National Coach's Week ~ My Favorite Vlogger Is Hanging Up the Camera

                     
                                                                         ENTRY 9

  "THE BRICK`S" BIG DAY IS APPROACHING  / THANK'S COACH                             



Saturday...This Saturday, is a really important day for me for many reasons.

• It will be my very first time in a major tournament.
• It will be my first time representing Team Xtreme and Coach Billy.
• It will be my first time competing since returning to Boxing Ontario.
• It will be my first time back in the ring since last December (9 months).

I think it had not really chimed in until the schedule was posted yesterday.

Seeing my name for the first time on a tournamenet schedule kind of made me think. 

I went from almost giving up and retiring from the sport, to being entered into the Silver Gloves.

This Saturday September 30 at the Don Valley Hotel during the 7 PM session, I will once again be in the ring to test and display what I have learned and worked on for so many months in the gym.

This month marks the fifth month training at Xtreme Couture Toronto with Coach Billy.

Five months that went really fast.

My coach registered me for this tournament without me having to ask. That means he sees some potential in me.

He believes that all his athletes should go to tournaments every year.
There is one more this year. The Golden Gloves are in December. 
Then, in February, the Brampton Cup.

I, like many athletes, make sacrifices for the sport I represent. Lots of time away from family and friends and doing things you would like to do instead of being in the gym. I have heard of athletes quitting their jobs so they can spend more time training.

Being an athlete is hard, but being a coach is harder.

Coaching is a kind of teaching, but it is not like teaching math to fifth-graders.
Athletes sometimes need a butt-kicking.

My coach got pissed off with me during yesterday's conditioning session because it apperaed that I was screwing around. I wasn't, but I was just not doing what the coach was expecting me to be doing, which I guess is another way of saying that I was screwing around.

Athletes can be lazy. If a coach just told his athletes, "Do what you want', you know damn-well that nothing will happen. They will do the absolute bare minimum for about 20 minutes, then call it a day.
It's true.
Athletes need to be pushed to their full potential, and in some cases, beyond.

Stolen from Facebook

Behind every good athlete is a good coach, but sometimes we forget that.

It happens in professional sports all the time. When a team does crappy, the coach gets blamed, but if the team does well, it is because it is a good team. Nobody mentions the good coach behind the good team.

This Saturday is my time to once again shine in the ring.
I am not going to lie, I am very nervous about it. However, so are all the other boxers.

For me, my greatest fear is going in there and looking like shit.
Boxing is just as much a glamour sport as it is anything else.
Nothing else matters. If you go in there and you have great technique, great defense, and you stay in there and not keep retreating, you have a good chance of winning a decision. It is just a matter of which boxer does so more.
Plus, losing a decision you can blame on the judges.
If you go in there and look like shit you will probably not win, and you can not blame anyone except yourself.
I am with a great team with a great coach, and I don't want to spoil it by losing because I looked like shit in the ring.

Coach Billy has pointed out a few flaws in my boxing, and he is a tough coach.

Some people might see him coaching and think he is an asshole, but that is what a good coach does. Kicking athlete's asses.
He is strict with his boxers, because he cares about his boxers.

For those who are not aware, this week is National Coach's Week in Canada.
If you are an athlete, take some time to say 'thank you' to your coach. 
Your coach works very hard to make you the best you can be.


--The Brick

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 BOO, "THE DAILY WOO" IS TAKING A LIEU...FOREVER




It had to happen eventually. My favorite vlogger of all time "The Daily Woo" has retired from vlogging.
His reason is that he just wants to go back to living a normal life.
He has been producing a video every day for over five years. 1911 days without stopping.
I can't imagine what it must be like living every day with a camera in your face. Every move you make documented for the world to see.

I can understand his decision.
I vlog sometimes, but not everyday. Just when I want to document something special.

His vlogs were very interesting as he would travel to different places, such as filming locations and roadside attractions. 
Now, that will be no more.

To 'The Daily Woo' I say "thank you". 
You have done well and introduced me to many interesting places that I never knew existed.
You have eared this well-deserved retirement.
Rest well, my friend.

