The Sport Gets Shorted

A run-off election was held in Chicago yesterday, and the boxing gym at LaFollette was used as a polling place.  It was the first day of the spring session, but of course, the class did not take place.  Four of the kids showed up, and I had to express apologies for the gym being occupied.  None of those in the adult class showed up, and no teens had signed up.  I've been sending emails to Sahia to let her know about what was going on with maintenance issues in the gym, but I haven't heard from her.  As usual, it was a poor start to another ten weeks of class. 

None of the parents had talked to me before registering their kids.  I received the usually surprised looks when I brought up that yes, class is five days a week, and all of those days must be attended in order for people to compete in the upcoming boxing shows.  Most of the kids are signed up for other sports where the parents and guardians have no problem with the practice schedule.  I don't understand why parents and guardians feel it's okay for their kids to give short shrift to boxing practice. 

A conversation with one of the younger kids alerted me to the fact that not much research was done about what it takes to box before they registered.  That's typical, too.  The kid was overly concerned about the possibility of being knocked out.  "Do they actually throw a towel in the ring to stop a fight?" they asked me.

Honestly, I'm not looking forward to running this session.  My mind's not in it. There was too long of a layoff between the premature end of the winter session and the beginning of the spring session.  I already have a good idea of who is not going to finish out this session.  I'm not going to the City-Wide Boxing Tournament because I don't have anyone who is ready for it.  In addition, I'm not hobbling out to the south side on public transportation with a cane.  It's difficult enough for me to make the long trek to LaFollette these days. 

Field House Frustrations

I don't mind admitting that I've grown weary of the constant foolish actions that go on at La Follette.  The latest incident involves a female lifeguard who has developed a habit of roaming around in my office/equipment room.  The first time it happened, I was standing outside that room talking to the head lifeguard who is a very cool guy.  The female lifeguard walked past me into the room, then I heard her using a jump rope.  She didn't bother to ask me if that was okay to do that.

Yesterday, I stepped away for a couple of minutes to refill a water bottle.  I came back to find her exiting the room.  She gave me a silly grin and greeted me.  I gave her a cold hello back.  There's no swimming equipment in that room, so I'm wondering what's her fascination with being in that area.  Luckily, I don't lay my wallet and keys down in that room. 

I put some of the signs back up that I had to take down while the gym was being painted.  One of the signs was for the office/equipment room reminding everyone that the room is and should be locked when I'm not on the premises.  The sign also tells people that the boxing equipment is only to be used for that program.  If the female lifeguard doesn't get the hint from that, then I'm going to have to be more direct which she'll probably be offended by. 

A man who had been trying to catch up with me to sign up his 13-year-old daughter finally found me yesterday  But like I figured before they got there, the girl's interest in the sport wasn't that high.  She tried to negotiate only coming to the gym a few days a week because she wanted to do another activity that meets at the same time.  When I informed her that she could not participate in any boxing matches if she couldn't participate five days a week, she quickly decided to take swimming only.  The fact her dad was trying to convince her to re-consider the boxing class told me that her father was more interested in it than his daughter. 

The other day, I accidentally scratched one of my fingernails on a door.  I was shocked and irritated to see how easily the paint came up.  It was then I noticed other places on the walls and doors where the paint had been easily scratched off.  So my program was canceled for the rest of the recently ended winter session for a painting job that wasn't done correctly. 

Did I mention that I'm weary of dealing with these types of incidents?

A Matter Of Attitude

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Problem Of Location

Tomorrow will be a month since the boxing gym at LaFollette Park has been closed for maintenance.  Next week is the last week of the winter session.  I wanted to laugh when the field house supervisor talked to me about recruiting participants for the spring session.  Neither the supervisor or I have been given any information regarding if the boxing gym will be operational in time for the next session to begin.

The numerous construction and maintenance issues that have taken place since late last summer are only a small part of why the boxing program is not very successful.  I have to admit that the Austin neighborhood where the field house sits is a major factor.  I was born and raised on the west side, and Austin was the last neighborhood I lived on that side of the city.  It hasn't changed much.  Residents still range from low-income to lower middle-class.  Crime is still high, although when I was a kid, people preferred to use their hands more than guns.  My mother, two younger siblings and I didn't know how lucky we were to live just a couple of blocks away from a major grocery store back then.  Food deserts, where there is a lack of easy access to big grocery stores, is common on the west side (and the south side, too).  Yet liquor stores and taverns are often just a few steps from each other.

When I go around to the other gyms for boxing shows and I see how well some of those boxing programs are populated, I've wondered why LaFollette's program keeps limps along.  Some gyms that are in the multi-racial neighborhoods do quite nicely, as well as those in gentrifying areas.  Places like Loyola Park, for example, benefit from having upper-middle-class people looking for a different exercise routine.  That gym also pulls participants from Loyola University as well as Northwestern University in nearby Evanston. 

