Parkways, redux.

After working for several days for Parkways Foundation in Chicago this past summer, I thought that very successful project was finished. I thought wrong. 1 more day. Or one more night. 2 hours, to be exact. They asked me to cover some youth boxing matches. Awesome. I had never watched a live boxing match before. Not that this was a pay-per-view event. This was much better. Youth to adults, all learning how to box. Not brawl. 3 rounds per match. Different ages and sizes. So I was pumped. And I wasn’t disappointed. Kids, teens, and adults all there, warming up, putting on Chicago Park District regulation gear, sparring, getting all serious, listening to last minute instructions, excited to compete. Each kid representing different parks. Very cool. Sportsmanship, technical skill, fitness, quickness, and strategy all wrapped up into a few short minutes. And interestingly enough, very patriotic. I loved the grittiness of the decades old basketball/boxing/”insert-sport-here” gym, the fans pumped to watch sons (and a daughter), people stopping by to catch up while the matches were going on. Very neighborhood. And positive. So, enjoy these photos that represent the best of youth athletics. No million dollar purses, lots of healthy respect, pride, persistence, and of course, buckets of sweat. A little blood. But no tears. And as always, thanks for looking.