Remodeling Bloor Street, Update

Well, there is a story developing at the Bloor Street Boxing Gym.
The studs and boards are now in place to create........ta-da!

The new office, the box on the right is a desk.

An office!
The office is elevated so you can look right out the viewing window. I was told this is going to be Paul's office.
This may not be such a bad idea. With the owner being upstairs all the time, he can monitor what is going on. Maybe he will get some new equipment now. It is possible that people were not using the gear correctly, and damaging it.
Although, I don't know why they are keeping that piano there. It is kind of out of place for a boxing gym. They also have an old sofa on the other side. I'd rather they had more room for the training and the classes. It is already a small space.

Stairs going up to the office

Another thing I noticed, is the famous "Bloor Boxing Gym" sign has been removed from outside. That is kind of a shame. that has been there for a long time.
Anyway, it looks like there may be some improvements at Bloor Street. Here's hoping.

Paul "The Comeback Kid"

Remodeling Bloor Street

Well, the new gym is working well so far.
As for Bloor Street, it looks like that are going to be doing some major renovations. I hope it is for the better.

New wall supplies stacked against the wall, and the "bars" from the windows.

Studs. Why do they need these when they have me?

It looks like they are putting in walls, or perhaps another room.

They are moving everything out of that corner. The sound system that was where the chair is now, has been moved to the opposite wall, along with one of the speakers.

So far, no idea what they are doing, but I hope that updating the equipment is included.

They also removed the "bars" from the windows. I guess they finally realized how ugly it looked.

The "bars" are gone, also note the speaker's new home.

Paul "The Comeback Kid"

Starting A New 'Life' With A New Gym!

Well, with the unfortunate situation at the Bloor Street Gym, I had to find another location.
I visited different boxing locations, interviewed the coaches, studied the program and at the same time, I was assessed.  To decide where my next boxing gym will be, I took all of these into consideration. And after a bit of deliberation, the winner is...Kingway Boxing Club! Congratulations.

I chose this location because I liked the coaches. It is a small location with few members, and there is one-on-one coaching. They focus only on boxing. The fact that I am in my 40's does not bother them. As a matter-of-fact, I was offered a chance to compete in the Master's Tournament in St. Louis this August. They also have club matches I can compete in.
There ring is in very good shape, and so is the rest of the equipment. The heavy bags are not wrapped with duct tape, and the speed bags work. Yes, speed bags. Wow, imagine a boxing gym with working speed bags!

The only thing is that this new gym is in an odd location. Its in the back of a warehouse. When I went to first look at it, I went at night and passed it three times. However, now that I know where it is, it is not so bad. It is on the way home from work. I just go to Kipling station and take the 44 bus for a few blocks.
As for the Bloor Gym, I will continue my membership for a while longer.
So far, things are looking good for the new place. Let's hope this is the start of a new (boxing) relationship.

Paul "The Comeback Kid"

A Message From Yoda: New Boxing Gym In Your Future, I See...Mmmm, Yes.

Well, I am at the point of major frustration, as you may tell from my previous post. I am back to feeling like nobody wants to take my training seriously.
As mention in the last post, Tim has not been showing up for his classes. You are already aware of the frustrations at Bloor Street Boxing. However, there is a bit more to it. Lately, the boxing area has been in a bad state of repair. In addition to crowded classes, and the constant mess around the ring, several pieces of equipment have been broken for a very long period of time. I have brought this to the attention of the managers, but I might as well talk to the wall. Also, last month the head coach quit. Right now, there are no certified coaches at Bloor Street, so it does not look like things are going to improve. Junmar's classes are good, but he is not certified. Otherwise, I like the Bloor Street Gym and the people there, but they are not meeting my needs. Right now, their boxing program is crumbling. If I have any chance of competing again, I need a certified coach and a properly maintained gym.

No speed bags. I have asked for these to be fixed three times.

I have been searching for a new boxing facility. One that takes boxing seriously, and have no problem coaching someone as "seasoned" as I.
I found two. Cabbagetown Boxing Club, which currently has two competitive boxer in their 40s, and Kingsway Boxing Club. Cabbagetown is a bit far, but Kingsway is on the way home from work. I was looking at their website, WOW, what a nice facility. They have all new equipment, and they are certified by Boxing Ontario, which Bloor Street is not (any more). They have formatted classes, not crowded, and they even have open sparring classes. This is something I also recommended at Bloor Street, but was ignored as usual. The problem with Kingsway is that they have odd hours. They did say they would train me to compete, even as a professional if I like. With that however, come a price. $95 a month! Compared to the $50 I pay at Bloor.
I went to check out the Kingsway Club. They used to be located in the basement of the Kingsway Theatre, until the theatre re-opened. Then they wanted their basement back. Now the boxing club is located on Jutlin Road near Kipling Ave. It is located behind a warehouse in a light industrial area. Why are boxing gyms always located in dumb areas?
On my way back form Kingsway, I noticed Xtreme Couture was not too far, just a couple of blocks. They have boxing there as well. However, I did not see them listed as certified with Boxing Ontario. That means, probably no serious competition.
Finally, there is Sully's Boxing Club near Dufferin and Dupont. They are open weekends which in convenient.
What does this mean for Bloor Street? Nothing, yet. I am going to try another gym for a while, and also keep my Bloor membership. After all, Bloor Street is close and are open 24 hours. However, that can change. As the others get more members, they may increase their hours.

