20

 

DC Boxing:

June 1996

 

 

kick some ass

by Miguel Strother

Blood slowly trickling from a jagged
swollen nose that is no stranger to the
tear-jerking pain of being broken. Hours
of sit-ups which leave the masochistic
individual bent double in pain for twenty
minutes after the last repetition is
finished. Carefully calculated meals
documenting every calorie taken in.
These are just several of the hundreds
of rituals which are involved with the
sport of boxing, one of the worlds most
demanding athletic activities.

Over boxing’s long life span the sport
has evolved (or devolved, depending on
your opinion) from men slugging it out
bare handed in the centre of the town
square, to the hype of massive
promotional schemes which help
fighters and their “managers” make
hundreds of millions of dollars.

When picturing a boxer, it is fair to
say that most people imagine a massive,
muscle bound, Cro-Magnon looking
man, who spends most of his time away
from the ring shopping for cheesy gold
ornamentation to add to an already
extravagant collection. This is an image
that is, like the sport of boxing, changing.

On the campus of DC, the student
body is blessed with one of the only
college boxing programs in the country.
Coached by the incomparable Winnie

Schelt, the boxing program has drawn
interest from all types of individuals.
Policemen and firemen trying to stay in
peak physical condition, students trying
to rid themselves of pent up mid-
semester aggression and individuals who
are simply trying to build the confidence
necessary. to walk from the college to
the skytrain station alone.

Several of the most prized in Schelts
stable of developing fighters are women.
This too is a new phenomenon in the
sport of boxing. In this growing age of
sexual equality it should suprise no one
that many. woman are attracted to the
aggressiveness of contact sports such as
boxing. Woman have traditionally been
bound to sports like tennis and ringette,
but with programs such as the co-ed
boxing program that Schelt has put
together, women are given the
opportunity that men have been blessed
with for so many years; the right to
pound the snot out of one another for
fun.

For those of you who have a hard time
accepting this image of women, you’d
better adjust soon. On the undercard of
the last Mike Tyson fight, two finely-
tuned female killing machines Christy
“The Coal Minors Daughter” Martin and
“Dangerous” Diedre Gogarty, easily put

Out and about

by Trent Ernst

Need a break from routine? The hassle
of classes four days a week getting to
you? Why not take a day to get out and
about outdoors.

The hardest part of getting
out in Vancouver is picking a
place to go. There are literally
thousands of trails that weave
around and through the
Lower Mainland, many of
them unmarked and
uncharted.

I discovered one such trail
on a rainy afternoon in May.
Following the northern crest
of Burnaby Mountain down
from SFU offered an easy,
secluded hike within the
Burnaby City limits. This is
a good hike to start the season
or if you’ re just looking to get
away for a couple of hours.
The entire trail runs downhill,
so there is little stress on the
system.

Catching one of adozen.or
so buses that head up to
S’foo, walk north to
University Drive (just past
the bus loop) and turn left. On
the north side of the road a
small, unpromising rut slowly
grows into a full-fledged trail.
At the point where this
transition is fully realized, the
trail swings away from the
road and heads into the forest.

The trail divides shortly
after it enters the bushes. One path
doubles back, one continues
northwesterly. Keep heading northwest.
(Lower down the slope the trail divides
a couple more times. Always head
northwest.)

After a few minutes of walking, just
as you start to think you’ve made it away
from civilization, you will come across

a brightly children’s playground.
Welcome to Burnaby Mountain Park,
which has one of the nicest, most
accessible views of the city this side of

 

Geology nuts, this is NOT SFU.

Cyprus. Looking south you can see
Burnaby, Vancouver, New West...on a
clear night you’ll swear that you can see
the ferry terminal at Tsawassen. Looking
north offers a picturesque view of the
Burrard Inlet, Indian Arm and Belcarra
Park. Watch for boats in the Inlet below,
looking vaguely unreal from this high
up.

Lookin’ to

on the most entertaining fight if the
night. After six rounds of brain jarring
blows the judges decided in favor of
Christy Martin. This victory brought
her to the center stage of the sporting
community forcing her into a wide
variety of public appearances and a
place on the cover of Sports
Illustrated.

