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.

Stunned and Sidetracked

This past Friday, I allowed Donovan and Davante to spar.  I should have pulled out the scale beforehand.  If I had, I would have known that Donovan was giving up 40 pounds to Davante who is 200 pound.  Davante knocked Donovan to the canvas twice.  The second time, I could really feel that punch.  I cringed before rushing inside the ring.  Donovan wasn't knocked out, but he was stunned badly.  It was several minutes before he got up off of the canvas.

Today, I told both Davante and Ariel (Donovan didn't come in, and Maz remains a no-show) that they need to make sure they are not putting full strength on their punches during sparring.  Both of them have heavy hands.  Ariel asked me why I never spar with her anymore.  "My back keeps bothering me," I told her truthfully. 

I didn't spar at Loyola Park last night.  I told Erica about my ongoing back problems.  "You don't want to do anything that might bring on permanent damage," she told me, and she was right.  There was a lot of sparring action going on yesterday; the place was packed.  I wish I could have got in on some of the action.  It's going to be a long time before I can do that again.  I still haven't had the MRI yet due to snafus involving my current health insurance.  The test will have to be pushed off until February, or perhaps, March.  Luckily, I discovered long ago that I have a tolerance for ongoing pain.

Charles, Tyler's grandfather, sat in on the kids' class today.  I noticed the difference when Charles helped Tyler and James with their training -- they willingly listened to him.  That further fueled my suspicion that a lot of the younger kids don't give me my respect because I'm a female.  The boys gave him no trouble.  I did tell Charles that all of the boys are guilty of playing on their cell phones while in the gym.  "Tyler shouldn't be doing that, and he doesn't need that phone while he's in here," his grandfather said.  I'm glad I've got back up from at least one parent/guardian about that. 

It's been a long day.  I started it with a small group Bible study at Starbucks at 6:00 AM. The new church I joined is big on small groups, but I hadn't been able to attend any mainly because of my work schedule.  It took a lot to get out of bed early, but I made it.  It was time well spent.  Once again, I was the only woman in the gathering.  Then I went up to Mandrake Park to have an interview about the coach's job opening at Eckhart.  Come to find out that, first, the interview had been scheduled on the wrong day by human resources.  Then I was told that I didn't need to interview.  What I need to do is put in a transfer request.  I'll talk to my boss about it tomorrow, but I suspect he's going to try and convince me to stay at LaFollette.  Push comes to shove, I will.  However, my main reason for wanting to switch to Eckhart is because of the long commute to get to LaFollette.  Whether I am on the bus (which I was today) or in the car, it takes a little too long to get to work from my house.

Speaking of the car, it is fixed now.  A corroded fuse box was the culprit.  I took a bit of a hit to my tight budget to pay for it, but at least the car is up and running.  Now to focus on paying the next bill, which is for my coach's license.  There's a coach's clinic this weekend.  At first I was considering skipping it.  Then I realized the last time I was certified was two years ago when Colonel and I both attended a clinic.  Once I get that done, then I can exhale for a while. 

New Rules For This Year

The car died on me in the middle of the street last night.  The check engine light came on, which is never a good sign.  Then the car slowed down.  I was able to restart it and park it near my domicile.  Luckily, I wasn't too far away from my home when that happened.  My budget is very tight, and there's a possibility that the car may not be able to be fixed, depending upon what is wrong with it.

Of course, that meant I had to ride public transportation up to LaFollette today.  My boss was not on the premises, but he sent a message that he did turn in a special event request -- to allow for a ring to be set up outside for June's boxing show -- to the area manager.  After I found that out, I went on up to Eckhart Park for the boxing coach's meeting.

I like Thomas, the head of the boxing program because he's not much for a whole lot of nonsense.  He explains the reasoning as to why some things happen, why some things can't happen, and he gets straight to the point.  We went over the agenda for this year.  I knew beforehand that the park district budget had been cut down, so there was not going to be much any of the coaches could do about demanding extra equipment.  There is a private donor who donates funds to the program, but as Thomas pointed out, those funds have to be spent carefully.

