard that.  So those two missed out on sparring.  They were in the field house on Saturday because they opt to go to swimming instead of boxing on that day.

There's been no more talk about the seniors having their own boxing class.  A class for them should have been on for this spring.  I keep hearing that those who are supposedly interested in boxing haven't met yet to decide when they want to take the class.  The idea was presented to them back in February, and now, it is May.  I'm over it at this point.  I was willing to run the class, but I don't have time for this "we can't make up our minds" stuff.  My priorities now are to keep the summer camp kids out of my gym as much as possible this summer, preparing people for the boxing shows, and focus on getting the adult boxing class back on the schedule for fall.

A City-Wide Mix Up

Yesterday, Ariel asked about signing up for the Chicago City-Wide Tournament.  "The registration has passed," I told her.  Besides, Ariel hadn't been around enough so we could make plans to sign up.  Ariel didn't come in today but was hoping that Porsche will come in soon.  Ariel wants to spar on Thursday if Porsche shows up because she's going out of town on Friday.  So it looks as if she'll miss a week of training which is not a good situation.  I have yet to see Porsche spar or fight so I don't know how she'll stack up against Ariel.

Today, Fermin, the coach at Harrison Park, called me, wondering why one of my fighters didn't show up for a match with one of his fighters at the City-Wide.  I believe the fighter was Anthony, who is not one of my fighters, but one of Derek's North Lawndale Boxing League kids who signed up at my gym.  For some reason, I had a feeling that something like this would happen.  "I don't have Derek's phone number, but call Thomas (the head of the boxing program).  He might have his number," I told Fermin.  I was a little irritated to think that people down at the City-Wide probably assumed that one of my own fighters had backed out of a commitment.

Abraham and Itzcoatl have not shown up to the gym since last Friday.  Alyssa and Mia have been gone for longer than a week. David was the only one who showed up.  He wanted to spar but that's not possible when other kids don't keep their commitment to show up to class.  I'm glad I didn't give any mouthpieces out because that might have been a wasteful thing to do.  I've given out mouthpieces to those who dropped out of the class right after they got them.  I've made the mistake of giving mouthpieces to those who said they were interested in signing up and did not, like Jayla, for example. Now I wait a couple of weeks into the session before I give mouthpieces out.  But even that is no guarantee anyone is going to follow through with the class.

LaFollette Walkovers and Open Doors

Thomas emailed out a list of youths who signed up for the Chicago City-Wide Tournament (which takes place this week).  Two of the kids signed up at LaFollette who are with Derek's North Lawndale Boxing League -- Blake and Porsche -- were listed as walkovers.  They didn't get fights, so they won by default.

If Ariel had shown up to train more often, she could have been paired with Porsche.  That ship has sailed, along with my chance of seeing any part of the Chicago Golden Gloves Tournament this year.  This was the first time in about 14 years that I missed going to the fights.  I never made it to either John or Michael's bouts (and unfortunately, they both lost), and I had no one in the competition from my gym.  Hopefully, the Chicago Park District boxing shows will turn out better.

In another bid to keep the destructiveness of the summer camp kids from touching the gym at LaFollette, I sent an email to Steve today requesting that the kids go to another room to get their snacks while camp is in session.  I'm still trying to put together a senior aerobic boxing class for the summer.  The last thing I or the seniors need is summer camp kids ripping and running in the gym and trashing it.  The boxing program has been running for nearly three years now; it's long been time for the summer camp kids to stop using that room.

Late last week, I found my office/equipment room door standing wide open.  No one knew who had been in there.  In the email, I also asked Steve to remind those who have keys to that room to keep it locked.  Summer is coming and brings a lot of people into the field house who are just roaming around.  I can't run the boxing program if a majority of the equipment comes up missing.

Four For Spring

Abrahant and Itzcoatl showed up about twenty minutes late on this first day of the spring session.  The two brothers and their father said the bus bringing the boys home was late.  "Okay, I understand being late.  What I don't want is people showing up one day then missing the next several days," I told them.  Alyssa and Mia were late, too, arriving with their mother about ten minutes after the boys did.

