Looking for a pre-game or post game meal? Consider the restaurants who advertise in Sports Energy
17
Champs Eastside Boxing: Champions Inside and Outside the Ring By Terry Tinkess Walking into Champs Eastside Boxing club at 223 Jarvis St. feels like stepping back in time. There is no mistaking the purpose of this place: it is the development of the individual, both mentally and physically, through hard work. There are no bright lights or wild colours because the purpose is not to amuse the eye or entertain. This is serious business, as the building of self-confidence should be. The sweat on the brow is just a symptom of the work that is going on within the individual. According to Jorge Luis, the man behind Champs, there is a lot of interest in what the club can provide, and they have had success with both provincial and national champs to their credit. He says that while interest has been high, most people aren’t that interested in boxing for competitive reasons. “It’s good exercise and it is economical, I see that,” says Luis, “But I see a lot of kids that don’t know about the gym, and the whole idea was to provide a gym and access to a sport that wasn’t readily available to the average kid.” Champs has been at their current location since about 2001. Prior to that Luis offered boxing at Paradise Fitness, something he undertook in 1998. For Luis, it is a labour of love as much as anything. The facility is Spartan, but costs are also very low. According to Luis, he didn’t want to see cost as a reason for someone not becoming a member. “We’re a non-profit club. We try to
Maximus (Max) Bourgon, 9 shows a lot of promise, according to Jorge Luis, who runs the boxing club.
Photo by Terry Tinkess
keep out fees cheap and affordable,” says Luis. “All the money we take in goes to replace some of the gear and to cover our expenses if we take our kids to shows and events, things like gas and hotels. “A kid comes here, it costs him $30 a month as a competitor and that covers his travel costs and everything. Not many sports offer that.” Part of the problem in attracting new members, according to Luis, is that there are still many people who don’t understand how boxing can help a person develop. “People don’t understand that boxing is as much mental as it is physical and there are a lot of misconceptions as well,” says Luis. “They think that boxing teaches kids how to fight, which it does, but in a controlled, structured environment. They become less violent, not more violent.
Once they know they can defend themselves and they have that selfconfidence, they don’t need to prove it at school. It is about speed, balance, technique, smarts and discipline and kids build that here. Luis says that boxing has helped some kids; some kids have turned their life around. He also says that the adult members of the club, both men and women, have benefited as well. It might be a case of just feeling better about themselves through healthier living, or even, as one past member discovered, being able to fend off a sexual assault. The program teaches you to trust yourself, to rely on your ability and helps you develop the physical tools to make that happen. As much as he would like to, Luis knows he can’t help everyone. It has to be within them. If it is there, Champs will bring it out of them. One young member who Luis sees promise in is Maximus (Max) Bourgon, 9, who has been coming to Champs for about the past 18 months. According to his father, Robert, boxing has helped Max live a healthier lifestyle, but it has also encouraged him to become more involved and focused in school. While Max doesn’t disagree, he says it is the physical part he likes. “I like to box in the ring and hit people,” says Max, a man of few words. He says that boxing has made him more confident because he knows he can protect himself. He doesn’t have to worry about being bullied at school. When asked what he would ask for if he could have one thing for his club, Luis, thinks carefully, and then
Sports Energy TV Hosted by David Murphy. Check the Cogeco Billboard for showtimes
www.tvcogeco.com/cornwall
JorgeLuis
gives a two-part response. “Every boxing coach that teaches the sport with passion does so wanting to train a world champion. Having a world champion who came out of your club is your dream. But I would also like more boxers and to be able to change a life or two along the way. When I see a kid go over the wall, that’s my kick, that’s my thrill.” According to Luis, before you become a champion, you have to be a contender and a contender is that guy who is willing to pay the price to take himself as far as his mind and body and heart and soul will allow. “If they do that, and even if they don’t become a champion in the ring, if they apply that to their life, they are going to become a champion in life. “Boxing clubs are a place of dreams,” adds Luis. “It is a sport that takes kids that might be too small or unskilled for another sport, and allows them to go as far as their body and their mind can take them. Which is what Jorge Luis strives for: to help anyone willing to try and find the strength within themselves to be able to go the distance.