When I see the kids at LaFollette again, I'm going to push two things:  the Chicago City-Wide Boxing tournament, and the Muhammad Ali Award.  The tournament takes place every year in April, and I have yet to have someone compete in it.  It's a good warm-up to the regular boxing shows that start in the summer.  The way things are looking down at the gym right now, I would be better off talking the tournament up to the teenagers.  The younger kids aren't showing much interest in the sport -- something that a few other coaches at the meeting were grumbling about, as they have the same problem.

The Muhammad Ali Award will be given to the best park district fighter of the year.  Judging will be based on the fights a person has had.  There was also talk of perhaps giving an award for Coach of the Year, as well.

I also have more backup when it comes to parents using the boxing program as a glorified babysitting service.  That does not seem to be the case with the kids who have been showing up to the 8-to-12-year-olds' class so far this session.  But it has been a major issue in the past.  Thomas told the coaches to inform the field house supervisors and have them suggest to the parents to move their kids into other activities, especially if the kids appear to show no interest in participating in the class activities.  We were also encouraged to inform the parents that boxing is indeed a sport and that there are expectations of the kids while they are in the class.

Thomas also let it be known that showboating and general goofing around from fighters at the boxing shows was no longer going to be tolerated.  I think I know where that decision came from.  There were some very disrespectful fighters at a boxing show I attended during the late summer/early fall.  A few of the coaches had to check them on their behavior.  Any fighter who is dancing around in the ring, talking trash to the other fighter during the match, etc., will have points taken from them.

Ada Park has a new coach named Emmanuel.  The search is still on for coaches to run boxing classes at Eckhart, Humboldt and Scottsdale.  I hope those get filled soon.  It would be nice to have a full roster of coaches.

First Week Problems

So far, the winter boxing session has been off to a bad start.  I don't like to call the kids when they don't show up for class.  It's not a good use of my time.  Against my better judgment, I did call Donovan and Maz's homes.  Donovan has been "busy" and decided that he couldn't come to class today, either.  I should have been informed of that earlier in the week.  I got voice mail when I tried to contact Maz.  I left a message regarding the new attendance policy that is in place.  Unfortunately, both Maz and Donovan are currently in danger of running afoul of that policy.

Out of eleven kids who are registered for the youth class, only Davion, Tyler, and James showed up.  They were so busy fiddling around with their cell phones that they could not focus on what they were supposed to be doing.  James kept prattling on about video games and TV shows.  One of the other two boys complained about being bored.  Well, if they would actually train instead of goofing around or sitting and staring into space like deer in headlights, maybe they wouldn't be bored.  I gave the usual statements about the need to train in order to win fights, but they weren't listening.  I had enthusiasm in the beginning of class, but it fizzled quickly in the face of the kids' lack of motivation and interest.  Davion seemed surprised by the idea that any of them would participate in boxing competitions.  Really?  What does he think the class is about?

Sparring early during the class didn't seem to do much to raise the boys' interest.  Davion was giggling through most of his time in the ring.  James still has a long way to go.  At least his headgear wasn't coming off constantly like it usually does.  Tyler showed some promise, but he keeps his hands down too much.  I worked on head movement with Davion and Tyler afterward.  However, James was too enamored with video game hack videos on YouTube to get in gear for punch mitt work.

Davante was the only one who showed up for the teen class.  He told me he would cut his Saturday baseball practice short to come to the gym.  But I encouraged him to go.  After all, Davante has shown up the other days of the week, and he seems eager to learn about boxing.  I'm not going to have a problem with him going to baseball practice on Saturdays.

Group lessons are included on my lesson plan for the classes.  But it is hard to do them when everybody does not show up at one time.  I'm tired of doing the lessons piecemeal -- showing something to a couple one day, then going over the same things again to the ones who decide to stroll in a week or two later, and so on.  But I won't adjust the lesson plan to accommodate those who refuse to get it in gear and get to the class when they are supposed to be there.

Winter Session, Take Two

There are now eleven kids in the eight-to-12-year-olds' boxing class.  Too bad only two of them showed up today.  I knew I shouldn't have put out that much equipment, but silly me, thinking that I would have a nearly full class of enthusiastic students.  James did his usual sort of half-way workout, while I worked with Tyler, a new kid.