If you have time, check out 'The Daily Woo' HERE.


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Opponent For Silver Gloves Is Very Probable

                       
                                                                         ENTRY 8                                               

OPPONENT FOR THE SILVER GLOVES?


Only a fitness entry this time.  Way too freaking busy for anything else.

I have been at training camp four times per week.
My employer was nice enough to adjust my start time so I can spend more time training.
Although I have never mentioned it before, I was placed at that location specifically because I am a boxer.
Not to go around and punch everything that walks, but rather they need someone there who isn't afraid of anyone and isn't going to take any shit.

That being said, even though I was serious about training as I always am, there was always this little thought in the back of my head that I would not have an opponent. Nobody else in my category would register.

Well, this just in...
A guy from Kingston has registered for the Silver Gloves and he is in my category.
What does this mean?
It means that if nobody else in my category  registers, he will be my opponent at the Silver Gloves. In that case, there of course will be no preliminary matches, only a Gold Medal bout.
What else does this mean?
It is getting real and 'The Brick' needs to stay in high-gear.

I know who this guy is. I have seen his bouts. He is very aggressive. 
That means he goes non-stop. He will get you on the ropes and beat the fuck out of you, and continue to beat the fuck out of you until you have no fuck left. Then he will find more fuck and beat that out of you too.

I really need to be ready for this guy. 
Even if I don't get him as an opponent, I need to be ready for anyone.

This is a new team and coach, and I don't want to let anyone down. I need to do my absolute best.
I also can't be disqualified. 
I am still 1 kg over the weight limit with only two weeks to go.
Although, talking to my teammates, some are over more than that.
I don't know how they are going to do it. Good luck.
However, that does give more more inspiration. I mean, it is only 1 kg. About 2 pounds. Big freaking deal.

I have been asked in the past to post my boxing stats. 
I have never wanted to publish my stats because up until now they were not really important. 
Well, they still are not that important. What has happened in the past is water under the bridge and the important thing is to move on, so I have decided to publish my stats. Besides, if you use you Colombo-like research skills, you can find out on your own anyway. All amateur boxing stats are posted somewhere, but it takes a bit of digging.

  "The Brick" Amateur Boxing Stats:

I know a couple of questions are going to arise, so I will do my best to answer them now.

One will be, why did I take so long to get my medical clearance re-certified?
Lots of reasons. Besides being too busy to even have time to take a good dump, I was in the process of changing physicians (for a reason not related to boxing), so that took some time too.
Also I changed sanctions and coach. That all took a lot of time.
I could have been cleared within a couple of weeks after my medical suspension, but lots of other crap happened that I don't care to get into right now.

Another question I know will be, with such a crappy record, why do you keep boxing?
Why not?
Eventually I will see some green on there. The 'W' will come. Law of averages.

Boxing is a very difficult sport. A problem is that many people do not understand it.
It is one of few sports where you have to be offence and defense at the same time. That alone is difficult, but you also have to try to predict your opponent.
Yes, there is a 'proper' way to box.

I respect all boxers.
You need a huge set of balls to climb into that ring. Something that a lot do not have.
Once you climb through those ropes, you have already won.
Although, a Gold would look nice on my trophy shelf.

Anyway, before anyone decides to make any stupid comments about my stats, you try what I am doing.
The training would probably kill you first.
I do exercises that the 20 year-old do, and I don't use my age as an excuse to get out of doing them.
100 sit-ups, 100 push-ups, pushing that stupid damn sled across the floor. 
I hate that exercise, but I do it because it is part of our training and I am part of the team, and I want to be the best I can be.

That brings me to a final point.
I have had a lot of coaches in the past. Searching for a new coach this time brought me to where I am now.
I was studying the coaches' behaviours at the last Stockyards show in April, and there was something about this particular coach's style that I liked.

Now we move on. New club, new coach, new team.
Maybe this will help add a green 'W' to my record.