There have been a few parents who appreciated that the youth boxing classes at LaFollette do not run late into the evening. Unfortunately, there have been gun incidents that took place while the other youth sports were still having practices out on the field.  I know of parents who pulled their kids off of those teams after shooting incidents took place.  I have also noticed some kids stopped showing up to the field house after the bullets start flying.  I know some adults are hesitant to take the evening boxing class because they would rather not be caught in cross-fire. 

I know there are other field houses with boxing programs who experience their share of challenges, too.  But LaFollette seems to have more than most, and I have no solutions as to how to fix a neighborhood culture that appears to have not improved since the early 1970s.  . 

Killing A Program By Painting

One sure way to damage the growth of any program in the Chicago Park District is to keep making the program inaccessible to everyone.  The boxing gym at La Follette Park continues to be closed because it has to be painted and the floor needs to be fixed.  From what I've seen, the work in the gym is being done very slowly, just like the last time the room needed painting. 

The Golden Gloves Tournament registration is going on, but as usual, I had no teens who were interested in training for it, let alone signing up to compete.  The City-Wide Boxing Tournament, which is also coming up soon, is not a go this year, either.  Henry was my best bet for having someone from the 12-years-old and under boxing class in that tournament.  I can only hope that he signed up at another park district gym so Henry can have an opportunity to compete in that. 

I'm never in a good mood when I show up at La Follette these days.  The loss of my car on top of weather conditions (it snowed again recently) has made my commute very difficult.  I have nothing to do when I arrive at work, and since I'm not one for gossip and giggling, hanging around the front desk is not something I do.  It's a little too early to recruit for the spring session which begins in April.  There's no information on if the work in the gym will be finished in a reasonable amount of time which seems to be a constant problem regarding maintenance issues in the park district. 

I always feel that I'm in a constant mode of re-building and re-starting the boxing program despite the fact that it's been running at La Follette Park for nearly five years.  I do know that the boxing program won't keep surviving setbacks like this on top of all the other issues that keep burying the program under the radar.

Another Boxing Gym Shutdown

As soon as I walked into the field house yesterday, I was informed by Coach James that I had to remove all of the signs and posters in the boxing gym.  "The painters are coming in tomorrow," he said.  Steve, the supervisor, passed through the hallway as I found this out.  "I've been in supervisor training all day, and this is the first time I'm hearing about this," Steve said. 

The gym floor has to be re-done, too.  The painters, regardless if they are on the park district's payroll or are outside contractors, have a habit of dragging the work out.  "That's going to take at least two months!  What am I coming down here for when I won't have anything to do?" I snapped.  "Hillari, I know you have to come from far away to get here.  But at least you're getting paid," Steve said.  And so what?  Twiddling my thumbs for several hours doesn't cut ice with me.  Unlike too many park district employees across the city, I'm not constantly searching for ways to sit on my backside and do as little as possible.

I made an announcement in the first class that the participants might as well consider the winter session to be done.  I suggested to Crystal, Armani, and Leslie's mom that she try to sign them up at Simons Park which is the next closest field house that has a boxing program.  Julio had said some time ago that Henry and David sometimes go to Simons, so they have somewhere to go.  I called Leonna, the one adult in the class, and suggested that she try to get a refund since the shutdown of the class is the park district's fault, not hers.  I didn't bother to contact the two teens in the program since they apparently decided not to go to class a long time ago.

This is the umpteenth time in six months that the gym has been shut down due to maintenance and construction issues.  Constant shutdowns and delays in opening the sessions on time DO NOT contribute to getting sign ups nor raising attendance.  Neither do the other ongoing issues such as lack of interest in the sport and numerous shooting and assaults in the park, for example, contribute to having a successful boxing program.  I'm up against too much to make the program work, and I am out of ideas.

Recess Vs. Exercise

A couple of new kids in the class, Cristal and Leslie (their brother, Armani, was not in attendance), weren't doing the floor exercises they should have been during the end of the class yesterday.  The girls didn't make much of an attempt to figure out what to do nor to ask Sahia or myself, so I was vexed.  I barely held back being irritated when I asked them what do they do in their physical education class at school.  "We just play," Cristal said. 

That's not a gym class, it's recess.  Over the past several months, I've had to deal with youths, particularly those in grade school, who are not being taught basic exercises nor other sports for that matter during the school day.  Some don't have physical education classes at school at all.  One of the main reason many of the youths don't stay in boxing is that it requires a lot of exercise in order to keep up.  The fact that physical education in grade school and some high schools as well does not appear to be a priority anymore makes it difficult for me to run an effective boxing program.

