SPECIAL FOCUS

Women Pack Punches in Chicago Gyms

BY PAMELA REDD

More and more women are donning boxing gloves at Chicago Park District's renown boxing program. They get a satisfying aerobic workout, self-defense skills and, for some, professional training for the ring made famous by the likes of Muhammad Ali.

At first glance, Wylie Goodman seems out of place in the large, dimly lit gym at Clarendon Park on Chicago's north side. At 5 feet 3 Inches tall and weighing 100 pounds, Goodman, age 23, looks more suited for a ballet performance than for what she is getting ready to do. The psychologist and writer is taping her hands and preparing for a rigorous workout in the ring—the boxing ring, that is.

Goodman is one of a growing number of women and girls who are entering the sport of boxing.

"Boxing is more than a competitive sport and is beneficial to both males and females," says Bill Heglin, a coach at Hamlin Park, another northside park in the Chicago Park District system. "It teaches confidence, conditioning, self-control, teamwork, sportsmanship and discipline."

Heglin has worked as a trainer with the Chicago Park District for 23 years. One of his fighters, David Diaz, represented the United States at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

The key to the Chicago Park District boxing program's success is the highly qualified coaches, like Heglin, who are committed to teaching boxing methods to adults and children, from ages eight and up. The coaches not only teach, they also nurture and care for the young kids and teens, many of whom need positive role models. Coaches sometimes work closely with participants' parents, they monitor their progress in school and even consult with teachers and principals to make sure the kids are attending school.

The Chicago Park District boxing program dates back to the 1930s, and is considered one of the best training grounds for amateur boxers in the United States and is the largest supplier of amateur boxers in the city of Chicago.

For a brief time during the 1950s, the popularity of boxing had declined in Chicago. Then, in 1967 there was a resurgence of interest in boxing and the district offered the program at six sites, attracting 350 participants. Today, more than 3,000 kids and adults take part in the program each year at 26 locations city wide.

"The Chicago Park District is committed to providing top-notch traditional and nontraditional recreational activities for women and girls," says general superintendent Forrest Claypool. "Within the past two years, we've noticed a trend in the growth of females signing up for exciting activities like football and boxing."

Their reasons for entering the male-dominated sport run the gamut from seeking a different form of workout to wanting to break into the world of professional boxing.

Goodman's interest in boxing began several years ago when she met trainer Eddie Davis while writing a story on kick boxing for a local magazine. She did not know where to go for training at the time, and the programs she found required large fees. She discovered the Chicago Park District's program, which is free of charge, and enrolled in it last November. She now trains with Davis, who for the past 11 years has coached amateurs and trained world class professional boxers, including Leon Spinks.

26/ Illinois Parks and Recreation

Goodman says that boxing makes her feel stronger and more assertive.

"Most women aren't taught how to channel their anger and aggression," says Goodman, who also works with survivors of domestic violence. "Boxing not only provides a good workout, it also provides a healthy and positive outlet where you can express these emotions."

Says coach Heglin: "Several of our girls are physical education majors who want to expand their field. A couple train here to stay in shape for their park district lifeguard duties, and all of them say it's more fan and challenging than aerobics."

Young girls are often interested in the boxing program because it is different and exciting to learn.

Self defense is one of the reasons that 13-year-old Shawna Carnow wanted to learn how to box. The eighth grader from Chicago's Lincoln Junior High School can be found in the Hamlin Park Gym on almost any given day after school lets out. Carnow became fascinated with boxing when her younger brother Danny started taking lessons.

"I used to play basketball and baseball. I like boxing better," says Carnow, who's been in the program for nearly a year. "It's not a sport I think I will drop out of any time soon. My friends think boxing is cool, although they're scared of me sometimes."

Carnow's parents support her decision to learn how to box.

"She's learning how to defend herself and boxing keeps her in shape," says her father, Dan Carnow. "And best of all, I know where she is after school."

When Laura Lopez, age 23 and a junior majoring in Childhood Education at Northwestern University, first entered the gym a year and half ago, she was immediately intimidated and insecure. There were no females and so many guys in the gym, she recalls. Now this 5 foot 5 inch, 139-pound "co-ed" walks with a swagger and jokes with everyone in the gym.

Lopez says since she was a little girl, she and her father would watch boxing on television together, and its a pastime they still enjoy. Now she's fought three bouts in the park district sponsored tournaments, winning one and losing two. She has also competed in the Golden Gloves competition, a boxing tournament for ages 16 and up that begins at the local level and can lead to national and Olympic competitions.

For secretary and singer Monika Marcinkiewicz, 22, the sport's pay off will come when women turn professional and fight for high-stake purses.

Marcinkiewicz, who was born and Poland and has lived in Chicago for the past 5 years, wants to see female boxers be accepted into the field of professional boxing and by the public.

At 5 feet 4 inches and 125 pounds, Marcinkiewicz describes herself as having a lot of energy and aggression, which she likes to get rid of in the ring. She has been involved in athletics all of her life and was first introduced to boxing when, at age 11, she and her family moved to Germany. There she also got involved in "street fighting."

The idea of women in the ring, trading punches, makes many men uncomfortable. Often people, both male and female, do not perceive boxing as a traditional sport for women and aggression is not considered a feminine trait.

According to Marcinkiewicz, what men don't understand is that women can be tough without losing touch with their feminine side.

"It's good for women to show their strong side," says Marcinkiewicz. "Women need to get in the more aggressive 'macho sports' like boxing because they're more of a challenge."

Says coach Davis: "[Women] have worked just as hard and are just as dedicated as male boxers, and they deserve respect as athletes. I find women boxing matches more exciting to watch because they go all out."

Marcinkiewicz plans to make the transition from amateur boxer to professional boxer in the near future. She is training with Davis for a bout in the city's upcoming Golden Gloves competition and receiving some of the best training in the country at her neighborhood park.

The program has turned out many skilled boxers including: Nate Jones, who was an Olympic teammate of David Diaz; Danell Nicholson, a young, upand-coming professional boxer and member of the 1992 Olympic Boxing Team; Montell Griffen, an Olympic teammate of Nicholson; Leroy Murphy, captain of the 1980 Olympic Boxing Team (the year the United States boycotted the games); Oliver McCall, a former heavy weight champion; and Lorenzo Smith, another young, up-and-coming professional boxer.

The walls at many of the gyms throughout the Chicago Park District system contain drawings of boxing greats, such as the Duke of Queensberry, John L. Sullivan, Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali and Julio Caesar Chavez.

One day, Marcinkiewicz would like her portrait, and those of other women, to hang alongside these boxing legends.

"For too long men have dominated professional sports like basketball and boxing," I says Marcinkiewicz. "It's time for them to move over so women can show that they, too, have the right stuff. There's room for us all in the professional sports arena." •

PAMEIA REDD is a communications specialist for the Chicago Park District.

The idea of women in the ring, trading punches, makes many men uncomfortable. Often people, both male and female, do not perceive boxing as a traditional sport for women and aggression is not considered a feminine trait. According to boxer Monika Marcinkiewicz, "Women need to get in the more aggressive 'macho' sports like boxing because they're more of a challenge."

January/February 1997 /27