Members Newsletter Sep 15 - Poseidon Amateur Boxing Club

Poseidon Amateur Boxing Club opened in March 2013 in partnership with Eastleigh
Borough Council and Hampshire Cricket in the Community (HCiTC). Poseidon was the
pilot project for HCiTC and it was housed in what was a cupboard space below the East
Stand at The Ageas Bowl. Thanks to some significant funding from the council, the
cupboard space was transformed into a bespoke boxing gym and Poseidon was born.
In only 12 months the club boasted 325 members, it was open 5 days a week and running
sessions for both competitive boxers and non-competitive fitness enthusiasts. A great
success story but very quickly the gym became too small to accommodate the numbers
attending and they were turning people away due to lack of space. Directly adjacent to
the gym was an unused mezzanine space which was very large but was open to the
elements on two sides. A proposal was made to transform this space into high spec
boxing and strength and conditioning gym which aimed to increase participation in
physical activity within the wider community but would
also meet the specification to host international athletes
and boxing squads. Fundamental to the design of the
new facility was the ability to accommodate disabled
members. Currently one of the lead clubs in England
for inclusive and disability boxing, Poseidon hopes to
become a centre of excellence for inclusive boxing in
the future. Eastleigh Borough Council, noting the
early success of the club and its significant impact
within the community, agreed to fund the new build
at considerable cost (£360,000). Poseidon are
delighted to announce that the development is now
complete and we look forward to welcoming the
Worshipful Mayor of Eastleigh, Councillor Jane
Welsh and Alex Arthur MBE former WBO Super
Featherweight Champion to open our fantastic new
Gym. The future’s bright...........................................
the future’s black and orange!
The Sport & Recreation
Alliance together with the
mental health charity MIND
have created the Mental
Health Charter for Sport and
Recreation. The Charter sets
out how sport can use its
collective power to tackle
mental ill health and the
stigma that surrounds it.
Over the past 12 months
Poseidon
has
sought
opportunities to offer its
services to support the five
actions promoted in the
Charter and has welcomed a
number of new members as
a result.
Working with
Winchester NHS partnership,
Poseidon has been involved
with a number of events
including Fit Fest in order to
promote the benefits of
boxing training for mental
well being and now enjoys
regular participation from
those referred through the
partnership. In addition, the
club works closely with the
local Serendipity Centre,
catering for young ladies with
autism and behavioural
difficulties.
Poseidon are
delighted to now hold regular
sessions for Serendipity
residents and
others who
deal with
mental ill
health daily
Poseidon punches like a girl!
Since the London 2012 Olympics
and the inaugural inclusion of
women’s
boxing
in
the
championships, boxing clubs have
seen a considerable increase in
female membership. Poseidon is
no exception enjoying over 30%
(153) female members. This is not
enough however, and the club is
committed to increasing this
number further. In February 2015
as part of the This Girl Can
campaign, Poseidon grew the
participation of its women’s only
boxercise session from under 10
participants to over 20. In August
Poseidon joined
Eastleigh
Borough Council in their Summer
of Sport (SOS) initiative which
aimed to encourage women to try
boxercise as a means of
maintaining good health and well
being. Participation grew even
further as SOS participants joined
with our regular members and
numbers swelled to over 30.
Poseidon is mid way though an 8
week boxing course on the back of
the SOS trials and just under 20
women have signed up to learn the
basics of boxing and the physical
benefits the sport has to offer which
means we are delighted to regularly
host over 40 female participants for
our weekly women’s only boxercise
session. Of course there is the
opportunity to compete for those who
are inclined and we have a number of
female competitive boxers. After a
long lay off Becky Smith laced up the
gloves earlier this year and returned
to the ring with a fantastic win against
Amy Shippley (Poole ABC). Mickayla
Adams looks forward to her first
competitive bout as Poseidon take a
team to Denmark in early October
where
she
will
test
herself
against
opponents
from across
Europe. We
wish her and
the rest of the
team all the
best for the
competition
Poseidon Receives Clubmark Recognition
In February 2014, only 12 months after its launch, Poseidon achieved Clubmark
accreditation. However, due to changes within England Boxing, the club has only
recently been awarded a trophy in recognition of the accreditation from Avoen
Perriman (South East Club Support Officer). England Boxing's Clubmark
Accreditation is the sign of a high quality boxing club with a junior section and is
based on the Sport England's Clubmark award criteria which covers duty of care
and child protection, the boxing programme, sports equity and ethics and club
management. It is awarded to boxing clubs that have achieved England Boxing
and Sport England Clubmark standards in providing a safe, effective and child friendly club environment.