I wonder why it appears that most parents and guardians don't demand that physical education classes not be watered down or eliminated for their kids.  Some of those same parents complain to me their kids are playing too many video games and watching too much TV.  Yet it seldom occurs to them that limiting the youths' time with video games and TV, in addition to making them move around more, would go a long way in improving the youths' physical health.  Doing housework is a form of exercise, but from what I hear and observe, youths don't do much of that at home these days.

Cristal, Leslie, Armani, David, and Henry are the only ones showing up to the youth class right now.  Of those five, the most serious about doing well in boxing is Henry.  The teens are long gone, and the one adult who takes the class hasn't been in since right before Chicago experienced a couple of dangerously cold days last week.  I wasn't in for a few days last week myself.  I took a fall on the street right before the weather changed. 

Plus, my car is gone.  It had become too expensive to keep up on the salary I receive.  The last straw was a hit-and-run accident I experienced on my way to work.  I sold the car for parts.  Sahia commented yesterday that I looked tired.  "Maybe that's because it now takes me three trains and a bus to get here," I dryly replied.  A co-worker asked if I was using Uber to get to work.  Well, if I had money for that, I would probably also have money to buy another car. 

"Are you going to move closer to here?" was the co-worker's next question.  I don't have money to just pick and move, either, or else I would have been living somewhere less expensive by now.  But the west side is not an option.  "I grew up over here, and that was enough.  When I left years ago, I didn't look back," I told the co-worker.  Unlike too many in the 'hood, I recognized it was a good idea to expand my thought processes beyond the 12-to-14 block area I used to reside in not far from LaFollette Park.  I'm not going to regress.  My attitude with kids who come to the gym and don't want to work, or who don't come to the gym at all is colder than the temperatures outside were last week.  My patience with parents and guardians who expect miracles but don't want to work with me nor the program to help their youths be successful has evaporated.  Major changes need to be made, but the culture of the neighborhood is not going to lend itself to making changes. 

Absences At The Beginning

Xavier was a no-show at the gym yesterday.  I also found out that there's a problem with the phone at the front desk counter which partially explains why I haven't been getting messages from parents and guardians.  Maybe Xavier's mom tried to phone me and couldn't get through.  Maybe no call was made at all.  I don't know.  But it's a concern when people start coming up missing right at the beginning of a new session.  The other two new kids who signed up haven't shown yet. 

A look through my old attendance rosters revealed that Damaris has been in the boxing program for a year.  Sahia had to keep reminding her to get into her correct stance and as well as having to show her (for the umpteenth time) how to do push-ups correctly.  I had to remind her to do the other floor exercises and stretches.  Sahia chalked up Damaris' forgetfulness to the month-long break in-between the fall and winter session.  However, I can't buy that excuse based on how long Damaris has been in the class.  The look on Damaris' face usually says that she is not enthusiastic about being in the program. If Sahia or I don't constantly stand over her, Damaris will not push herself to train.  I'm glad Sahia has more patience with her because my patience ran out some time ago. 

Henry and David returned, and it was obvious they had been working out during the break.  David especially showed some great improvements. 

No teenagers showed up for class again.  It's extremely rare for me to make courtesy calls anymore.  "They will be in class," is a lie I've tired of hearing.

The best class this session appears to be the adult class where Leonna is the only student.  We don't follow the exact schedule on the bulletin board.  She's not planning to compete, so I try to tailor the workout to go along with her fitness goals.  If had more adults in the class like Leonna that would help soften the blow of the issues already apparent in the first two classes of the day. 

The Same For The New Year

Last weekend, the weekends-only boxing class I run expanded a little when more people showed up.  It was a good sign that word may be getting out more about it. 

Can't say the same for the park district boxing class.  New Year's resolutions probably helped bring a few more into the weekend boxing class, but that has never had an effect on the park district class.  The number of participants is low as usual.  So far, everyone is new, with the exception of Damaris who decided to come back again.  I let Sahia deal with her for the whole hour as my patience with Damaris' apparent lack of motivation faded a few sessions ago.

Another issue I'm tired of is the blank looks I get from kids when I tell them to do floor exercises near the end of class.  "Do what you would do in gym class at school -- crunches, leg raises, squats, push-ups, etc.," I announce.  Quickly, I learn that most of the kids have no clue about what I'm talking about.  I know that physical education is still a required class in high schools.  However, it appears that few grade schools have that requirement anymore.  Of those that do, it appears that not much is being taught.

For example, Xavier could not do simple null nor leg raises.  I was shaking my head.  After I showed him how to do them, I asked him, "Do they teach these exercises in school anymore?"  His mom was in the gym, and I appreciated that she stayed on him about being focused.  Earlier on in the hour, Xavier kept taking rests during the rounds, especially when he had to do laps around the gym. 

A few parents told me that they tried to contact me at the field house, but either no one picked up the phone, or they received some erroneous information about the program.  I've brought that issue up to staff too many times during the past few years.  From here on in, I'm telling parents and guardians to take their complaints about that directly to the field house supervisor.  Maybe attention will be paid to the customers. 

