University of Iowa approves new boxing club

IOWA CITY - After bobbing and weaving through a lengthy application and approval process, a group of University of Iowa students officially have entered the ring - securing approval to launch the campus' first-ever boxing club.

The co-ed UI Boxing Club received the university OK in March, and students promptly began training at the Field House in hopes of competing next year against schools like Iowa State University and in the National Collegiate Boxing Association's regional and national championships.

'We are really happy that Iowa is in this, and we are hoping for some good rivalries and some good turnouts for our events,” said Jon Swanson, head coach of Iowa State's boxing club, which has existed since 1925 and has its own ring and training space on campus.

But the university's Department of Risk Management had plenty of questions and concerns about the contact-sport club, delaying approval. And getting it so late in the academic year meant much of the club's advertising and recruitment must wait until fall.

George Chamberlain, coach of the new UI Boxing Club, said he expects dozens of students will be interested - based on informal polling of campus interest. He hopes participation eventually will support the need for a boxing-specific space on campus - like at Iowa State.

National reports have shown a decline in the sport's popularity, but Chamberlain said he hopes to debunk some misconceptions about what sanctioned boxing entails.

'A lot of people don't think getting hit is fun,” he said. 'But it's not about that. It's about being the best you can be.”

Chamberlain said he's not the type of coach who yells and disparages athletes for performance. He sees boxing, rather, as an avenue to develop confidence and other life skills.

'It's about learning to be comfortable in your own skin,” he said. 'It's how you carry yourself.”

Boxing isn't just about throwing punches, according to Chamberlain. He teaches defense too - how to not get hit.

'A lot of those are directly transferrable skills,” he said. 'I can help you have a boxer's mind-set.”

Although many of the dozens of collegiate boxing clubs across the country focus on competition, including Iowa State's, Chamberlain said the UI club will provide opportunities to both compete and get exercise.

'Competition will be optional,” he said. 'If they just want to come and get in better shape, they can. Or if they want to do something practical that is self-defense oriented, that is permissible.”

‘Unexpected run-ins'

Chamberlain, whose been a USA Boxing-certified coach for 20 years, said the idea for a UI club started with several students he's been training at local clubs. Those students, Nicole Kuddes and Connie Cheung, initiated the project and the pursuit of university approval, but Chamberlain said they encountered 'some unexpected run-ins with the risk management folks.”

'Something we looked at was concussion management,” he said. 'That was one of their big concerns. Because it's a high-contact sport.”

But Chamberlain said none of his athletes have ever suffered a concussion.

'And if you do your job well you're not getting punched in the face,” he said.

Once the students and Chamberlain provided the university with USA Boxing rules on safety, examples of waivers, and details of supervision and medical personnel provisions, 'They got on board,” Chamberlain said.

Kuddes, who is graduating but plans to work with the club next year as an assistant coach, said she's proud of all the students who fought to bring the club to campus, and she's hopeful for the impact it will have in student lives.

'The lessons the sport teaches are so valuable,” she said. 'I'm excited to see the positive changes it has on all the team members involved.”

As a university-sanctioned club, the group must follow the same regulations as any student organization - including the requirement that at least 80 percent of members are students, according to Laurel Hanna, assistant director of UI sport clubs.

The club is open to both women and men, and Hanna said it will continue 'as long as the student leadership meets the requirements of the university and sport club participation.” Most clubs have to fundraise, although the UI boxing club has not yet determined membership dues.

The group so far includes four students who will be returning in the fall and four who are graduating - although they could stay involved by helping train. Chamberlain said he plans to participate in the UI club fair in August, post fliers on campus, and launch social media advertising.

'I'm guessing we are probably going to end up with 20 or 30 kids in the fall,” he said.

Despite the late approval, the group isn't entirely on hold - hosting information sessions and even full practices this spring. Come fall, the club will practice three times a week, and students who want to compete can do more - traveling to amateur boxing clubs under the USA Boxing umbrella and sparring in the collegiate boxing association's annual events.

'Iowa State has a boxing program, so we are looking forward to having matches with those guys,” Chamberlain said.

‘A very demanding sport'

The history of Iowa State's boxing club has aided its popularity - especially at the start of fall and spring semesters, when 80-plus students participate in larger beginner-level classes. Although the ISU club once allowed members to either compete or participate at a non-competitive level, coach Swanson said he's had to hone the focus.

'We can't facilitate both,” he said. 'It's really difficult to have those who want to come in and break a sweat and workout joining with those who want to be competitive. So we have a big class, and those who want to compete stay on and continue.”

And even that group might dwindle over the semester - from around 50 to 15 or 20.

'It's a very demanding sport,” Swanson said. 'You don't get a lot of students who come out to do the competitions. They are really elite athletes when they compete collegiately.”

Iowa State had one female boxer place second in the national collegiate tournament in Seattle earlier this year and another woman take first place the two years prior. The university actually hosted the collegiate boxing association's regional tournament last year, and Swanson said they also compete in local tournaments - like the Iowa Golden Gloves Championships in Des Moines.

Swanson acknowledged concerns some have with potential injuries and concussions but said the sport actually is safer than football. The boxing governing bodies pay close attention to safety, he said, and Iowa State is adding trainers and new concussion tests for all its contact sports.

'The injuries we have the most are shoulder injuries,” Swanson said, noting that a knockout in the collegiate ring is viewed more as an accident than something to be cheered.

'It's not like an athletic event where everyone is jumping up and down,” Swanson said.