VIEW issue 4 2012:VIEW issue 4 2012 29/04/2012 16:54 Page 13


VIEW, Issue four, 2012


Website: viewdigital.org


The boxing club with the big ambitions


Page 13


drugs and crime and not being citizens in their own community. “Our after-school project at the club will try to


mirror those in the US.” The club has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 1983. Paul said: “It has all changed from when we could


only open up two night a week and had to erect the boxing ring everytime we used it. We had no showers and no toilets. “We’d use a spray bottle to shower the boxers


down and then dry them with hard towels. Talk about Rocky Bilbao, it was old school.” The boxing club also has an impressive fitness suite attached to it. Paul said: “The fitness room was opened in 2006.


There is a huge demand for it from the dads and mums in the area who bring there kids to the box- ing gym. “We really try to encourage women to use it. When the kids came home at night, many of these women were house-bound. “But now they can bring their kids to the club


‘We need to tell the kids in the area that their life is not over at 16 and they are not failures’


and then have a fitness session for themselves for about an hour.” Monkstown Boxing Club has also tasted sporting success. Former member Neil Sinclair became a Com-


monwealth gold medallist in 1994. He went on to be a professional British cham- pion and a Lonsdale belt holder. The club can also boast about Stephen Ward


who won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2010. “This is an area with high levels of disadvantage


where educational attainment is low and many young people drop out of school, while young peo- ple here can also fall into the trap of anti-social be- haviour,” said the chairperson of the boxing club, Billy Snoddy. “Sport, and boxing in particular, is a great way of harnessing the energy and passion of young people, teaching them about self-worth, respect, hard work and dedication. “It’s a great way of impacting on young people, building their confidence and trust, and showing them that they can make a positive difference to their lives and communities.” Billy added: “We are not just helping to improve


young people’s health and fitness; we are support- ing them to find jobs, improve their skills, boost their self worth and showing them they can do anything they put their minds to.” “The sky really is the limit – sport and education really do go hand in hand.”


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