Q&A with Antwoine Dorm, Executive Director, Stick-N-Move Boxing

BY BRITNEY BROOKS | DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Stick-N-Move Boxing, Inc., an innovative 501(c)(3) nonprofit devoted to creating a positive impact on low-income students’ lives, makes it their mission to nurture and inspire its students to find the healthy outlet necessary to achieve overall success and prepare them to be productive members of their community.

Formed in 2009, Antwoine Dorm and his team have committed themselves to providing extensive boxing instruction and wellness opportunities to students who, due to their families’ financial limitations, would not otherwise be able to participate in such a valuable program. Since its founding, the organization has helped over 1,700 participants.

Q: How did you know when you needed to start your own program?

A. I was boxing at a local gym geared towards adults at the time, and also working in the homeless shelter. I remember helping a few troubled teens by training with them and letting them get their anger and aggression out. It was like magic seeing the change happen right before your eyes. They had even told their friends, and the next thing I knew I had a whole group of teenagers. We went to our local parks and the Princess Street Center, and was training in my childhood friend’s basement. It began to get crowded and I had to find more space. To see a community come together to help support is the most beautiful thing ever. I didn't feel like a leader and I did not want to be. I just wanted to motivate others.

Q: What would you consider one of your biggest success stories and how it changed their outlook for the future?

A. I work in a local K8 school and met a kid that was over 360 lbs. I expressed my concerns about his health with him, and offered to train him for free. For quite a while he kept turning me down but I was very persistent. It wasn't until I offered to go through the process with him, then he agreed to give it a try. After about 8 months of us training together, he lost 80 lbs. and I lost 30 lbs. It was very difficult at times but we kept on pushing and we did it all together. I was able to witness him make friends and be a lot more confident. But with that confidence, he became easily influenced by his peers and began to start hanging around the wrong crowd and shifted away from our program. However, I wasn't backing down and told him he wasn’t built for this. Eventually, he began to come back to the program. He really learned how to open up more and help other people with the same struggles. It was a rough process but it all was worth it because now he spreads his knowledge with others.

Q: Why do you continue to support youth boxing?

A. I was not a troubled kid myself, I was more or less on the fence-I could have went left or right. I had a lot of anger held in and it was very rough at times. The sport of boxing is one of the main ingredients that saved my life. I remember hearing about the violence that was going on in our city and I knew if I could have an influence on people my age or older, that I could make a bigger impact on the younger generation. Just to have that satisfaction knowing that I saved another life is what wakes me up every day. At times I feel like giving up, but I remember why I started in the first place. How could I go around preaching to these young children not to give up and then turn around and give up myself? So, I suck it up and I keep on pushing.

Q: What’s on the horizon for the program?

A. We plan to continue making changes in our city by adding other programs not only for children but also for adults, such as women's self-defense, personal training. In the near future, we will be adding a Tiny Boxers program for ages 5-7.

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