The few teens who signed up didn't appear.  I no longer call people's homes to find out why.  In my opinion, there's no excuse for people not remembering they registered for the class.  Most of the time, especially where teenagers are concerned, the parents and guardians have signed them up without bothering to ask if the teens want to go to the gym.  I'm not making that my problem anymore.  I just replace them with the next persons who want to register and keep it moving.

The one adult who signed up showed up early in the middle of the teen class.  We had a good class, but I have a sinking feeling they may be the only one taking that class for this whole winter session.

Side Hustle Boxing

Several of the women in my neighborhood expressed interest in attending a boxing class.  After making inquiries and finding a spot for it to take place, I now run a women's only boxing class on the weekends.  The emphasis is on fitness as opposed to preparing for competitions.

Pain Relief Cream

After the disastrous fall session at LaFollette Park, running a women's only fitness boxing class is a pleasure.  It's a chance for me to make a little extra money.  The majority of Chicago Park District employees are part-time.  If my father, who was also a government employee were alive, he would alternately be laughing at and picking on me about the low salary I make at the park district as well as the fact that I don't get annual raises in pay among other job benefits.  It is no wonder that most park district employees have to take on a second job. 

It feels good to coach adults.  I haven't had much of a chance to do that at LaFollette because the adult boxing class is the least populated class of the ones I have there.  Only once in the four years I've been with the park district has that class been half-way full.  Not once have any of the adults -- save for Sahia -- stayed in the class for an entire session. 

CrateJoy Box Subscriptions

Coaching adults has always easier than dealing with kids and teens.  I don't have to deal with parents' issues on top of the youth's issues.  The group of women I have in the weekend classes want to be there and are eager to learn.  I do my utmost to mix up the routines to make it interesting for them and so they get the most out of it.  Since I have my own health issues, I'm very mindful of what health issues the women may have.  Modifications are made for every exercise.  The women are encouraged to work within their own fitness levels.  My motto is, if something doesn't feel comfortable to do, then let's do something else.

I'm hoping that the women's fitness boxing class continues to grow and that I can offer more classes like that at other times during the week.

Keeping Youths In

I had to attend another instructor's meeting today.  The topic of how to keep youths in the park district programs came up.  Several people, including me, pointed out that if there is no cooperation from parents and guardians, keeping youths in the programs is very difficult.

When dealing with a parent or guardian who displays an indifferent attitude about their kid's presence in the boxing program, my attitude is "If the parent/guardian doesn't care, I don't care either."  It's a waste of my energy to keep trying to convince people that it is beneficial for their kids to show up.  It is very frustrating, and heartbreaking as well when I notice that a kid really likes boxing and wants to be there but has no support at home.

However, if I also have to deal with a kid being disrespectful, lazy, rude, etc., on top of their parent or guardian's indifference, I'm done.  I don't agree with what appears to be the park district's thought that I should keep someone around at all costs just to show I have the numbers.  I'm not shy about telling people that their child needs to sign up for something else.  A small number of motivated, teachable kids and teens is more pleasant to take.  It beats having a crowded gym full of youths who really don't want to be there, who have been registered by their parents and guardians for the wrong reasons, etc.

Struggling to lose weight? Click Here!

A manager at the meeting told the attendees that we need to plan for next year.  I always plan to have someone compete at the City-Wide Boxing Tournament and in the Chicago Golden Gloves.  I always plan what to do to get the kids to those competitions.  My plans have yet to work out because once again, it depends on whether or not I get cooperation from parents and guardians.  Some parents and guardians never talk to me; they just dump their kids off and leave (or have someone else do that).  It was suggested that maybe employees should reach out and ask them what they may need in terms of getting their kids to the program regularly.  That's been done, too -- mostly by the gym volunteer because I don't have the patience or the time, frankly -- and still, no good results.  It makes me wonder if some of the parents and guardians are operating like that with their kids' school teachers.  

A major part of any park district program working effectively is having the parents/guardians and the person running the program act as a team to make the program enjoyable and worthwhile for the youths.  If that's not happening, then the program suffers.

The Issue of Having a Raggedy Gym

My supervisor recently told me that the company installing new windows at LaFollette Park had the time to complete their work extended to the end of the year.  The original date of completion should have been the first of November. 

The gym looks like a bomb went off inside.  Not only have I continued to find the main door to the gym standing open every day, but the supply room has been left open a few times, too.  Some equipment is missing, most notably one of the jump ropes, and all of the green hand wraps except for one.  The installation company keeps tampering with the equipment and moving it around unnecessarily.  Of course, with the door being open all day, there's the constant problem of kids and adults playing around on the equipment. The floor is badly scraped up, plaster keeps falling from the ceiling, and the walls have huge patches where the paint has worn away.  The women's washroom is not in use at the moment.  Several cans, usually full of debris, sit outside of the men's washroom. 

