Hello Everyone
As we make our way through spring and into the summer, I’d like to thank all athletes, officials, coaches, parents, fans, and supporters for their dedication & commitment to our great sport. It has been an exciting time with many changes at the provincial, national, and world level. I love being a part of this journey. I’ve really enjoyed being your president over the past 24 months, and I’m looking forward to leading our organization into the future.
Boxing Canada AGM
Boxing Canada’s AGM will be held on May 23rd in Regina, in conjunction with the annual Ken Goff dual-match. On the Friday evening I will be in attendance to cheer for some of Boxing Ontario’s finest boxers as they represent Canada against Team USA.
Boxing Ontario AGM
Our AGM & Annual Gala will be held on the weekend of September 12-13.
We wouldn’t have been able to have our audited financials ready in time to have our AGM before the Boxing Canada AGM, and there is a lot going on in the month of June in the boxing world. Because of this, we decided to hold our AGM weekend in September once everyone has recovered from the Pan-Am games & is back in the swing of things.
Pan-Am Games
As I’m sure everyone knows, the Pan-Am Games are taking place this summer, with the boxing being held in Oshawa. A number of Boxing Ontario members, including myself, will be working as volunteers in various capacities to support the successful execution of the games.
This is the largest sporting event to ever be held on Canadian soil, and it’s success hinges largely on the contributions of the over 23, 000 volunteers who will be supporting the events around the GTA.
A number of Boxing Ontario staff, volunteers, & athletes have been working tirelessly in the background for the past few years helping to plan, co-ordinate, & promote game-time activities. A special shout out goes to my good friend Bill Ford of the Motor City Boxing Club who has been the boxing voice on the local planning committee in Oshawa for the past 3 years.
Boxing Ontario Golden Gloves
Our Golden Gloves Provincial championships will be taking place May 28-31 at the Toronto Don Valley hotel. We’ve been developing a good relationship with the host hotel and look forward to continuing this relationship in the future.
The Golden Gloves will serve as this year’s provincial championships for all categories and will be a national qualifier for the Junior C, Youth and Elite open boxers. We will continue to strive to deliver an enjoyable tournament experience for all members.
This is the first time I can remember that both the Novice & Open Provincial Championships will be held at the same time. I’m looking forward to watching the stars of today and the stars of tomorrow showcase their talent on the big stage.
Toronto Pro Supershow
Plans are currently underway to have a select team from Quebec come and participate in a dual match with us at the Supershow June 6-7 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
National Championships
As many of us have already heard, the format for nationals will be changing. Going forward, the Junior, Youth, & Elite boxers will all compete in one event. Right now, the plan is to host the 2016 nationals in the spring. A location hasn’t been determined yet, but I will be doing my best to see this tournament held in Ontario
Boxing Canada Updates:
Boxing Canada’s move to Montreal is complete; our national head office is now housed within the Canadian Olympic Committee’s new headquarters. We are the first sport to move in with the COC as part of their new Incubator Program and this is expected to be a great move for us all.
This move to Montreal has seen some staffing changes. Please see below for updated contact info, and a list of staff members:
Mailing Address:
Boxing Canada
c/o Canadian Olympic Committee
500, boul. Rene-Levesque Ouest
Montreal, QC,
Canada H2Z 2A5
Telephone:
Reception: 1-514-861-3713
Toll free: 1-800-861-1319
Fax: 1-514-819-9228
Staff Contact Info:
Executive Director, Roy Halpin, [email protected]
High Performance Director, Daniel Trepanier, [email protected]
Andrée-Anne Dionne, Program and Projects Coordinator, [email protected].
Administrative Asst./Bookkeeper, Cynthia Lafrance, [email protected]
General contact for information, [email protected]
Annual Medicals
For anyone who has a new boxing passport, you will notice that it states that the annual medical is valid for only one year. This can be found on the last page, under note 3. This means that it’s only valid for 365 days after it is performed. Boxing Canada medical rules also require that you have a thorough medical performed every 12 months.
Your annual registration is done by calendar year.
So, if a boxer has a medical in June 2015, registers in September 2015, then their registration will be good until Dec 31, 2016, but their medical expires in June 2016. In this case, the boxer won’t be able to spar or compete beyond June 2016, however their registration will be good until the end of the year.
Prior to every competition, boxers will need to be able to demonstrate that their annual medical is still valid.
I don’t anticipate policing how clubs operate, but if someone is injured, and their medical is expired, the injured person won’t be covered by our insurance policy.
Public Sparring:
Please note the following excerpt from the Boxing Canada Rulebook regarding Public Sessions:
RULE 4– REGULATIONS CONCERNING NON -TOURNAMENT BOUTS
4.1 Definition
4.1.1 Non-tournament events are bouts between competitors who are not part of a sanctioned tournament event. These bouts include club shows, invitational events, exhibitions and public sessions.