My goal at this tournament is Gold, but I really want to avoid another RSC.
Even if I just make it to the final bell. My goal is to win, of course, but if a loss has to happen it should be because of a stoppage. Especially with two athletes that are so closely matched.

Thank you to Coach Billy and the rest of the Xtreme Couture boxing team for their help.
You are a great bunch of people to train with.


--The Brick


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Infamous `Poltergeist`Jump-Cut Finally Explained ~ Have Professional Athletes Forgot About the `Sport`? ~ Silver Gloves Training Camp Continued...

                 

                         
                                                                         ENTRY 7                                               

INFAMOUS 'POLTERGEIST' JUMP-CUT 
IS FINALLY EXPLAINED

One of the most remembered, and for me the most annoying movie mistakes of all time. 
The infamous jump-cut in 'Poltergeist'.

For those who forgot, here is what happened: We go from single-shot of Steve laying against the kitchen wall while Diane is talking to him. Then, while she is talking we suddenly cut to a shot of both of them in front of their neighbor's house while cutting off the rest of her sentence.

This seems a bit odd to happen in a major feature film from a well-known director.
Well, it seems that this was not a mistake. It was done on purpose.
Steve says something near the end of Diane's sentence that had to be removed.
He said, "You know how much I hate Pizza Hut".
The people at Pizza Hut did not like that, and wanted the line removed.
By this time the film had already been released, so the line had to be quickly cut from every print.

Okay, people, let me explain something. If the name of a product is mentioned in a film, it is not real. It is fiction. There is no need to get all bent out of shape about it and ruin a perfectly good film.

Geez. You know how much I hate Pizza Hut.


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HAVE PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES FORGOT ABOUT THE 'SPORT'?




A lot of people, including myself have an opinion about the recent Floyd Mayweather  Jr.vs. Conor  McGregor `boxing`.

Of course the boxer won, but that is no big surprise.

This bout went a lot longer than I expected.
Some say that Floyd Mayweather was screwing around for the first few rounds. Putting on a good show for the audience.
That may be true. However, people paid a lot to see this circus, and it did nothing for the sport of boxing. 
Oh, yeah, it helped the athletes and the promoters a lot. Maybe too much.

The bigger problem is that it is not just boxing. All professional sports are like that.

Look at hockey players. They are unionized.
Why?
If you like playing hockey, play hockey damn it.
Why do you need a union?
That is proof that the focus is not on the sport, but on the money.

At what point in your professional sports career do you begin to lose focus?

I know that when professional boxers first start they are paid very poorly but still have a lot of heart.
Once a boxer becomes well-known, his pay skyrockets and it is clear that his focus is no longer on boxing but rather the pay cheque.

I remember when Mohamed Ali used to make the sport interesting, and then Mike Tyson came along and he was a killer.

Now, all that is gone, and it is all about the Almighty Dollar.

I am perfectly fine as an amateur athlete. I like my sport as a recreation, and I respect my sport.
I want to keep it that way.


--'The Brick'


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SILVER GLOVES TRAINING CAMP CONTINUES...




My first tournament representing my new team, and my first time in the ring to compete for 2017 is fast approaching.
As you can understand, I don't want to screw this.
Coach wants me to spend more time training with the team. 
I have to say this is an amazing coach. He believes the team should train together, same way, same time.
However, I am having a bit of a problem getting my work to cooperate. 
With 12-hour shifts that start at 7 PM, it is difficult to get training time in. I am seriously thinking of asking to be moved to another property.  I am getting tired of working at that nuthouse anyway. 
Downtown. These people have something seriously wrong in the head.

Anyway...
Now that my annual C.N.E. visit is over, it is time for a strict diet.
One of my teammates had an excellent idea on how to cut weight by eating smaller portions but more often.
Eating less often is actually more damaging because your body expects to have to wait a long time for the next food intake, and therefore will store food in the form of fat.
If you eat more often, your body does not need to store fat.
It makes sense.
I am going to try that.

Silver Gloves Tournament: September 29 - October 1 at the Don Valley Hotel, Toronto.


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