The installation company never cleans up afterward.  On top of that, the attendants at the field house don't always get around to cleaning the gym.  Yesterday, Walz asked me if a group of teen girls could possibly use a corner of the gym to practice their dance routine.  "Yeah, that is if they don't mind all the dirt and dust floating around in here," I replied. 

Now that November has arrived again, the gym is mostly empty.  Lael has gone back to only putting in two to three days a week.  Even Henry and David have been missing days for one reason or another.  Two new kids in the program -- George and DeMarius -- have already established that they can't train every day.  George plays football.  DeMarius lives far out in the suburbs and can't always make it in.  Sahia, the volunteer, is still out due to situations that she needs to handle.  Once the holiday season starts, most people disappear anyway, but the installation going on has hastened the exit of most.

The supervisor also told me the gym will have to be painted again.  The window installers should do that since the damage in the gym was caused by them.  But they got off the hook for that so the park district painters will be doing the job.  The work order won't go in until early next year,  and exactly when the work will happen is a mystery.  I remember the last time the gym was painted, the job took two months to finish.  All that time the gym was shut down.  I expect the same thing will happen next year. 

Situations just keep going from bad to worse at the gym.  I can't wait for this fall session to end.

An Evening At Hamlin

I hadn't planned to attend Hamlin Park's boxing show.  Henry was advised by a doctor to stay away from the gym for the rest of the week because his arm needs to rest.  Malik messed himself out of participating in Hamlin's show as well as being able to participate in the shows at Simons Park and Loyola Park. 

But the deciding factor in me going to Hamlin was Lael ticking me off with his behavior the day before.  I had warned Lael before about bringing his toys, basically small action figures, to class and playing with them when he is supposed to be working out.  Lael had an attitude because I wouldn't allow him to play with the toys.  I didn't want to be bothered with the boy's attitude problem the next day, so I shut the gym down for the show.  Besides, I missed Simons Park, so I figured I should attend the show at Hamlin.

Normally, the "Hamlin killers" wipe the floors with their opponents.  But several Hamlin fighters lost their matches.  The Humboldt Park fighters, as well as the one fighter from Harrison Park, decided to show their power.  Another surprise was the kids from Franklin Park, where a new boxing program has been opened.  The kids there are mostly made up of the North Lawndale Boxing League which is run by Derek.  Both of the fighters from there swung at their opponents wildly but won their fights.

Johnny, who is the coach at Humboldt Park, told me, "I have someone at my gym who used to be at your gym!"  Anayiah is now training over there.  Another result of the construction and maintenance issues going on at La Follette, I assumed.  By the time Sahia returns to volunteer at the gym, there might not be anyone showing up at all.  And there's still several weeks to go before the fall session officially ends.

And Stuff Just Keeps Happening

Lael was the first one to arrive for class, and I decided to tone down the surly attitude I had with him the day before.  I kept an eye on the clock as it was getting late, and there was no sign of Henry and David.  I was also keeping a watch out for Malik who never keeps track of time as he usually walks into the middle of the youth class.

Julio, with a paper in hand, came in with his sons, Henry and David, behind him.  Lael has made fast friends with David, so they ran off around the gym.  Meanwhile, Henry dramatically removed his jacket.  I gasped loudly.  Henry's arm was in a splint, taped up from his shoulder to his wrist.  "What happened?" I asked.

The boys' father explained that Henry's arm kept hurting, so he took him to the emergency room the night before.  The ER personnel thought that Henry might have a hairline fracture.  The paper in Julio's hand was for a doctor's appointment to further check Henry's situation out.  Julio believes that Henry is going to need a cast.  "I don't need one!" Henry stubbornly said.  I sighed.  "We're not going to Simons Park tomorrow.  Can't take a chance on injuring that arm further," I said.  "But I can take this off," Henry said, indicating the splint.  "If the doctor says a cast has to go on that arm, Henry, you'll have to wear it," I answered. 

Letters from Santa to your children!

While Julio and I were having our conversation, Malik walked in eating something.  An apple, perhaps.  I wanted to talk to Malik separately; I wasn't going to allow him to go to Simons Park due to too many days of training missed.  Malik walked around for a moment.  Seeing how he couldn't interrupt two adults talking, he left.  I was hoping he would return later, but that did not happen.

Could Henry be okay to participate in Hamlin Park's show next week?  Anything is possible, but I'm not placing any bets on that happening.  I'm not going to let Malik go to Hamlin because I'm tired of constantly reminding him that he has to train in order to fight.  The fall session might as well end now.

