Boxing, who would of thought?

Walking into the boxing room, at El Camino, was a definite culture shock. I was nervous stepping foot into the room that people spar each other in. As I hesitantly walked up to the doorway, a young man warned me from inside, "You better take your shoes off or you'll never hear the end of it." Right then and there, I became more apprehensive. I took my shoes off and reentered.

The boxing instructor, Krysti Rosario, sat in the middle writing stuff down on a sheet of paper. As I approacher her I could tell she was very concentrated. I asked her if I could observe her class for the photo essay we were writing. "Yes, as long as you stay out of the way," she said. So, I stepped back and began to observe. There were mainly a bunch of males messing around and practicing for their matches. Out of the whole class there were two females. I began to wonder, how a female, Rosario, could have so much respect teaching a sport comprised mostly of men. As she finished writing, she stood up and directed the class. Right when she spoke, I observed how she obtained the respect she deserved. Some male students were messing around in the corner, and if they said a sarcastic comment to her she shot them one right back, and they both began laughing.

Later on, she came by to tell me she was sorry for coming at me when I had first entered her class. She told me it took a lot of dedication and concentration to to pair the students up according to weight. "When they aren't matched correctly, people get hurt. After all, I'm not teaching aerobics," she said. We both began to laugh.

As the students began their matches for a two minute time period, everyone who was not participating formed a circle around them. Students shouted sayings of encouragement and coaching tips. From observing her class for a short period of time I learned a lot about what the sport boxing has to offer and what it is comprised of. Before, I thought it was just a bunch of guys trying to get their anger out. There is a definite sport aspect but also a respect and value teaching as well. Rosario has not just instructed a class but developed a camaraderie.

debate central

I have learned a lot from having the forensics beat on The Union, at El Camino College. The team's competitions vary each week. Sometimes it can be a bit frustrating getting down the schedules of the teammates, and tracking them down. Deadlines can become an issue when the competition may have occurred over the weekend and the deadline is supposed to be that Monday. I have learned how important they are in the discipline of Journalism.

I headed out to a Proposition 19 debate on the Library Lawn, that the forensics team and Political Science club held. It was interesting seeing the team in action, and the various arguments proposed. Students really got involved. A visitor on the campus, interjected during the debate which brought about an open discussion/argument. Things heated up between the individuals. I got a lot of information, and got hands on knowledge of what exactly the forensics team is about. It opened my eyes to new knowledge.