So The Comeback Kid has a serious dilemma. Stay tuned to this blog, as the drama continues. Dum, da dum...

This double-ended ball has been broken for five months.

Kingsway Boxing Club
Xtreme Couture
Cabbagetown Boxing Club
Sully's Boxing Club

Paul "The Comeback Kid"

Holidays Are Over...Back To Normal...A.F.U !

Yes, the Holidays are over, and that means things are returning to normal, all F'd up.
The only thing, I don't know if I will be returning to Junmar's classes right now. Nothing against Junmar, he is a good teacher. That's the problem. His classes are too crowded. I don't like that much crowding when I am trying to train. I did request that they add more classes, but just like everything else I requested, it will not happen.
I have not been going up for Tim's training lately. For one thing he is never there, and it is a very long trip to go all the way up there for nothing. Right now, I am back to training myself. I have been going into Bloor Street after the classes are finished. 
As much as I hate to say it, I have not been happy with Bloor Street Boxing lately. Some new members have been coming in, and some of them are complete buttholes. I know all the "regular" members, and we all get along.
On Sunday, these two assholes come up to the boxing area, and started blasting this God Awful music, and it was really loud. Excuse me, can't you see I am trying to [[seriously]] train here? These guys were not even boxing. They were piss-assing around! When I left, I gave them a dirty look. I mean, that is rude. When I train, I train without music, or I use my own CD of training music set to my training proceedure, and sometimes I just play the radio softly. However, I do that at times when there is nobody up there. I don't just walk in and just blast crap into someone's ears.
Then on Wednesday, once again the place was in a huge mess. I am forever having to clean up around the ring. Junmar is the only one who cleans up.
Another ass member once said I have OCD because I am always cleaning up the gym. Well, excuse me for wanting to have a clean and safe environment. Is it my fault that the other members are slobs? I'll give you OCD. Is constantly punching a guy up side of the head also considered OCD? Sorry, no don't do that.
On Wednesday, I went up just after 10:00, and the were only a couple of guys there. I would like to say thet the gym had their own music playing, which is sometimes not too bad. This one "song" came on that had the "N-word" repeated about 10 times. I turned the whole freaking thing off. I can't beleive thay would play something like that at a gym. If I hear it again, I will likely complain. That is disgusting.
Anyway, there was this guy with a little timer, punching the crap out of one of the bags, but he obviously had no boxing skills. He was thowing punches like an ape. No footwork, no defense, no skill. Why the hell are you bothering with the timer? Only boxers need a timer.
Anyway, the edges of the ring were a mess again, and this guy climbs under the ring to grab the evil NO SPARRING sign. He put it up against the ring ropes. Thank you for that.
This guy claims to work there, although I have never seen him before...well, once. He was pretending to box, just like he pretends to work there.
That's not the point. It's in my fucking way! Nobody pays any attention to it anyway. One day I am going to throw it onto the street and maybe a streetcar will run it over.
At this point I was pissed, and I just dragged my arm across the edges of the ring and pushed everything to the floor, evil sign included.. I'm sorry, but when I am training in the ring, the edges have to be clear so I don't fall and break my face. If this "employee" really does work there why doesn't he help clean up instead of being a pain in the ass?
What is his job, pissing off the members? They should give him a raise.
The last time I saw him, he accidently set of the security system for poking around in places he shouldn't. When the security comapany called, he claimed to be the "human resources manager", and Paul (the owner) did not give him the code. Well, maybe there is a reason Paul did not give him the code?
Paul is a great guy, and is one of the reasons I keep going to the Bloor Street Boxing. I hate to sound like a compaliner. However, my requests are not unreasonable. If I had room, I would set up my own gym. There is a reason why I am paying to use someone else's.
I also remember a time last week when I slipped on a puddle outside the shower and broke my toe. I mentioned it to management, and all they did was put up a "Caution Wet Floor" sign. That's not what I meant. How about drying off inside the shower stall, instead of drip-drying outside. Wow, what a concept!
Anyway, that's all for this entry. I'd like to see if anything changes around Bloor Street after writing this blog. Something tells me, it won't.

Paul "The Comeback Kid"

Bloor Boxing and Fitness