At least the adult class will be on the schedule for the winter session.  Whether the few who told me they were interested in registering actually do so remains a mystery.  All I know is that I had no interest in expanding the youth or the teen class to 90 minutes to make up for a canceled adult class.  I believe all of the 21 field houses that have boxing programs include an adult class as part of that.  I did not want to be the only field house with a boxing program that did not offer that to adults.

If Only

I often watch boxing technique videos.  "That would be very helpful and very cool to show to the people at the gym," I think to myself.  Then comes the realization that people actually have to show up to the gym in order for me to give them that knowledge.  Henry and David haven't been in training for two days.  Malik, despite all his talk about changing his schedule around to be there more often, wasn't there yesterday.  Damaris didn't show up, and neither did Koreon.  Everyone else on the attendance list continues to be MIA.  I haven't heard anything from Sahia recently, and I'm becoming concerned about that. 

Lael came in, but he only confirmed what I already knew:  Lael doesn't want to fight.  Like many youths who have passed through there, Lael doesn't have much motivation.  I had to ask twice before I received an answer from him about whether or not he wants to compete.  It's not like there are many chances left this year; I've already decided not to go to the last shows that are scheduled for November.  Lael's answer told me the usual; a love of the idea of being in a boxing, but no real interest in doing the work to get good at it.

This is how it works with me.  When the participants are operating on all cylinders, my energy goes way up.  Regardless of the fact that I have arthritic knees, lower back pain, left leg weakness, and I'm sometimes tired because of diabetes, I find the energy and make it work.  When the participants walk in there displaying low energy, my mood goes down.  I don't have much interest in being around people for several hours who act as if they would rather be someone else.  It makes what is normally a pleasant job hard to take.  Oh, I still do my job, but I'm not going to knock myself for people who show me indifference to what is supposed to go on in the gym.

If only I had a gym full of interested, motivated, serious, and hard-working participants,  I know some of the other park district boxing coaches have no problem filling up their gyms with those types of people.  But it has never been that way where I'm located.  I need to stop feeling guilty about what I may be doing or not doing because I've always known there are other factors -- most of which I have no control over -- that contribute to the state of the boxing program there. 

I'm Not Accommodating

There have been days when long before I get to La Follette Park, I already know the day is going to be a waste of effort.  One of the reasons I feel like that is the continuing lack of participation and interest that's been happening from the first day I began working there.

In the youth class: I believe Koreon has dropped out.  I haven't seen him for a little over a week.  When Koreon was showing up, it was usually a half-hour after class had begun, leaving him with twenty minutes to train after putting on hand wraps and warming up.  If Koreon showed up any later than that, I would send him home to start over the next day.  His smart-aleck sister once tried to challenge me about the rules about class times and training.  I shut her up quickly.  Fortunately, she hasn't come around recently to make any more smart cracks.

Damaris is back, but she's displaying the same lack of motivation and discipline that she's been doing since April.  I don't say much to her because I'm done with constantly repeating myself.  The other day, she had the nerve to tell me, "I need to be exercised more."  "You know what to do," I told her, and I left her to remember what she had been previously taught over and over again by both Sahia and myself.  Sahia has more patience with Damaris' attitude than I do so I let her deal with Damaris.  But Sahia hasn't been in the gym since it was closed due to construction issues during the last two weeks of the summer session. 

As for the teen class, recently Malik told me his basketball coach changed the time of the team practice so Malik can come to boxing practice.  That sounds odd to me since I've never heard of any coach being that accommodating to any of their players who are trying to participate in another sport at the same time.  I've never done that, and I'm not going to do that. 

Ariel's mother signed her up over a week ago, but Ariel hasn't been there.  "I miss boxing," she told me.  But apparently, she hasn't missed it enough to make it a priority to show up to class.  Being overextended is a problem that most of the youths have; that's why Ariel dropped out of the class a year ago. 

I fail to understand why parents, guardians, kids, and teens, and some others who have eyed taking the adult class think I should accommodate people's lack of time management skills.  It never seems to occur to people that I don't have control over when the boxing class is scheduled.  I've given myself a little wiggle room in there in order to register people and take care of other administrative tasks, but that's as far as I can go.  The Chicago Park District runs after-school programs for youths and offers a few activities for adults that either run earlier in the mornings (usually for the senior citizens) or after normal workday hours.  There only a certain window of time to have activities each day based on the hours the field houses are open. 

As long as people don't get that, a lot are not going to be able to participate in most of what goes on in the gym and there will be no getting fights at the boxing shows.  Because of that lack of understanding, the boxing program, at least at La Follette, doesn't run as well as it should even after four years.  I feel like I'm just spinning my wheels most of the time. 

Friendly Faces Amid Neighborhood Drama

I was walking up to Loyola Park for their boxing show since that field house isn't far from my apartment.  Rodney, who is the coach at Trumbull Park, saw me as he was driving by.  "Girl, get on in this car," he said.  I was very appreciative that he gave me a ride.  "Did you go up to your gym first?" he asked.  "No.  I just go straight on to wherever the boxing show is being held on that day," I replied.

