New home lets club roll with the punches
After Jeanne destroyed the Ambassador Boxing Club's gym, its members thought they would have to fold. Then a new building opened nearby.
By BETH N. GRAY
Published January 15, 2005
SPRING HILL - After being rocked by Hurricane Jeanne, the Ambassador Boxing Club is off the ropes and flexing muscle in a new and larger facility.
Youthful club members, their parents and other volunteers mopped up when the storm blew the roof off the nonprofit club's gym in the County Line Road Industrial Park. Rain poured in; ceiling tiles fell off; mats and pads and the boxing ring were soaked, some beyond repair. Moisture threatened to rust the strength training equipment before volunteers wiped it all down.
Nonetheless, the 19,000-square-foot facility ultimately had to be gutted, coach Cecil Lalas said. In the interim, a new building across the street opened. That granted the club a reprieve. The club, otherwise threatened with folding temporarily, carted over its equipment to the new digs.
"It's just under 30,000 square feet, about twice as big as what we had," Lalas said. "We may be able to put on our own shows in this location, which would be ideal."
A new boxing ring measures 20 by 20 feet. The red, white and blue interior of the gym boasts heavy bags to develop punching power, a double-end bag for increasing speed and several speed bags for finessing timing.
"We had those (at the former gym), but we'll be able to have more of the same, plus additional stations, uppercut bags, different things designed for specific punches," said Lalas, who works for Publix supermarket.
Aligned along the mirrored walls is an array of Nautilus equipment "for every boxing group" and chinup bars for strength conditioning.
Plans call for the installation of climbing boards, "good for upper body strength," Lalas said. Carpeting will be a nice touch, eventually.
The club, which has 20 regular members, recently incorporated as a nonprofit organization, meaning donations are tax deductible.
"It'll make a way for individuals and businesses to donate and write it off," said Lalas, who pointed out that scholarships are offered to those who can't afford the $37 annual member fee and $50 per month gym assessment.
"It's not just boxing (donors are giving to)," he said. "We really value the youth. (It's) mentoring in a structured environment that cares about the moral and physical development of kids."
Lalas, 49, who was a competing amateur boxer in his teens, is big on the sport's benefits for young people.
"It kept me out of trouble," he said.
"A lot of people don't realize, where there's a boxing place in the inner city, it reduces crime and gets kids involved. It's a great way to dispel negative energy in a positive way."
In December, club member Joe Distefano, 17, won his lightweight bout representing the Ambassador Boxing Club in a multiclub competition at the Sammy Hurricane Boxing Gym in Tampa. It was Distefano's second win in as many competitive matches.
But boxing isn't only about subduing opponents with brute force.
"Boxing is an art, a lot to be taught about it, a lot of discipline," Lalas said. "Boxing is a sport you have no one to blame but yourself. All pretense has to go."
The coach has seen youths change their attitudes in a teaching boxing environment.
"Those who come in sideways with their hands on their hips, their pants hanging down, they walk out with their hands at their sides and their pants pulled up," Lalas said.
"For a place like Spring Hill, (the club) is kind of a breath of fresh air," he said. "This gives kids that are not in school something to do."
The Ambassador Boxing Club opens its doors to those other than young toughs and aspiring athletes.
"I've had people up to 69 years old signed up," he said. "There's always room for people who don't want to compete, just for the fitness."
Joining coach Lalas as USA Boxing Inc. certified instructors at the club are his sons, Tony, 27, and Adam, 23, both former amateur competitors. Wife Julie handles "all the behind-the-scenes stuff," he said. No one receives a salary.
The staff also includes volunteer boxing enthusiasts, experienced and certified referees "who'd rather stop a fight too soon than too late," Lalas said.
The club also includes a spiritual dimension.
"We're sort of unique in that we're a Christian organization, too," Lalas said.
Indeed, the club's telephone answering machine message starts with, "The Ambassador Boxing Club, going the distance to make a difference" and ends with, "Have a Jesus-filled day."
The gym is open 7 to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday.
"We're hoping for daytime hours sometime in the future," Lalas said.
Additional information is available by calling 688-4999. Donations may be made to Ambassador Boxing Club Inc., 11178 Mercedes St., Spring Hill, FL 34609.