Young Boxers at Community Kickoff
It is usually actors who hone their skills on stage at the prestigious Colony Theatre. But on Thursday night it was a scrappy group of amateur boxers who took to the boards and shined in the spotlight.
The members of the Burbank Boxing Club were featured in a special program demonstration at the 2013 “Community Campaign Kickoff” with the Burbank Community YMCA. This fundraising gala introduced boxing, breakdancing and hip hop programs to the crowd assembled in the arena.
During the night, the attendees were treated to a welcome reception with healthy appetizers, speeches from committee/board members and program demos from the boxers and dancers from the Southland gym. The Y’s CEO JC Holt took to the mic to thank everyone for their support in coming out. The gym’s motto is “Strong Today. Stronger Tomorrow” and the crew of staff and volunteers make that their mission at this family-oriented YMCA.
On stage, there was an invocation and flag salute followed by the group demos including breakdancing with instructor Michael and a hip hop routine with teacher/choreographer Mariah. The teenage Mariah is part of a mother-daughter “dynamic duo” who teach at the gym. “Mya” is a dancer/singer/actress and her mom Shawna is a Zumba Fitness instructor in the packed classes at the Y. And after their cool dance routines it was time for some boxing!
The athletes rocked the stage as Coach Steve Harpst called out the amateur fighters who showed their skills in the sweet science. Since 1996, the trainer has been working with youth and adults in the popular boxing class. Coach Steve spoke to the crowd about the benefits of training in boxing. “We have all levels, both male and female and all ages,” he said. “Boxing is a confidence-building workout and promotes a healthier lifestyle too.”
Some of the members have used their boxing skills to maintain strength, coordination, discipline while learning team work. Many told me they have lost weight along the way, an added bonus to the training. Boxing often transcends all ages and gender, all shapes and sizes. As a testament to that, Harpst had a team of boxing club members shadowbox and hit the focus mitts. A quartet were also introduced for their hard work in the class. Maya and Michelle and Eric and Nick partnered up to show the audience their speedy footwork and power shots on the mitts.
And the boxers also had a very special timekeeper for this occasion. YMCA member Gabriel Cordell is an athlete who doesn’t let his wheelchair stop him from achieving his goals. The muscular paraplegic will soon be making the trek to New York–in his wheelchair. The warrior enjoyed meeting the young fighters and quickly got behind the program. And in turn, the boxers were honored to meet Gabriel, their honorary timekeeper for the night.
One of the goals of the kickoff event was to strengthen relationships in the community and to help generate new members in the future. And Thursday night’s bash inspired and encouraged the large turnout that gathered at the Colony Theatre. The Colony’s Barbara Beckley received a special shout out from Team YMCA, which included JC Holt, Susan Sebastian, Jodi Reneaud, Doris Umemoto, Yvette Herrera, Valerie Ferraro, April Houle, Jenn Wahl and many more.
This show of support and the spirit of community was evident throughout the evening.
The boxing club said they really felt the support of the audience when they performed on stage.
“We all got a kick out of the crowd’s response,” Coach Steve assessed. “It was great the way the audience responded–it was very cool! They really tuned in and the crowd reaction was incredible. We had a great time meeting everyone!”
One of the participants also wowed the crowd. Maya has been boxing for over a year now and has revealed that she has lost over 40 pounds while training. She has proven to be a role model for many of the females in the class. I watched as several audience members went up to meet her after the boxing demo. Many of the women told her it was nice to see a female boxing. “I’ve always wanted to try it!” was a common greeting Maya received. The lady boxers showed the audience that they are just as tough as their male counterparts and also proved boxing is empowering at all levels.
All in all it was a knockout night for the teams–and a reminder it’s never too late to take up boxing to get fit or to stay in shape!
Photos by Michele Chong