Despite that, the class was pleasant.  The kids seemed eager to learn, and I made the decision not to show them everything on the first day.  Today we went over the one-two combination (jab, right) and basic footwork.  Tomorrow, I'll introduce the hooks, and the day after that, the uppercut.  No sparring until next week and the kids will have to buy mouthpieces unless I either find some in another storage room in the field house or the ones I requested to be ordered come in.

I distinctly remember telling Ariel that today was the first day of the spring session after she erroneously showed up last week. Considering that Porshe can only come to the gym one or two days out of the week, neither need to miss out on catching each other.  No teens showed up today.  Ariel and Porshe don't know it yet, but unless some more teenage girls sign up for the class, they are going to have to be each other's main sparring partner for the entire session.

Extra People

Derek brought his kids in for sparring today.  One kid became very gassed out. Derek told me the kid, a 14-year-old, likes to smoke.  "Can't do this sport and be a smoker," I told the kid.

I learned that Derek actually signed up 15 kids for the youth class.  Fortunately, even though the staff member who took the registrations took a while to put the names in the system, they did put three of the kids on the wait list.  The class can only hold twelve.  I know that the 21 who have signed up (that's including the six currently signed up for the spring teen class) won't all show up every day at the same time.  I told Derek to bring along the three who are on the wait list.

Once the sparring was done, Derek asked the kids about some things they would like to see changed in their neighborhood.  He also told them about some things he had gone through as a young man.  Derek was once a gang member who ended up doing some time.  But he changed his life around and decided to help kids in the area not to make the same mistakes.  I really liked how he interacted with the kids in that way.

The other day, Steve pulled me aside and told me he would not order women's chest protectors for me.  "I don't want you to get hurt like that," he told me.  "It's not for me.  I don't spar with the kids.  It's for the girls who spar and who might participate in matches," I said to him.  Steve was relieved.  "Oh, for a minute, I thought those would be for you!" he said.  I haven't sparred at Loyola Park in awhile because of my gait problems, but someday, I'll get back to that.  But I cut out sparring with anyone at LaFollette.  I never felt comfortable sparring with the youths in the past so I've cut that out completely.  They need to spar with peers to get experience, not with the old lady running the gym.

Not Feeling A Lack Of Work Ethics

I haven't been to the Golden Gloves this year, and I'm not sure if I will go.  I didn't have any competitors entered in it, and time has been tight with all the other things -- taking in transcription work, attending Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University, crafting stories for confession magazines, etc. -- that have been going on.  I haven't missed a year of going since 2003, but this time. . .I don't know.

Phil, whom I met at Hamlin during a boxing show some months ago, came to the gym to show me some techniques.  Phil is in his 70s, and he would like to pass along knowledge that he has picked up over the years.  I was very appreciative that he did that, and he's planning on coming in again today.  Derek happened to stop in while Phil was there, and he got some knowledge too.

Derek told me he signed up a few more teens for the spring boxing class.  I gave him a roster for the kids' class.  Amazingly, that class is full.  Usually, because of parents taking their sweet time to sign kids up, the class doesn't become full until a few weeks after the session has started.  Derek needs a roster for the teen class as well, so I told him I would print one for him to give to him the next time he comes in.  But yesterday, when I printed the roster, the extra names were not there.

Now I'm irritated.  Not at Derek -- I know he did what he said.  But it's been increasingly apparent that sometimes, patrons aren't being signed up because some staff members just don't feel like registering people at the time people come in.  I don't want to start any friction because I've been in wars with too many co-workers at other jobs in the past.  I'm tired of the conflicts.  However, making up excuses about the system being down, it's too early or too late in the day to register, etc., is NOT acceptable.  Patrons who get turned away may not return later to register for various reasons, including finding some other activity and some other place where the staff's customer service skills were better.  There are days when I don't feel like doing things.  But the company is not paying me to avoid what they hired me to do.