Maz, Ariel, and Donovan didn't bother to show up for the teen class. I would love to know what excuses they had for not being there. That was not a good way to start the session.

Davonte, a 13-year-old, signed up today, bringing the grand total of the teen class to four people.  Davonte is a big kid who also plays football and baseball.  His mother told me her son has baseball practice on Saturdays, which is fine.  It looks like he'll be in the class most days during the week.  It would be good to have Maz and Donovan work with him, although Davonte would be a better match for Ariel when it comes to sparring.  But Davonte's mother seemed a bit concerned about the boys sparring the girls, so that may not happen.

Jaymerson's mother signed him up again.  I sighed when I saw his name on the attendance list.  But Dwayne, the inclusion aide that assists Jaymerson, told me that the boy is also signed up for swimming.  He can only be in boxing two days a week.  Since Jaymerson is not allowed to spar, I suggested the boy show up on Tuesdays and Thursdays (sparring is on Wednesdays and Fridays).  His sister, Morgan, did not sign up again, but that's no loss.  The girl has no interest in the sport.

My boss told me there's a good chance that I will get most of the equipment that I asked for.  I hope so.  It won't drive more people into the class, but I'll feel better that I have the resources to use.

Lights Out At LaFollette

All the lights were out when I arrived at LaFollette Park yesterday.  It appeared that half of the neighborhood was without power.  Steve had left me a voice mail about coming in two hours earlier to finish up my time sheet, but being the non-cell phone lover that I am, I didn't check my messages.  My boss did not, however, mention that the field house had been without power since noon.

The staff had to contact the parents and guardians to come get their kids.  The kids were littering the main hallway, ripping and running, and making all kinds of ear-splitting noises.  I had a hard time hearing a lot of what Ms. Pousey, who handles the senior citizens' activities had to say.  We were talking about the possibility of having a boxing class specifically for seniors that would start earlier in the day.  At some point, some kid parked themselves next to me on the bench where Ms. Pousey and I were sitting.  They were watching a video on their cell phone, and the volume was turned up as loud as it go.  Another staff person asked the kid, "Could you turn that down -- or off?"  "Yeah," I said sarcastically to the kid, "because that is annoying.  Sorry."  I wanted to add, "sorry, not sorry". Yet another staff person heard me and they laughed.

The work day ended early, so basically, I wasted gas driving to the other side of town only to leave an hour after I arrived.  But I was happy to realize that I may have a solution to kids messing up my gym during the summer.  Last summer, I had summer hours, but fortunately, I was not scheduled to run boxing classes for the summer camp kids.  The seniors could have those hours in the summer before the regular boxing classes begin.  It could be done as an aerobic boxing class.  I think the seniors would like it.

Winter's Full House

In this photo, Alan stands in the middle of the ring as he shows techniques to the new people on the first day of the winter session.

There were the familiar faces like John, Paul, Lauren, Reif, Robert, Connor, and Kathy.  There were people who hadn't been in for awhile like Gabby and Erica.  There were a lot of new people including Andrew, who contacted me via this blog to get an idea of how the class would be. The place was packed. Robert asked me, "Is it always like this in January?" I confirmed that it was so.

I did a workout as much as my lower back would allow me.  During the last half of the class, I spent time with some of the new people like Sarah, Stephanie, and Kat, answering questions and helping out where I could.  I also listened closely to what Alan was telling the new people.  Sometimes, I feel I don't explain things well to the youths at LaFollette Park, so I try to pick up on better ways to communicate concepts.

Alan told some of the new women that they could spar with the other women in class including me.  But until I find out what is going on with my lower back, I'm restricting myself from sparring at Loyola Park for a while.  I'm not going to spar with the kids at LaFollette anymore, period.  They need to spar with those closer to their ages and speeds, and I don't need to take hits from the youngsters.  I just hope that Donovan and Maz don't start pulling a lot of disappearing acts this session, especially since at the moment, Ariel is the only girl in the teen class.  She's had the least sparring experience of all three, and she needs to have more.

