#91 - Go to a Boxing Class

This opportunity fell into my lap, as opportunities are wont do at the NIRSA annual conference.

List legend Norris Narsa dropping dimes.

See, I'm a collegiate recreation professional.  It's quite a niche career, and it can be weirdly tough to explain.  On the most basic level, we're the ones who run all of those sport and fitness facilities and programs on college campuses.  What we really do is worth it's own conversation, but, trust me, it's the best.  We learn, teach, laugh, play, workout, and create spaces for others to do the same.  I love it.

Our professional organization is NIRSA, which used to stand for the National Intramural - Recreational Sports Association, but as we are no longer just national and we encompass much more than intramurals and sports, we are now officially NIRSA: Leaders in Collegiate Recreation.  Each year, we have an annual conference.  At our annual conference, we have an expo hall.  Yes, many conference have an expo hall, but ours is likely quite different from many conferences as it is generally full of fun and games.  See, all that playing we do on campus needs equipment, and the vendors show up in full force to convince us that their products are the most fun or provide the best workout.  This year, I shot hoops for the NIRSA Foundation, rode a mechanical bull thanks to MTVU, learned to play one of my new favorite sports: Spikeball, and took my first boxing class with Pink Gloves boxing.

Wamp wamp...

Since we're the type of people generally inclined to want to participate, some organizations or individuals run group fitness classes in the expo hall.  While I generally dislike group fitness (except for yoga at Mosaic, of course), this year's program included a boxing course from Pink Gloves, and, hey, that was on my list, so I went.

It was a quick workout, just 45 minutes, but it was a ton of fun.  Garrett and the other staff led us in some basic moves and then 5 stations.  Hitting things was fun, but I also love their slogan: "It's not exercise, it's empowerment."  I could definitely see how regular participation with that group would build strength in all sorts of capacities.  The community vibe was really inspiring.  Thank you Pink Gloves!

I'm hoping my next campus has boxing because I should have taken advantage of working out with the boxing club at my last university.  I do hope to find an affordable class in the San Diego area, so if you have any favorites, send them my way!