I'm thinking that maybe Derek was told to write down the teens' contact information so it could be entered later.  But that's not how registration is supposed to be done.  Paper registrations were done away with nearly three years ago.  That happened to someone else several months ago.  When they showed to class, their name was not on the attendance list.  Their parent confirmed that they did come in days earlier to register.  I ended up doing the registration to set things right.  If I find out that what happened in this instance, I'll just tell Derek to come to me directly the next time so everything is done correctly.  But I'm still going to be ticked off.  If people handle the programs and activities they are responsible for like that, that's their business. But I would appreciate patrons in my program NOT to be shuffled off like that because of poor work ethics on another staff person's part.

North Lawndale Fighters

Derek showed up with three of his fighters yesterday: his son Derek, Porsche, and Anthony who said he likes to be called "Ant".  If I think a kid's nickname or real name is ridiculous, no, I won't be calling them by that.  Today, he'll be bringing more kids for the purposes of sparring.  "How many kids will you have coming in here?" he asked me.  "We're in the break period between sessions.  They won't be here until April 4th," I answered.  I had half-a-mind to call some of the kids who were in the winter session to get them in for that.  But seeing how most of them hardly showed up during the 50-day session, I decided I wasn't going to waste my time on the phone.  I'll start fresh next month.

Derek runs North Lawndale Boxing League.  The league is not a part of the Chicago Park District.  Derek runs it out of various spaces as well as out of his garage.  The league is allowed to compete in park district boxing shows.  They also go to other amateur boxing competitions.  Derek started the league in 2010 to give back to his neighborhood and to get kids off the street and doing something positive.

Looks like me moving to Eckhart Park is still on the table, but I haven't heard much about the progress on that.  No one has been hired as the coach over there as of yet.  I thinking that a decision should be made soon because the spring session begins the week after next.

Departure and Passed Over At The Gloves

John did fight at the Golden Gloves.  It was a close decision, but John lost.  Michael ended up getting a bye twice, so he's in the semi-finals.  Michael's fight is scheduled for this Friday.  Ben joked and said it would be something if Michael was passed over again.  Perhaps he would then end up in the finals.

Kathy is leaving the gym permanently.  She's going on a road trip, and then she's joining the Peace Corps.  She was a great sparring partner.  I'm sorry to see her go, but she'll have a grand adventure.

Tonight was the first time I had been at Loyola Park in a couple of weeks.  One week I took off due to being tired and sore.  The following week, I babysat for a friend of Nayhomee, who used to train at Loyola.  I got in a good workout despite being as stiff as a board in the beginning.  My body seems to react well to working out before going right back to its usual state. 

Matt had some very good sparring with Ben and John.  Alan sparred with Ben later.  "I know he's not going to beat me up," Alan grinned. 

I'm not really looking forward to tomorrow at LaFollette.  While I don't mind that the coach from Franklin Park (I wasn't aware that any kind of boxing was going on there) has registered some of his kids into the LaFollette boxing program, I am concerned about a couple of the kids.  You see, they had signed up for my program last spring but never showed up to class.  I find it curious that they apparently have been able to show up for a boxing class at Franklin Park, but were not motivated to come to LaFollette in the past.  Franklin Park's coach will train them.  This I gotta see.  I'm tempted to ask the two girls why they're so interested in the sport now considering that they didn't seem to care about it when they were taking up space on the attendance list in my gym. 

There was a ray of hope when Ariel said she wanted to compete in the City-Wide Tournament a few weeks ago.  But I believe the window of time to register for that has closed.  On top of that, Ariel hasn't been in the gym much since then.  In fact, she only showed up seven times during the winter session.  That's seven days out of a total of 50 days in all.  She hasn't signed up again for the spring session, either, even though I reminded her of that some time ago.  I keep hearing that I have to get the attendance numbers up for the classes.  However, most don't bother to sign up until three or four weeks into the session.  I can't do anything about people whom, for whatever reason, won't get it in gear to get their names on the attendance sheets. 

