Game Changers

As you all know by now. Growing up I watched kids play other sports. Soccer, Basketball and Football being my most viewed. One of the major reasons I never took interest in these sports is because I always felt like I would injure myself permanently.  I have an extreme phobia of loosing my legs and having to live the rest of my life in a wheel chair. This phobia was born when I was in the sixth grade. It was gym class and we were in the football sport unit. My team had lost so we were out of the tournament. Our coach had split the class into eight different teams of five. The type of football we were playing was called two hand touch. The two hand touch being an alternate version of tackling. During the game one of my best friends Nicholas lost his leg. Nicholas was playing the wide receiver position and as he caught the ball one of the opposing teams members tried to tackled him but slipped as Nicholas side stepped him, the boy then fell on Nicholas's left  knee and it was completely dislocated out of place. Nicholas has been handicap ever since. After witnessing such a sight I realized that we are truly blessed to be able to walk with two feet everyday.



Many people that oppose boxing claim that the sport it filled with violence and injury. However, I have seen far more injuries occur in other sports than boxing. In fact I have been boxing for the last five years and I have not sustained any injuries at all. One of the reasons why I took up boxing is because I learned that it can give more confidence. Confidence that I needed because I had lost confidence playing soccer as a child. When I was about nine years old I actually liked soccer because it gave me the perfect chance to kick something. One day my life changed forever, as I was playing soccer with my friends and cousins, someone had tripped me and I fell flat on my face chipping both of my two front teeth very badly. Over the course of the next ten years I was subject to excruciatingly painful dentist appointments. I was so self conscious of the way I had looked I never smiled and many people in my family thought I had anger issues. I was so self conscious that I never even took any pictures. The only pictures I have from my childhood is my baby picture from when I was one years old. After I took up boxing I felt more confident in who I was as a person and I didn't really care about what people thought of me.



Many people all around the world love football. Americans especially love football, however this dearly beloved sport of many is one of the leading causes of concussions of our youth. Soccer being the second sport with the highest concussion cases. Both sports are played in high school. So why not allow for boxing?



Sources : Nanda, Anil, et al. "Sports-related concussions and the Louisiana Youth Concussion Act." The Journal of the Louisiana State Medical Society 164.5 (2012): 246+. Academic OneFile. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.

Story Time

For awhile now I've been trying to think of a new way to convince you all that boxing should be a high school sport. So I though to myself "hmm if what normally convinces me or persuades my opinion?" and then it hit me! Stories, so today I'm going to tell you the story of two different boxers that have been very influential in my life. Both fighters come from humble beginnings and if not for the great sport of boxing would not be where they are today.

The first fighter I am going to speak of is someone who completely revolutionized the sport during his era. He is a man that inspired me to start boxing and become a fighter. That man is Muhammad Ali.

Muhammad Ali had his bike stolen at the tender age of twelve. When police arrived at the scene they saw a boy with unrivaled rage and aggression. One of the officers at the scene recommended that the young Muhammad take up boxing to vent his anger. Soon after, Muhammad began working with boxing trainer Fred Stoner, from there his career took off. Muhammad won many titles and championships growing up. Some of these awards include: two National Golden Glove championships, the Junior Amateur Athletic title as well as six consecutive Kentucky Golden Glove championships. Ali's success would have never been made possible without the sport of boxing. It took that officer to expose him to the sport. If boxing was made a high school sport then more people will be exposed to the sport. Maybe then more great champions can be born and lives can be changed for the better.


The next boxer I am going to speak of is the current pound for pound best fighter in the world. He is a man that went down last year as the highest grossing athlete of 2012. This man is Floyd Mayweather Jr.


Growing up Floyd lived an extremely troubled life. His father was a drunk with anger issues and was in and out of jail. Floyd's mother also struggled with drug addiction. To get away from all the stress of the home life Floyd flocked to the boxing ring and found peace there. Growing up all Floyd knew was boxing, his father and two uncles were also prominent figures in the boxing scene. Soon Floyd followed in their foot steps and has emerged as one of the greatest boxers of the modern era. Boxing is much more than punching and trying to hurt your opponent, boxing is a sport that can provide focus and peace for a troubled youth. Which is why  it should become a high school sport.




Sources: "Manny Pacquiao Falls To No. 6 In boxing Pound-for-pound ratings - SI.com - Boxing." SI.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2013.

Boxing Abroad

My topic is a rather interesting one. Its a topic that isn't of great controversy but it is important. Honestly, due to the fact that people haven't spoken up about this issue, many never stop to consider it. If you've read my other blogs by now you know what issue I am speaking of. Why aren't there any high school boxing teams?

Well there are actually, however they just aren't in the US. I learned today that the UK's school system allows for high school boxing. This is just one statistic taken from http://www.guardian.co.uk " The number of schools with boxing on the curriculum has jumped from 20 four years ago to 1,931 this year and the sport has become the toast of politicians and education experts who once dismissed it as too violent." The quote demonstrates how much people really love the sport and want to partake in it.

