Evan Barnes, Shuttersport
Victory Boxing gym fighting stronger than ever 10 years on Respect, responsibility, determination and caring. Those are the core values at the heart of Victory Boxing which have seen it grow bigger than anyone could imagine 10 years ago when it started. Jack Malcolm takes a closer look.
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aul Hampton started the gym with one goal, helping kids. As a teacher at Victory Primary School he took the direct approach. "We spoke to the kids about needing support and a focus. They said boxing." In the programme’s first year, they were at the YMCA, had barely any gear and 20 children. Through the help of Scott Gibbons, who offered the gym a place to call home when they needed it, and the Goodman family's continued support, the gym has expanded to something bigger and better than he could have ever imagined. Now they cater to over 500 young boys and girls a week from their own boxing gym in the heart of Victory. All of their students are working towards earning, or have already achieved, the honour of receiving a Victory Boxing singlet. The programme includes non-contact, fitness-based classes underpinned by the gym's core values, with participants also having to represent their values inside the gym, at home, at school and in the community. On average, it takes 12 weeks to complete. Paul says the programme is the core element of the gym, with adult classes used to subsidise the costs. "It's $25 a term, but anyone who
needs to be here will be. "The reason our numbers are so high is the retention rate…it's why we have been here for over ten years. "I'm just as passionate as I was on day one, the hardest thing is not getting burnt out. The passion and motivation is not a problem. It's just getting more and more people to spread the load." Paul remembers when they started the programme there was some push back at what they were doing. "There was a perception we were just teaching at-risk youth how to fight better, but that's their assumption. We work very hard so that our values are taken out of the gym, but the boxing isn’t. Over our 10 years I can't think of one scenario of it being out on the street." He says most people now see the benefit of helping people with their self-esteem and empowerment through the vehicle of boxing. "A lot of our work is into that mental health space. Everyone’s got a fight going on, whether it be golden gloves or getting out of bed. When it's done properly, you can get some great benefits." Boxing has a lot of life lessons, like getting off the canvas and having good people in your corner, he says.
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