Wheeling's student boxing club fights hard for charities

For the members in Wheeling High School's boxing club, the character-building moments don't all happen inside the ring.

The club, the only program of its kind in Illinois, brings together all types of students - every year has seen an equal number of boys and girls compete - and challenges them in new ways while encouraging a sense of community fostered through efforts to support various charities, according to founder and head coach Mike Burke.

Burke, an English teacher now in his 18th year at Wheeling, said the club does much more than give teenagers an excuse to hit each other.

Students focus much of their time on raising money for their annual charity bouts by asking local businesses for donations and sponsorships. Everything raised goes to the Make-A-Wish Foundation or the Countryside Association, which helps people with disabilities to live and work in their own community.

"The whole idea has been to learn boxing, but it's also the idea of doing something for somebody else," Burke said. With their efforts and the generosity of the business community, they have helped to raise nearly $5,000 in the first three years of the program.

Their most recent tournament was in June, when students participated in three-round boxing exhibitions as part of a "Contenders for Courage Fight Night" in the school gymnasium.

"The program is not just some glorified fight club. This is a chance for kids to learn discipline, to build a little self-esteem, to test themselves in something that really is going to challenge them," Burke said.

Students involved with the program attest to the challenging nature of the sport.

"(Boxing) will make you stronger. Mentally, emotionally, physically, it will make you so strong," said Elena Babushkin, a recent graduate who has been with the program since the beginning.

"It's not really about hitting somebody, but it's about strategy and other things, other than what (spectators) actually see, which is people hitting each other," said Leah Valenti, a junior who has finished her first year with the club. "There's just so much more to it … you're thinking about so many things at once. You're thinking about your footwork, your breathing, your angles, everything."

Burke's boxing beginnings came when he was a student at the University of Notre Dame, where he fought in the Bengal Bouts tournament, an event started in 1920 that also raises money for charity. He said he is certified by the USA Boxing Association to coach and regularly attends clinics to help him coach students.

Burke and several club members say there is no stereotypical student in the club. Some of the boxers are in the top 10 percent of their class, and many have never participated in any other sport in high school.

"Anyone can do it. Any body type, body size," said Jenny Garbarz, another student who will be back for her second year with the club.

Surprisingly, for a sport that appears dangerous, very few concerns have come up from those involved.

"I expected a lot of negative feedback, but I consistently get parents, kids, everybody involved saying this is the neatest thing the kids have ever been involved in because we really stress (safety)," said Burke. "There are more injuries in cheerleading than there are in boxing."

"As long as you have a good coach, it's not going to be dangerous. And Mr. Burke makes sure that everyone is safe," said Nick Samata, a student looking forward to his second year with the club. "It's a constructive way to take out aggression … It makes you think about what you should be doing instead of just reacting off of instinct."

The students are preparing to showcase their boxing skills on Halloween weekend in this year's "Fight Night," though the exact date hasn't been set yet. Each boxer wears protective head gear and is paired with someone near his or her size and ability level for the fights.

"They train together for 10 weeks … and then when they get in the ring, they know each other's strengths and weaknesses so it really is competitive," said Burke. "They go after each other and then there's a big hug at the end of the fight."

"It boosts self-esteem, you feel great afterward, and it's a new experience," said rising junior Maribel Aguilar, who started boxing as a freshman. "Not a lot of people get to get into the ring and hit someone."