No Effort, No Privileges

Last week, Ariel asked if I could set up some sparring sessions for her.  I was going to call some of the coaches when I realized that it's just about the end of the winter session.  Also, Ariel hasn't been in the gym since that day, and she had not been there for several days before that.  I made the mistake of making that effort for Tyler a few weeks ago; it was a waste of time.  Tyler has basically dropped out of the program along with most of the others.

What I have to let parents and youths alike know is if the youths don't do much of anything in the gym, they will not be allowed to do anything at all in the program. Boxing is not a sport where people can do things half-assed or not at all and expect good results.  I'm not going to let people enter competitions or spar for that matter just because their names are on the attendance list.

I'm already wondering whom of the few who have already signed up are going to "forget" to show up in April when the spring session begins.  I learned to expect that out of some of the adults at Loyola Park each session.  I thought the kids would act differently, but no.  No-shows are now viewed by me as signs of a lack of consideration, a lack of commitment, and poor time management.  I won't make phone calls to find out what happened because I have better things to do with my time.  My time is better spent working with the ones who bother to show up.

A Possible Return of Adults

Ariel showed up after another long absence.  She's the third kid who has been missing from the gym due to school. She wants to compete in the City-Wide Tournament which will take place during spring break in April.  I know the weigh-ins are later this month, and I need to find out those dates.

I also need to find sparring for her, since none of the other teens have been coming to class. It's going to be a challenge to find girls at the other park district gyms who are Ariel's age, height, and weight.  It's going to be a challenge to find girls at all.  Not every park district boxing gym has girls.

I proposed to have the adult boxing class put back on the schedule beginning this summer.  Most adults who keep telling me "I just want to hit the bags", don't want to participate in a formal class.  The class has to be marketed to those who may have prior boxing experience but don't want a coach standing over them.   They need to be given the feeling of being in an open gym, even though the park district does not run open gyms.  However, the adults still have to pay for the class whether they want me to coach them or not.

Counting Down The Days

Not long ago, I heard an old interview with Billy Joel (pictured above).  Joel used to box a lot when he was younger.  "I really liked boxing.  I don't know why I gave it up," he said.

As I expected, Jada did not show up on Wednesday as promised by her mother this past Saturday.  The girl acted as if she was extremely enthusiastic about learning to box the last time she was in the gym.  Her mother keeps saying her daughter really wants to participate.  But actions are telling me otherwise.  Jada hasn't been in the gym for three weeks.  It didn't help that she signed up two weeks after the session started, didn't show up until about a week after that, and has been MIA since then.

None of the kids showed up to the gym on Wednesday.  Only Donovan, who's study and homework schedule is heavy, has a valid excuse for not being there. However, James may have been missing again due to his poor grades.  From what I understand, James is still on "punishment" even though he had been allowed to return to the gym.

I saw that Ismael, a new kid, signed up for the spring session.  However, they signed up online.  A quick check of the class description online showed that the line "instructor approval needed" wasn't there as I had requested.  It's also not on the general pI left a voice mail message with the kid's parents that they must talk to me before class starts.

Joey Bishop and A Return

The photo above is a still from an episode of "The Joey Bishop Show" (1961-1965; NBC and CBS) that featured actor Peter Lupus (who was a regular cast member on"Mission: Impossible") as a boxer.  Bishop's character had took over as the boxer's trainer, and he hoped to make tons of money from his fights.

In a previous post, I had written about another boxing-themed episode of Bishop's show.  The plot was about a comedic charity match that he and another comic, Jan Murray, were doing to raise money for a boys' club.  Due to a misunderstanding, both show up to the charity match ready to fight for real.  That episode was shown again recently on Antenna TV.  I kept noticing how easily Bishop was ducking Murray's wild hay maker punches as well as Bishop's footwork.  I did a little more research on Bishop and learned that yes, he had been a champion welterweight boxer while he was in Army during World War II.  I love finding out about celebrities who had participated in the sweet science.

