The third annual Aprons for Gloves restaurant rumble fundraiser boxing match is coming up soon with the city's baristas, bartenders and cooks battling it out to raise funds for at-risk women and youths in the DTES. We'll be showcasing some of this year's likely contenders. First up, meet PowPow.
[Photo via Guy Roland]
Name: Claire PowPow Allen
Age: 27
Representing: Tacofino
Boxing Class: 135 lbs, give or take 1 or 2 lbs (lightweight)
Previous Fight History: Last year's Aprons for Gloves competition (I won my undercard fight! woo!)
Toughest Challenge in Training So Far: Knowing when to rest. I could stay in the gym for double sessions every day - when you love something, it's hard to stay away from it! However, it's important to listen to your body. That's actually MUCH harder to do than take a few punches or do 100 pushups. You're useless if you get weaker or more injured from training through an injury or strain. Other than that, I love it all, I'm constantly learning.
Game Plan: For the fight? Mostly snap my jab out and move quick - whoever I'm fighting is likely to be shorter than me, so I can't let them get inside my long-reaching jab. I need to put it all together with some heavy combos, instead of just relying on counter-punching and predictable straight shots. I hope to deliver a knock-out punch for the win. For fundraising? Let everyone know how important our gym is to some young people who need this kind of discipline and mentorship in their lives.
I'm fighting because: Because now I know first hand how good it feels to participate in this sport. I've learned so much about my own strength and capabilities, and about discipline, focus, critical thinking, motivation, fitness, etc. I want to make sure our gym is open soon so that we can get our boxing programs for at-risk youth set up again - there is so much to gain from this sport, and our coaches are great mentors and friends to all of us and to the youth participants. Our boxing community is a safe, healthy environment for young people and I want every kid to be able to have this same experience. Of course I want to win a fight, but this whole thing is not really about all of us scrappy bartenders and cooks: it's about the community we are rebuilding.
· Aprons For Gloves [Official Site]
· Aprons For Gloves [FundRazr]
· All Aprons For Gloves Coverage [EVAN]