In fact, upon my research I've discovered that boxing is becoming one of the countries most popular sports. Especially with the younger crowd, here's one quote from the article " It reaches young people that other sports don't," added Jowell. "In my own constituency, it's probably the number one sport that young people want to do. It gives them self-esteem, it gets rid of aggression, yet at the same time is a highly disciplined sport. " this quote sums up my childhood as this was the only sport I wanted to do as a kid. The sport transformed me into the man that I am today.

One of my boxing instructors is named Boris. Boris is originally from Russia and he is one of my favorite instructors. When I first met him, I honestly didn't like him because he seemed arrogant and always upset about something. As time went on I grew to accept him as he is and I now somewhat like his demeanor   It's necessary to have people like that around when your trying to build true strength. Well the reason why I bring him up is because one he told us about how he was brought up in Russia. Boris told us that by the age  of thirteen he was forced to enlist in the army. During his training it was mandatory that everyone learned how to box for three main reasons. The first self-defense, the second discipline, and the third confidence. 



Boxing is loved world-wide and in many countries schools offer boxing programs, clubs and teams for students. It is only right for the US to follow suit.

Sources: Taylor, Matthew, and Owen Gibson. "Off the Ropes, and Back into the Ring – Boxing Makes Unlikely Comeback in Schools and Clubs." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 15 Nov. 2009. Web. 22 Mar. 2013.

Hidden Gems

Boxing can offer benefits many people easily overlook. One of these benefits is weight loss. At the gym I work at, many people often ask me how they can loose weight. Or what machine they can use that will help them to define their abs. My answer to these questions is always quite simple. I tell them that cardiovascular exercise is the best option. Boxing is the most intense and best from of cardiovascular exercise their is. With obesity rates rising I feel as though many would take to boxing as I did. According to research done by the CDC ( Center for Disease Control and Prevention), " More than one-third of U.S. adults (35.7%) are obese." This means is that for every three people that you meet. One of them will be obese. What's even more crazy is that for the first time in one hundred years children have a lower life expectancy than their parents, as reported by http://bigfatindustries.com/scary.html.

 Obesity in America is at an all time high and we need to do all we can to change this. In one of my recent writings I spoke of how one of the major keys to loosing weight was to find a cardiovascular exercise that is enjoyable. Boxing can be used as one of these keys. Along with the other many high school sports that exist.




Another key benefits of boxing besides weight loss is the amount of confidence that it can give. Growing up I was bullied often. These days the topic of bullying has become more prominent due to the fact that bullying has gotten far worse than it used to be. When I began to box I developed the knowledge and skill to defend myself at any time. I also used my knowledge to teach others and help them to be protected. Self Esteem and Confidence are two very important things to have when growing up, especially during time spent in high school. Boxing can provide this.




The sport of boxing is also on a steady decline in America.

As reported by http://www.askmen.com " There is a complete lack of any boxing on the main American networks. In a world where the American public has so many sports-watching options, boxing has moved away from it’s original formula of the 1960’s and 1970’s, where it would broadcast most of its fights on ABC's Wide World Of Sports. ".

Part of this is due to the fact most kids grow up being exposed to other sports. As a result they turn to the sports they grew up loving and boxing slowly fades backwards.  

Highschool Boxing

When I was in high school, I was known as the  martial artist. During my first few years in elementary school. I remember doing punches and kicks on the basketball court while all the other kids played football and basketball. When high school came around the same kids that played football and basketball then, now had access to official high school basketball and football teams. I at the time begun to transition into the sport of amateur boxing and I had gotten quite good. Both teams basketball and football now had the opportunity to be scouted by college coaches. Those players on both teams had the opportunity for scholarships, grants and full rides due to their prowess in the sports of football and basketball.

Unfortunately, no such thing currently exist for a kid who likes to box. The reason is because there is no high school boxing teams. High School boxing is not a sport and my argument is that it should be. I strongly feel that if there were  high school boxing teams when I was in school, I certainly would have be awarded a scholarship based on my talent. It is unfair that such opportunities don't exist for students who love other sports, rather than the mainstream.  There are so many options to choose from when it comes to high school sports. Basketball, baseball, tennis, track, volleyball, soccer, football, wrestling, lacrosse,....etc. The list goes on and on. I can't fathom why boxing wouldn't be allowed to be a high school sport. Some people may claim that boxing is filled with injury. However, wrestling, football, soccer, and lacrosse are high injury sports. In fact according to Dr. Nathan Hinkeldey from Team Chiropractic & Rehabilitation "High school, college, and professional football combine to rack up thousands of injuries every year. Yet the sport is still allowed to be played in school." So why not boxing?











"Football Injuries." Johnston Chiropractic Chiropractor Johnston IA RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.

Introduction

Hi everyone, I am re doing my blog because I think I did the assignment wrong the first time so here goes!







To start I am a firm believer in strength and power. Thus I will start this off by showing you my favorite Animal.

Cooking has always been one of my favorite passions here is one of the foods I have cooked recently!




Martial Arts is my passion in life its something I love more than anything in this world and I would not be who I am without it!

Another passion of mine is health and fitness I currently work at a planet fitness and I love  my job.

My favorite sport of all time has to be boxing I think it is one of the most difficult yet rewarding sports.