I still keep wishing for the kids in the gym to show some enthusiasm for the sport.  James returned to the gym after his parents kept him out for a while due to poor grades.  Unfortunately, James doesn't seem to have learned his lesson, as his focus is still stuck on video games and game hack videos on the Internet.  That's the kid's main conversation every time he's in the gym, and I suspect that is James' conversation all the time.  I can't get him to focus on training.  Report cards will be given out again soon, and I'm afraid James' grades will not be any better.  I would not be surprised if his parents take him out of boxing again.

Tyler has been missing from the gym for two days.  I have no idea what's up with him.  Barry wants me to weigh Tyler so he could perhaps match him up with one of his fighters who wants to spar.  But I'm not going to close down the gym for one kid to have a sparring session elsewhere, especially if they don't feel the need to show up for it like Tyler did.  It would have been different if James hadn't been kept home by his parents before the session took place, as well if the other kids were showing up at LaFollette on a regular basis.  I could have had several participate, but I did not.  

I was sick earlier in the week (again) so I didn't go up to Loyola Park.  The Golden Gloves registration took place over the past weekend; several people at Loyola planned to compete.  I'll find out next week who's in.  During the break between the winter and spring sessions at LaFollette, I want to attend the Gloves to support those at Loyola who may be competing.  

A Long Valentine's Day

Planning sparring sessions between field houses take a lot of time and effort.  The main issue is getting everyone to agree on a time and then getting people to show up.  While Barry and Marlon were successful in having fighters show up at Portage Park, I was not.  Tyler did not show up and had no good reason why.  After waiting for a time, I called his home to find out where he was.  His grandfather said he knew nothing about the sparring, but I let him know that Tyler's mother did.  Also, Tyler had promised me on Saturday he was going to show up today.  

I won't give Tyler another chance to waste my time nor the time of anyone else involved in sparring sessions again.  If there is another session planned, and there just might be because of the Chicago City-Wide and Chicago Golden Gloves tournaments approaching, I won't bother to invite Tyler to the party.  I'm done.  I had a long day which started with Bible study at 6:00 AM, and I was not in the mood for Tyler's lackadaisical behavior.

I did learn some techniques and terminology by observing those who sparred and listening to what Barry, Marlon, and Marlon's coach (Marlon still competes), Jose said to the fighters.  What I learned will probably be saved for whoever signs up for the spring session because the winter session has been a disaster from day one.  

Having Some Real Talk

Tyler's grandfather showed up with him yesterday.  I talked a little about how Tyler keeps goofing off in the gym.  His grandfather also told his grandson the importance of focusing on what he does during training.  But as soon as his grandfather left, Tyler went back to his usual ways.  I decided to lay some real talk about boxing.

I told stories of guys I knew who slacked off and how a general lack of motivation and determination had cost them winning fights.  I also pointed out how some of those same guys had been injured, some seriously, because they hadn't done enough work during practice.  "Don't come crying to me when you lose a fight, Tyler.  All I'm going to say is 'work harder' the next time you're in the gym," I told the boy.  I wasn't saying any of it to be mean.  That's just real talk for people who want to compete in boxing.

Whether Tyler really listened or not was doubtful.  Whenever his grandfather is there and says, "Show me something, boy," Tyler obeys him without a fuss.  But when I tell him something, I get ignored.  I have let Tyler know many times that I don't appreciate his attitude.  However, I don't think the kid gets how the attitude truly disrespects, disparages, and irritates me.

He kept going on about Davion and James not being in the gym.  I explained that Davion has other things to do on Saturday and that James can't come back until his grades are better.  But Tyler kept mumbling about it.  He's also aware that the teens don't come in regularly, and he made comments about that. "I'm not calling anyone to see where they are because my assumption is if they signed up, they wanted to be here.  It's not a good use of my time to always be on the phone.  They just will not be able to compete if they don't train.  Tyler, you should be happy that the gym is empty because you don't have to wait on people to use the equipment.  You should be happy that place is all yours," I curtly said.