Henry and David did not show up.  I had already told Malik to sit out the show because of his non-attendance at La Follette Park, so I had no fighters.  As usual, there were youths in attendance they could have been matched with, but oh, well.  After the weigh-in, seven fights were made.  I served as a judge.

I introduced myself to Frank, who is the new supervisor at Loyola Park,  Frank's a nice, friendly guy who took over after Larry, whom I didn't get a chance to meet, retired not long after taking over from Mary, who retired late last year.  Mary was at the show.  "I miss everybody!" she said as she gave me a hug. There were a lot of other familiar faces in the place.  Of course, Alan and Barry were there as they are the boxing coaches at that park.  Shifty was on hand to referee.  Bill, Pat, Rico, and Johnny were a few of the other coaches present.

I hadn't seen Gary in a long time.  When I took the 'L more often, I would see him at one of the train stations.  He still works for CTA, but he's at another train stop these days.  Rojan, John, Mike, and Kevin -- all guys who train at Loyola Park -- were in attendance.  It was also good to see Sebastian, who told me he's still working towards his degree.  "Gabe still comes here," he told me, referring to his brother. 

I met Mallory and Csilla, two women who train out of Loyola Park.  They fought each other in an exhibition match.  Mallory is tall.  I told her later that she needs to utilize her long arm reach and long legs to gain an advantage in the ring.  Csilla, who is shorter, did well in fighting on the inside.  I told Csilla, who is an art teacher, that I used to fight out of Loyola.  "How did you feel before your first match?" she asked.  "I was beyond nervous.  I hung in there, but I didn't win.  But it gets better each time," I explained.  The person I had my first match with, Meg, is up for a captain's position with the Chicago Fire Department. 

There was some grumbling in the crowd during one of the matches.  The announcer responded with, "It's easy to box while sitting down."  "You ain't never lied,"  I thought as I chuckled to myself. 

There was a delay in getting a recording of the National Anthem started for some reason.  I initially told Barry that I would rather one of the kids get a chance to sing.  But after a few moments of silence, I told everyone, "Okay, I'll start it off.   But for some reason, this is the one song that I keep blanking out on the lyrics.  So everyone has to sing along with me."  With the encouragement of the announcer, I took the microphone.  The audience joined in and it was fine. 

Mike was matched with Solomon, who is in Barry's class.  Solomon keeps getting better every time I see him, and tonight was no exception.  Now Mike did pop Solomon good a couple of times.  But Solomon was the busier of the two, so he got the win.  Unfortunately, Kim, Mike's wife, got to the field house late so she didn't see Mike fight.  But I assured her that her husband did well. 

One of the guys who fought out of Hamlin is a lifeguard at La Follette.  I recognized him after I congratulated him on his win.  "I go into the boxing gym at La Follette and work out in the ring from time to time," he told me.  It's easy for him to do seeing how the door to the gym is often left wide open everyday way before I get there.  But now that I know the guy boxes, I told him he could go in and train whenever he has the time. 

John worked over the guy he fought with, who I believe was from Hamlin Park.  Hamlin people are hard to beat.  I know, because I've been in the ring with a few of them in the past.  But John stayed on the guy for the win. 

The boxing show was pleasant.  But the crowd wasn't as big, and it thinned out quickly.  There was a bit of a low vibe in the room.  Kevin said that it was probably because of recent shootings that have left the neighborhood on edge.  A couple of murders took place over the past few days; the incidents are thought to be the work of a serial killer.  Not the first time there has been that type of person in the neighborhood, but it's been years between then and now.  "You think they'll catch the guy?" Alan asked me as he drove me home.  Pictures of an alleged suspect showed a man dressed from head to toe in black with his face covered.  "It would be easy for whoever it is to change out of that outfit and blend in.  They may catch him, but they may not," I answered, shaking my head. 

Whining and Sparring Don't Mix

Henry and David had to spar with each other yesterday -- again -- because as usual, other kids don't often show up to the gym on Saturday.  I steeled myself for David's usual whining.  His brother Henry is always up and ready for a sparring session.  David dawdles around, and once the action starts, the complaints start.  However, David starts most of the confusion in the ring holding Henry's arms, pushing his brother, etc.

Henry often returns the favor in reaction to his younger brother's antics.  Even their father gets on the both of them about it, as well.  I found myself commanding, "Break!", "Stop holding!", and "Step back!" once too often.  "I shouldn't have to say anything more than once!  If a referee has to keep repeating commands, the fight could end with a disqualification," I warned both of the brothers.  Yet, the wrestling kept continuing.  After sparring, David kept complaining about Henry hitting him.  I told David -- in front of his dad -- that I had no interest in hearing the whining again.  I repeated to both boys that they had to watch their actions in the ring.

