First Person: Why I’m proud to be a boxer
A bead of sweat trickles down my neck. My bangs, once braided and neat, now stick to my forehead and hang in my eyes. My knees are bent and sturdy, and my arms scream with effort. My hands, wrapped and gloved, are balled into fists in front of my face. Today’s opponent is the same as always: Cloth, wrapped in black vinyl and orange duct tape.
SNAP! The bag reverberates with the force of my hit.
SNAP! The shock radiates up my arm, into my shoulder and through my teeth.
SNAP! I begin to float away, my impending assignments, struggles to schedule interviews and upcoming auditions forgotten. Compared to the adrenaline of throwing a punch, those irritants and stresses just feel so small. Was I really that angry and upset?
The bell rings out from the corner of the walkway above the Champagne Fitness Centre pool, signaling the end of a round. I catch my breath, gulping water from my Nalgene as I move to my next station. I grab a stool and hop up, so I can reach the speed bag. While I don’t hit other people – unless they’re wearing hand pads – my inanimate opponents are enough for me.
When it comes to stress and anger management in post secondary, healthy coping mechanisms are key. Without an outlet, it can be easy to become burnt out or stressed. Some people journal, some meditate, some bake.
Me? I love to box.
In my 21 years of life, I’ve never found anything that helps me quite as much as beating the tar out of a bag once a week. I love the ritual, the repetition, the connection to my body, the concrete feeling of exhaustion and satisfaction. And, I love the way it dampens my anger.
“It definitely helps kind of channel my negative emotions into something constructive instead of feeling down or upset with myself,” said Katelyn Lennox, a second-year criminology student and fellow boxer.
Growing up I was a dramatic kid with a short temper. My emotions, good or bad, come hard and fast even today. I experience blinding joy and all-encompassing anger, and it radiates out of my body and into those around me.
My feelings are physical, and they are extreme. I discovered boxing at the start of my second year of university, and it changed everything. I’m not alone in that experience.
“Through boxing I had to sort of reflect and look at myself…there’s no ego, it’s very humble,” says Chris Weissbach, owner, founder and head coach of Phoenix Boxing Academy in Sandy Hill. “I grew a lot through it, I evolved as a person.”
Boxing is an incredible hobby and stress management tool, and can be done right here at Algonquin College. The Jack Doyle Athletics and Recreation Centre offers a cardio kickboxing class on Friday afternoons, and Studio A has heavy bags too. Nearby, there’s a handful of gyms close to the airport which offer martial arts training.
This is my third year of training at Phoenix, and my ability to manage my anger has only improved, along with a strength, a confidence, and physical changes that crept up on me.
When I was travelling home to Newfoundland for the summer this year, my suitcase was a whole ten pounds overweight. I didn’t even notice until the desk agent turned the scale around to show me. Amused (and annoyed that I had to pay the overweight fee) I sent a text to my mom. With no hesitation, she responded.
“That’s because you’re Mighty Mouse from boxing now.”
Once I was through security I took a look at myself in a bathroom mirror. She was right. My shoulders are wider, and I hold them square. I can lift and carry my things for myself. Nobody scares me.
I’m the same as I always was, but sturdier, calmer, stronger too. I don’t have to prove myself. My emotions can just be emotions, not actions, not expressions of violence. I don’t have to break things.
I can throw a punch, but I know I don’t need to.
