ave Schuck pulls two kids out of the ing and a third from his spot on the at where he'd been jumping rope. In he sunlit gym of the Astoria Boxing lub, he asks the teenagers, "What rades do you get?" Vindicated when ach answers As and Bs, Schuck idenifies these three young men as examles of his responsible coaching.
"Mine is not your typical boxing ym," said the 36-year-old pugilist. It's almost more like a social club. I onitor their grades, I monitor their ehaviour with their parents, I monior how they interact with each other. t's pressed upon them that they have o be positive. No negativity, no bullyng, no prima donnas allowed."
Understanding the inherent risks of epeated blows to the head, Schuck oesn't allow daily sparring, emphaizes defensive strategy and techique, and limits how often amateur ghters compete in the ring.
"I don't allow them to fight every eekend and I don't encourage them o have more than 50 amateur fights in heir lifetime. Why? Because they get rolonged effects. If they have 100, 200 r 300 fights, they're going to incur brain amage. The responsibility lies with the oach and the association," he said.
His comments came Wednesday after he Canadian Pediatric Society urged for ven greater precautions. Along with he American Academy of Pediatrics, he CPS is calling for an outright prohiition on youth and teen boxing.
"While most sports have some risk f injury, boxing is especially dangerus because these athletes are rewardd for dedicated and deliberate hits to heir opponent's head," said Dr. Claire eBlanc in a news statement released onday. She co-authored a position aper and is the chairperson of the ociety's active living and sports medcine committee.
"We want children and teens to acively pursue sport and recreation, but oxing is not a good option. We recmmend young people participate in ports where the prime focus is not deiberate blows to the head," she said.
In 2002, the Canadian Medical Asociation recommended that all boxng be banned in this country, and in 007 the British Medical Association tated its opposition to the sport and alled for a complete ban on boxing or athletes under the age of 16.
The CPS pointed to data from 15 Canadian hospitals to argue that boxing is a dangerous contact sport that sees more injuries than judo, karate and wrestling. From 1990 to 2007, boxing accounted for 273 reported injuries, including 62 head, face and neck injuries.
One third of boxers injured in the time period of the study were adults. Sixty-eight per cent of these injuries occurred during sparring and competition and the remainder occurred during training. The medical and sport communities are learning more about concussions, the time needed to recover from hits to the head, and the long-term effects of brain trauma- revelations that call for caution.
"In any sport there is a risk," said Marcus Sandhu, 17, pointing to football and hockey for recent high-profile concussions and deaths linked to brain deterioration.
"It's not just boxing. People think of it as a bloodsport, it's more of science. You're not trying to rip the guy's head off. You're trying to score points," said Sandhu, who dropped weight, muscled up and became a much fitter person because of time with the Astoria club. "I never thought I'd have a six-pack in my life."
He estimates he's fought in an aver-age five bouts each year for the past five years. No more than 25 fights since he started training at 12, he said.
"When they come here, they learn the fundamentals," said Schuck, who is a volunteer coach at the club founded in 1966 and now operated on Main Street near Union Street after moving from its original location in the basement of the Astoria Hotel on East
Hastings. "The whole approach is not to inflict damage. I know that sounds kind of funny, but the whole idea is to hit and not get hit, to demonstrate skill on defence," he said, adding that critics have been calling for the sport's ban since its inception.
"If they get hit all the time, I just don't let them box."
Twitter: @MHStewart