It brings together the key aspects of club development as the basis for boxing development,
coaching and talent identification, with a particular focus on young people. It supports the
creation of a club which is appropriately trained and resourced to meet the challenge of
integrating young people into a recognised boxing club structure.
experience - some of them stepping
into the ring for the first time. After
some fantastic performances the
team returned with a medal haul of 1
gold and four silver medals. The
team gained more than just boxing
experience though with many of the
party travelling to support - all
participants enjoyed a valuable team
bonding opportunity and social
occasion.
Poseidon travels to
Denmark at the beginning of October
with 21 members this time to test their
metal once again - good luck team.
Poseidon took a team of 6 boxers and
a team of enthusiastic supporters to
the 'King of the Ring' tournament, a
multi-national boxing competition in
Baros, Sweden. Three juniors (Matt
Winn, George Vaughan and James
Claridge) and three seniors (Greg
Webb, Grant Webb and Johnathan
Francois (Gym 01) entered the three
day tournament to gain valuable ring
Poseidon celebrates its first champions
Poseidon boxers Vinny Mandair, 13, and
Matt Winn, 12 entered their first
schoolboy championships this year and
exceeded all expectations by being
crowned both Hampshire and Southern
Counties (Hampshire, Sussex, Kent &
Dorset) Champions. Both boxers made
it to the quarter finals of the National
Schoolboy
Championships
but were
defeated by
strong boxers
from the London region. Both Vinny and
Matt showed maturity beyond their years
and their performances and
achievements reflect their dedication to
training which serves as an example to
all of our members. A fantastic end to a
busy season - here’s to next year!
Poseidon Champions
Inclusive Boxing
As part of its commitment to
Sport
England’s
targets,
England
Boxing
has
announced a drive to increase
disabled participation in the
sport.
Having
already
accommodated a number of
members with mental and
physical disabilities together
with the plans to build a new
gym to accommodate disabled
access, Poseidon jumped at the
chance to champion the
project. Whilst the club was
waiting for the extension to be
complete, it hosted a Sports
Coach UK led course to advise
boxing coaches around the
country of how to make their
boxing
sessions
more
inclusive. Poseidon member,
Dan Rush who has cerebral
palsy agreed to champion the
disability boxing project and
together with England Boxing
helped to create a short film
which aims to encourage wider
inclusion in boxing gyms
around the country. Once the
extension
is
complete
Poseidon aims to become a
National Centre of Excellence
for inclusive boxing and lead
the way for other clubs across
the country.
With an exponential increase in participation coupled with plans to increase the size and facilities at
Poseidon ABC, the requirement for coaches and volunteers to support the club and its members has also
risen considerably. A continued programme of coaching development alongside the boxing and fitness
programme has ensured that we have maintained the required student/instructor ratios. We are delighted
to have such a fantastic pool of talented coaches and dedicated volunteers - Poseidon thanks them for
their unselfish commitment to the club without whom we could not function. Meet them below.............
Stuart O’Connor is a Level 4 advanced boxing coach and coach educator and an AIBA 3 star
international coach. He is currently the full time coach for the Royal Navy and former lead
coach for England Elite Women. He has recently been the national coach for Antigua and
Barbuda at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow 2014. Qualified as a Coach Educator and
Assessor, Stuart can teach and assess coaching courses up to and including Advanced Level
4 and brings a wealth of experience to Poseidon.
Lucy O’Connor retired as an international boxer in 2013 having boxed for England/GB for 10 years.