After Tyler left, I noted that Jada didn't show up, either.  Her mother was so concerned about putting her daughter into the last slot that was open for that class. I honestly don't know how that girl is going to learn the sport; she's already missing days, and she can only show up once a week.

Tentatively, a sparring session will take place this week at Portage Park, involving Marlon's fighters from that park, Barry's fighters from Loyola Park, and one fighter of mine, Tyler.  I hope that session takes place, and I hope Tyler shows up.  Maybe after mixing it up with the other fighters, Tyler will finally get that boxing is no joke.

Winter Session is Washed Up and Out

Barry wants to have a sparring session with his fighters, my fighters, and Marlon's fighters at Portage Park.  Good idea, especially with the Chicago City-Wide Tournament approaching.  So when I got to work, I called parents and guardians to see if they could bring their kids out for the session, which is tentatively scheduled for early next week.

Davion's sister reminded me that her brother is only able to go to boxing class two days out of the week.  He won't be able to go to Portage Park.  Tyler's mom was fine with it, but I have to make sure that I let her know if the date will be changed.  I didn't bother to contact Jada's mom because Jada can only take boxing class on Saturdays which prevents her from sparring as well as participating in competitions.

James had not come to class yesterday, so when I called his mom, I also wanted to find out if he was okay.  It is very unusual for James to miss a day in the gym.  His mom told me that she's keeping James out of boxing for the rest of the winter session.  James keeps getting into trouble at school about his grades.  The most recent progress report he received was very bad.  I agreed with his mom.  "The boxing gym will be here, but James needs to get his education," I told her.  I had suspected all along that James wasn't completely telling me the truth about his troubles at school.  Now I know.

Neither Tyler nor Davion have much interest in boxing, and frankly, I'm real tired of Tyler's lazy attitude.  The last time Davion came in, I got tired of him asking me how to do this and that.  He's been in there long enough to do the basics, but of course, Davion hasn't been paying attention.  I'm already disappointed because I won't have anyone to enter into the Chicago Golden Gloves this year.  Now I'm ticked because it looks like I can forget about having participants in the Chicago City-Wide Tournament, too.  I refuse to give either Tyler or Davion the opportunity to be in the City-Wide.  They're just not training hard enough.

Ariel showed up for the first time since last month.  As I suspected, she had been ill.  I thought I might have had a fight lined up for her at Cicero Stadium.  But it turned out that Ariel was 20 pounds heavier than the other fighter, so we had to take a pass on that.  There's a slight chance she could be in the City-Wide Tournament, but she has a lot of training time to make up.

I think it's safe to say that this winter session is washed out.  From day one there have been issues and setbacks.  It's halfway through, and I don't suspect things will get better before the middle of March when the session ends.

Clumsiness Is What I Do

Stephanie (in the light blue top) and Dallas face off during a sparring session at Loyola Park in the photo above.  Dallas wasn't bad.  She's good on the long jabs and rights.  Stephanie was game for action, but she was covering up and backing up a lot.  Her punches need to be fully out there more.

I took a tumble to the floor after tripping over Drew's foot.  It wasn't his fault.  I was headed to Alan's desk.  Drew was working on a heavy bag and moving around.  I wasn't watching as he moved around the bag.  It took him, Matt, and Gabe to pick me up off of the floor.  Clumsiness is one of my traits.  I'm surprised that I haven't had more injuries at both Loyola and LaFollette because of that.

Alan informed everyone about a boxing show that will take place in Libertyville on the 25th of this month.  "It will be a nice tune-up fight for those who plan to compete in the Chicago Golden Gloves," he said.  The registration for the Golden Gloves takes place the weekend before the Libertyville fight.  So far, Gabe, Ben, and John have expressed interest in competing.  I hope Rojan is planning to compete, too.  As usual, I have no one who qualifies for the Gloves.  The teens I have aren't old enough, and I'm not expecting any sixteen and seventeen-year-olds to sign up for boxing lessons anytime soon.