Good News At The Top of the Year

The photo above is from my high school's annual alumni holiday party that took place late last month.  The lady standing to my right has been a friend of mine since we met on the first day of Kindergarten in September of 1966.  She got on me -- and probably rightfully so -- when she learned of my recent health problems with my back.  "I told you!  That's what you get for all that boxing," she said.  Maybe boxing did contribute to some of it.  I'll find out after I get an MRI later this month.

Ariel finally re-signed up for the teen boxing class.  I was so happy she did that; y'all just don't know.  She's my best fighter right now.  It'll be her, Maz, and Donovan (who I switched to the teen class because of his height and weight) in class together.  They will come in the door already knowing the routine.  All I have to is to convince a few more teens to sign up.

There are eight kids that will start this week in the 12 and under class.  That class is more than half full, and I'm satisfied with that.  However, the only familiar name in the class at the moment is my favorite pigeoned-toed guy, James.  His father came in last week to sign him up.  I explained to him that the only reason James didn't get any park district fights was because the other coaches were concerned about his son hurting their fighters during bouts.  James is bigger than average nine-year-olds and he still needs to lose between 20 to 30 pounds.  "It's hard to get a kid to lose five pounds," his dad told me.  Between James' parents and I, we'll work on the weight issue.

Do you know this blog was used against me when I was fired from a job I had at a neighborhood church four years ago?  The pastor there didn't like that I aired my grievances against him during our conflicts.  I did go back and edit some of the entries, but I shouldn't have done that.  My blog, my thoughts.  I write what I want. "I have freedom of speech," I snapped at him during a meeting where he manipulated the congregation into also revoking my 30-plus-years membership. Well, at the top of this year, I received news that pastor has resigned.  Actually, it was suggested that a resignation would look better on his resume than to have been fired, which was definitely going to happen.  I gloated for a minute because payback is a bitch.  I learned some time ago that all I have to do is wait, and I will see misfortune visited upon those who messed with me.  There's no doubt that the guy brought all of this on himself.  But it's also sad.  Pushing fifty years of age with no job, has a wife at home that he refuses to let work (and unfortunately, she likes being a Stepford wife), with two young kids to take care of at that?  Wow.  Now he knows what it is to be counted out.

Slow Sign Ups

On New Year's Day, Antenna TV ran a marathon of "The Joey Bishop Show" (1961-1965).  I watched Bishop's late night talk show when I was a kid, but I didn't remember ever seeing his sitcom, which was on TV several years before the talk show.  One episode featured comedian Jan Murray.  Murray and Bishop had agreed to put on a "comedic" boxing match to raise funds for a boys' club.  Bishop's manager tells him that he saw Murray working out in New York's Central Park.  Actually, Murray had been running after his dog who had slipped off of a leash.  Bishop, concerned that Murray actually wants a real fight, decides that he is going to train for real, too.  The two end up showboating for each other in a local boxing gym.

When the fight happens, Murray throws wild haymakers that miss Bishop by miles.  But Bishop actually got some convincing-looking punches in, leading me to think that maybe the late comedian knew a little about the sport.  Finally, both men realize there has been a misunderstanding.  "Who told you that I was out training?" Murray asks.  Bishop points to his manager, Larry (Corbett Monica).  Both men throw punches at Larry, who runs out of the ring to avoid being punished.

This is the beginning of another week where I will not have much to do other than help watch the front desk (which I'm not crazy about).  All the signs have been put up in the boxing gym, the equipment has been cleaned and checked.  As of right now, I have six kids in the youth class.  Three of the kids, a girl, her brother, and a male cousin of theirs signed up late last week.  However, only Maz and Donovan are on the list for the teen class.  Despite reminders to their parents and guardians, James, Summer, and Ariel have yet to re-sign up.  

I've learned that most parents and guardians in the area let things slip by during the holidays.  I'm not going to be surprised at people waiting three and four weeks to sign up for the class.  But I'm going to be clear from now on about consequences (no sparring, no competing, for example) that will happen due to lack of attendance as well as lack of interest.  I also have a good response for those pushing their kids into the class for self-defense purposes.  "I'm not teaching anyone's kid how to beat up another parent's kid.  Talk to your kid's teacher and principal to solve the bullying problem, teach them how to fight at home, or put them in a proper self-defense class, because this is not it."