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I was glad that they had a chance to spar, however.  Damaris, who had been MIA for a while, returned to the gym.  But she was not prepared to spar.  Usually, she spars with Henry, as I was not comfortable with putting her with the girls who were smaller than she.  Damaris has grown in height and lost some weight since the last time I saw her. 

Ariel re-registered and promised to come in on Friday, but she wasn't there on that day nor on Saturday.  She's been gone for too long for me to be able to put her in Loyola Park or Simons Park's boxing shows next month.  Maybe if she starts showing up regularly I might be able to put her in Hamlin Park's boxing show.

However, time is running out for Malik who continues not to come in and train.  I'm ticked because he knows the rules about training and participation in the boxing shows.  It won't be a surprise if he doesn't show up at Loyola Park despite the fact that I wrote out the information and gave it to him.  Malik missed out on last year's City-Wide Boxing Tournament because of engaging in his usual habits.  If Malik bails out on Loyola Park, I'm not going to be open to putting him in at Simons Park nor Hamlin Park.

One of the attendants was overly concerned about a complaint about the cleanliness of the gym.  I've been disappointed about that, but I hadn't said anything to my boss nor the attendants about it.  On Saturday there were construction workers in the gym.  As long as that is going on, the gym is not going to be clean for a while.  I've basically thrown my hands up in the air about that.  But later, I found out that a parent did complain about how dusty the floor was.  My boss told me to send the parent to them if they have any questions.   In the meantime, everyone is going to have to deal with the gym as it is. 

Boxing Gym In A War Zone

Koreon is the new kid whose name I couldn't think of the other day.  Today was the second time Koreon showed up late.  "You gotta show up here on time to get the full hour of practice," I told him.  I sent him off to a heavy bag on the other side of the room to work on the jab and straight right.  My concentration was more on Henry and David.  Barry called me earlier wanting to know who I had for the Loyola Park show.  I weighed Henry, David, and Malik and reported back to Barry.  But I did not weigh Koreon.

Koreon's sister walked in several minutes later.  "You know your brother came in here late again," I told her.  "He doesn't get off school until later," was her explanation.  My thought was "And her point is what?  Their father has a receipt showing what time class begins, and that was explained to him during registration."  Audibly I told her, "I'd like to get your brother in a boxing show, but he's got to get here to train for it.  I'll see what I can do."  However, I made no promises.

Malik was late, too, but not as late as Koreon.  Once again, Malik expressed concern that he has no one to spar with.  If my left leg and lower back were not giving me problems, I would spar with him.  Luckily, Malik plays other sports which is a help to him in terms of stamina.  Based on that, I might let him fight at Loyola Park without the sparring practice.  Malik has had one fight before, so he knows what to expect.

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The adult class remains empty at the moment.  I sat alone in the gym reading the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly when Sherina, one of the attendants, dashed into the room.  "We've got to close up the field house.  There's been a shooting in the park!" she said.  "Another one?" I said, shaking my head.  There had been a shooting several days ago.  I quickly grabbed my stuff, locked up the gym, and came upstairs.

"Who got shot?" I asked some staff members who were standing at the crash door that leads to the parking lot.  I was told that it was a man who volunteers with the youth football team.  I had seen the man and his son who is on the team, a few hours earlier.  We had exchanged pleasantries. 

Several kids who were leaving the building were crying.  They had been on the football field when the shooting took place.  I was so shocked that I forgot to ask about the condition of the man.  I got in my car and drove off. 

I work in a war zone.

Low Fall Expectations

When the gym re-opened last week, I had to do a lot of heavy lifting and moving to get the equipment room back straight.  Typical of some construction workers, there was no care nor thought taken when my stuff was shifted around to accommodate their work.  I have no doubt the equipment is going to get shoved around again in the near future because their work is still not done.

An adult who frequents the field house regularly shook their head when I told them of the condition of the gym.  "If this place was sitting in a different neighborhood, none of this would be going on.  The work would have been done," they told me.  I don't like playing race cards, but it makes me wonder.  I have been inside a lot of field houses in the park district, and yes, some are better kept up, have better resources, and don't have to deal with outside street drama spilling over into their locations.

Frankly, the gym is a mess.  One of the walls were opened up to expose a pipe; the construction workers put cones around that area.  A plastic cage covers another opening in a wall on the other side of the room.  Last week I caught Lael, who is always easily distracted, pulling back the flaps to see what was inside.  The floor hasn't had a broom or mop run over it in a long time.

It crossed my mind to put in another bid to have extra equipment placed in the gym.  That can't happen, even if there is some money in the budget, because of the current condition of the gym.  Judging how the construction company has been handling their business, I can't afford the new equipment to be damaged. So I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, meaning when the gym will get shut down again, maybe for the rest of the session.