In fact, I think the youths I have now are it for this winter session.  The kids' class is full, but only Tyler and James show up regularly.  However, those two continually show off their poor training routines.  Jada can only attend the class on Saturdays, so she can't participate in sparring nor will she be qualified to compete in any of the boxing shows.  Maz continues to be a no-show, and Ariel and Davante have been missing too many days also.  Donovan's schoolwork is threatening to take him out of the gym completely.  It looks as if it is not worth my time to promote the Chicago City-Wide Boxing Tournament anymore to the youths at this point.

Yesterday, I completed my boxing coach's certification online.  Alan was amazed that it took me less than a half-hour to do.  He actually went up to Sam's boxing gym a week or so go to sit in a certification clinic.  That took three and a half hours to complete.  It was so much easier, as well as efficient, to do that online at USA Boxing's web site.  People had been requesting to have the ability to do certification that way.  I'm glad that it is finally available.

I'm still a little bleary-eyed as I write this entry.  On Tuesdays, I've been attending a small group Bible study that meets at 6:00 AM.  The other small groups are meeting at times when I can't go, so that particular group was my best option.  Last night, I told Alan I had to go to bed early so I could get up on time.  "What would Jesus do?" he said, shaking his head.  I had to laugh.

Out Of The Running

Next week will be the fourth week in the session.  Today, two youths joined the class.  Actually, only one wants to stick with the program.  Let me explain.

Jada is nine-years-old, and she's in everything.  Her mother showed me a video of when her daughter appeared on Steve Harvey's talk show.  Jada acts, dances, and models. She is now eager to box.  Excellent!  But here's the issue: her mom thought the boxing class only meets once a week.  Her mom used to box back in the day, so I'm a bit confused why she thought practice for a sport would only be done one day out of the week.  I know that on all the printed schedules and flyers that boxing is stated as being five days a week.  The online listings show the program at LaFollette as being five days a week.  Where are parents reading "once a week"?  I don't get it.  I gave Jada a mouthpiece and forgot that she won't be able to spar if she's not able to come in on any other day but Saturday.

Her older sister, Kyla, had been signed up for the class, too.  "She has to do something to protect herself," her mother said.  I let the statement about the class not being for self-defense die on my lips.  That was written on the flyers, and signs to that effect are posted around the gym including on the front entrance to the gym.  "But I'm interested in dance," Kyla whined.  She told her mother that no, she was not going to participate in the teen boxing class.  I recognized the girl's "pretty girl" issues right away.  It appears that her mother is not going to force her to continue in the class, so that is one less person I have to worry about.

James and Tyler thought they would take advantage of the fact that I was spending time working with Jada and goof off.  But I was on them every time I noticed them slacking off.  It has been explained to those two that they can't keep half-assing around on their training.  But it's like talking to a brick wall.  I'm dialed down on talking up the City-Wide Tournament to them.  I'll be going there in April to help out, but I seriously doubt I'm going to allow either James nor Tyler to enter the tournament if they don't step it up.

Donovan may be out of the running, too.  He has a heavy study load in school this year.  Donovan is also trying to gain entrance into an educational program that will give him an edge in both high school and college.  Donovan's a smart kid; I don't doubt that he can go far in life.  "Your education is more important than coming here," I told him.  "If you have to take off from this class for a while, that's fine.  You can always sign up again for the next session."  His mother will get in touch with me concerning her son's schedule for the next several weeks.

I heard a rumor that some patron, someone who doesn't have a kid in my class, has a problem with the way I run the program.  They think I'm not coaching it correctly because I'm not turning out "killers".  Obviously, the person who made the comment doesn't know much about the sport.  There have been professional boxers who have come out of the Chicago Park District.  However, there haven't been that many.  Very few of the youths who attend any of the 21 boxing gyms in the park district system are going to display the skills of a Fres Oquendo, David Diaz, JJ Wright, or Ed Brown.  A coach is blessed if they have a natural champ on their hands.  But most youths just need to know the basics.  Most may have a few fights (if any), and that's it.  Every kid who walks into a boxing gym is not going to have the skills -- let alone the interest -- to make a career out of it.