If women continue to take an
interest in the sport, then the fights can
only get better and more entertaining.
The more entertaining they are, the
more fans they will draw. The more
fans, the more money and where there
is money there are promoters with
shark like instincts wanting to use the
blood of the fighters, men or women,
to make MORE MONEY.

The sport is having some very
positive effects on women within DC.
Long time athlete Ruby Isaac has just
started the sport and is most definitely
hooked. Every day of the week, before
rushing off to work, Isaac puts in time
with Schelt with the hopes that her skills
may one day put her in the ring at a
competitive level. Isaac, however, is not
concerned with the new up-scale image
of boxing. Isaac simply loves how
physically demanding the sport is. “I
used to play soccer at a competitive

If you like, boot about the park for a
while. If you’ve brought something to
eat, the grassy field that surrounds the
rather odd looking totem poles (actually,
they are a form of Japanese
sculpture) is a great spot for a
picnic.

When you’re ready to keep
moving, follow the north fence
down the hill where it plunges
into the forest again. From here
on in the hike is pretty well self
explanatory. The day I hiked it,
there were some signs of life
(including bike tracks), but I
encountered no one else on this
part of the trail, save for my
hiking companion. Take it slow
and easy. This is not a
challenging hike, but one to
revel in the stillness of nature
and marvel that you are still
inside city limits.

The trail ends rather abruptly
as you are spit out onto a North
Burnaby back street. If you keep
heading northwest (more north
than west, as the roads allow)
you will quickly find your way
to Hastings Street. Catch a bus
from here. If you took a vehicle
up the hill instead of the bus, you
can either turn around and walk
back up the hill, or catch a bus
back up the hill. You are better
served to leave the car at home.

If you have biked up to SFU
and down, note the “No Bikes”
sign posted at the bottom of the trail.
Whoops. Oh well.

Know of any good hiking/boating/
fishing/camping/swimming spots? Want
to share ‘em with a few thousand of your
closest schoolmates? Write about it!
Contact Miguel Strother or Trent Ernst
at the OP, Room 1020, Douglas College,
New Westminster.

level, but I haven’t had as much time
for it as of late. I played on the weekend
and was amazed at how much my
stamina has improved.” She credits her
new found stamina to the physically
demanding daily boxing work outs.
Unfortunately, the sport is still in the
growth stage for women and getting
fights will continue to be hard for

Day Trips from
Vancouver
Brighouse Press
One Day Getaways
Greystone Books
Jack Christie

Though these books have been around
for a few years (One Day Getaways came
out two years ago; Day Trips is a classic
ina short-lived genre, originally
published in ‘89), they remain two of
the best written and most informative of
local outdoor books.

Their success is due in no small part
to author Jack Christie, who spend his
every waking hour exploring Vancouver
and surrounding area and
writing about it. He is a regular
contributor to the Georgia
Strait, and does weekly
summer spots on both CBC
radio and BCTV. If there is
anyone with a_ greater
knowledge of the Lower
Mainland, they aren’t writing
about it.

These books are not
comprehensive guides to
exploring Vancouver. Rather,
they present a slice-of-life
approach to exploration. They
are not a full course meal, if
you will, but an appetizer to
whet your appetite for the
outdoors.

Any intrepid explorer
should own a copy of these
books. They present a full
range of places to explore —from
Whistler to Mount Baker; from
Newcastle Island to Sasquatch Park—
and a full range of difficulty levels, from
hiking the Lions (!) to a leisurely swim
in Cat Lake.

Exploration, by its very nature, is a
subjective experience and filled with the

 

Eric Milner Photo.

athletes such as Isaac.

With the increasing profile of the sport
there can be no doubt interest will
continue to rise in the female
community. With more fighters, fights
will be easier to arrange. When this
happens Ruby Isaac and the rest of
Winnie Schelts’ fighters will be ready.

  
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
  

AY TRI

FROM VANC

GETAWAYS

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PICNIC SROTH « WALKS © MISTORSE RITES
BEACHES : CAMPING - HIKES - MUSEUDS
VIEWPOINTS - FSRING HOLES

discovery of the unknown, the new.
Christie’s book do not destroy the joy of

OUVER 4

 

i mem Se

discovery but provide a gentle nudge for *
people who are looking to get away this _

summer, but are not quite sure where.
Grab a book and take a day trip or two.
You'll be glad you did.

by Trent Ernst