During her career she was the first ever British woman to win a European Gold Medal, she was
ranked in the top 5 in the world at three different weights and selected as part of the Olympic
preparation squad she captained the inaugural GB Women's Boxing Team. Forced to depart the
GB Squad on the grounds of ill health, Lucy had the honour to commentate for the BBC on the
women's Olympic competition and now acts as one of their boxing analysts. Qualified as a Level 2
Coach in 2010 she has turned her hand to coaching and is qualified as a sports therapist
Dave McElwee is a Level 3 Boxing Coach since 2001 and as a former boxer he has been involved
in the sport for over 20 years. Formerly head coach for the Naval Air Command and HMS Heron
boxing teams, Dave is currently assistant coach for the Royal Navy helping to deliver full time
boxing training to the elite squad and has coached with Great Britain. Dave has decided to expand
outside the Navy and share his knowledge and experience at Poseidon to encourage more people
to get involved in the sport he loves.
Sean Anderson has been employed as a specialist instructional officer of physical training for the
British Army since graduating with BSc (Hons) in Sport & PE back in 2006. Sean also has
experience working with a number of elite sports clubs including Aldershot Town FC and has
advised a number of international sportsmen. He is recently been awarded a Masters Degree in
Strength and Conditioning and is key to ensuring our competitive boxers meet peak physical
condition.
Dave Bebbington is a master practitioner in neurolinguistic programming (NLP), an expert in
coaching and leadership development and offers Poseidon the essential resource of a sport and
social psychological practitioner. A Naval Officer, he has developed these skills over 30 years in the
Service and has recently been appointed the elite performance coach for both the Royal Navy
Rugby League and the Royal Navy Football Association with whom he has engendered significant
success. Dave agreed to join Team Poseidon to assist members (competitive and recreational) and
coaches to develop themselves socially and psychologically in order to achieve their full potential.
Lester Bevan is the lead coach at Eastleigh Boxing Club which in the short term runs
sessions for fitness only on a Monday. Those wishing to compete are invited to attend
Poseidon where he shares his valuable coaching expertise. A former boxer for
Eastleigh BC, Lester started coaching in 2010 and his son Taylor has followed in his
father’s footsteps and boxes for Poseidon ABC.
Poseidon is delighted to announce
that it has joined forces with Eastleigh
Boxing Club to pool the exceptional
talent and facilities available within the
Borough.
Eastleigh Boxing Club
based at The Hub in Bishopstoke will
maintain two fitness sessions per
week for juniors and adults on a
Monday evening. These will function
as an introductory / beginners club
and a feeder for Poseidon Boxing
Club for those who wish to progress
through the sport.
This is an
extremely exciting time for amateur
boxing on the south coast as we
continue with our impressive gym
development and welcome another
well established club to join us to
enjoy our new facility. We gladly
welcome Lester Bevan to our
coaching team and we are grateful for
his experience and coaching talent to
jointly develop boxing in the Eastleigh
Borough and beyond.
Poseidon Joins In
Dan Rush began at Poseidon as a fitness member having previously gained considerable
experience in kick boxing as a black belt. He decided to combine his own training with
coaching and is shortly due to take his Level 1 boxing coaches qualification. Regularly
helping with the junior and senior sessions when he’s not training himself, he is the
champion for inclusive boxing both for Poseidon and the National Boxing Governing Body.
Joe Vaughan is the father of George, one of Poseidon’s junior members. With an
interest in boxing Joe was encouraged to get involved in coaching and he has shown
an absolute talent for boxing training and tactics and has a fantastic coaching style.
Shortly to undertake his Level 1 coaching course, Joe is a coach to watch for the future
and we are delighted he offers his time to Poseidon, both as a coach and a handyman!
Grant Atkinson is also a father of Joe, a senior member at Poseidon. With a keen interest in
fitness training and a curiosity for boxing training, he was encouraged to get involved in
boxing coaching. With no previous experience in boxing, Grant has over the last few
months, demonstrated an aptitude for coaching and is soon to embark on his level 1
coaching assessment.
Sam Beer is the mother of two of Poseidon’s junior members. Regularly acting as a
chauffeur for two very sporty children she was fed up with watching all the fun and
decided to join in. A regular participant at the women’s only boxercise, she also
dedicates her time to coaching at the junior sessions and is soon to take her level 1
assessment.
Join In is a campaign to encourage
people to volunteer in their local
community as a legacy from London
2012 and in July it focused on recruiting
volunteers for boxing clubs. Poseidon
has benefited from increased voluntary
participation as a result
of its links to the
Campaign and won a
Nicola Adams signed
Boxing glove in their
Monthly draw.