4.1.2 Exhibitions and public sessions are non-competitive bouts where ringside judges will not be used. All other ringside officials must be in attendance (referee, doctors, timekeeper, etc.).
4.2 Sanctions
4.2.1 Bouts may only be conducted as part of an event sanctioned by the appropriate national, provincial or regional authority.
4.3 Approval
4.3.1 All non-tournament events must adhere to the same regulations concerning age, weight and experience as a regular sanctioned tournament as per 5.1.
4.3.2 Competitors, their coaches/seconds, the official-in-charge of the event and the attending physician must all agree to approve the bout.
We’ve had cases in the past where clubs, with pure intentions, would host fundraisers where sparring is included as part of the entertainment for the day.
Please note that these sessions DO require approval by Boxing Ontario, and as such, a sanction form must be submitted as per normal practice. Unfortunately this will bring an additional cost to the host, but we need to ensure that we are in compliance with Boxing Canada rules at all times.
Insurance Coverage
We have a great insurance plan, but like any insurance policy, I hope we never have to make use of it. There seems to be some confusion out there so please be reminded that our coverage is only valid when injuries sustained happen while interacting with other registered Boxing Ontario members.
For example:
Boxing Ontario member sparring with Boxing Ontario member, supervised by Boxing Ontario Coach – covered
Boxing Ontario member sparring with Boxing Ontario member, unsupervised – no coverage
Boxing Ontario member sparring with unregistered member – no coverage
Boxing Ontario member sparring with pro boxer – no coverage
Summertime Activities
Pan Am Toronto Libraries
The Toronto Public Library is heavily involved in the Pan Am Games and as such they are hosting live sites at various venues across the city. These live sites will be large outdoor venues where they will be live streaming the games on giant screens and turning the space into a Pan Am Carnival.
The sites will include:
– Live streaming of the games
– Performances from artists and groups across the city
– Sport and non-sport related activities for families and participants of all ages
– Local vendors
– Representatives from local community agencies (Toronto Health, Toronto Fire etc…)
The idea is to bring the spirit and passion of the games to areas of the city where the festivities around the actual venues may not quite reach.
Boxing Ontario will have representatives at this throughout the city as well as all of the other events mentioned.
FitSpirit
Each year, FitSpirit organizes running events which bring together thousands of teenage girls who have taken part in FitClub, a running program which involves 8 to 10 weeks of training in preparation for a 5K or 10K run. It is aimed at girls between the age of 12-17 introducing them to physical activity and the positive effects for long term health and well-being. Boxing Ontario will show their commitment to upholding and sharing of these values to promote a healthy self-image through physical activity.
TO2015 Aboriginal Pavilion
The Aboriginal Themed Pavilion is an Indigenous arts, culture, and sports festival being held at the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto and Fort York’s Garrison Common from July 10-26. Over 40 of the finest Aboriginal music talents from across the America’s descend on the Fort York Garrison Common grounds for a historic 10 day showcase of musical and artistic excellence. The Aboriginal Pavilion’s concert series runs from July 17th – 26th at the Fort York Historic Site’s Garrison Common grounds (250 Fort York Blvd, Toronto). All events are FREE admission. For the full Aboriginal Pavilion schedule and more information please visit: alppavilion.ca and follow@alp_pavilion
Playing For Keeps
Presented by Toronto Foundation
Playing for Keeps neighbourhood games are locally organized by 160 volunteer ambassadors and feature activities such as basketball games, hopscotch, community gardening and street dancing that bring together family, friends and neighbours to have fun and play. This ongoing initiative, which started in September 2012, uses the TORONTO 2015 Games as a catalyst to create healthier, more active and better connected communities, while nurturing a deepened sense of belonging across the Greater Golden Horseshoe. To date, more than 35 community organizations. MJKO will run a Boxing Activation station in Nathan Phillips Square in the heart of Toronto with support from Boxing Ontario.
PrideHouse TO
The PrideHouseTO Initiative is a comprehensive, province-wide engagement and activation strategy for the lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer (LGBTQ) communities in Ontario during and leading up to the TORONTO 2015 Pan/Parapan Am Games. PrideHouseTO is organizing a Village Festival in and around Church Street during the weekends throughout the duration of the Games. PrideHouseTO’s Village Festival is the only officially mandated event where sports will be showcased during the Pan Am Games 2015. This event takes place July 11th from 10am-5pm.
We are seeking volunteers for any and all of these community events coming up throughout the summer and if you are interested, want more information or know someone who may be interested, please contact [email protected]
DPA Box-On @ Precious Blood
As part of our ongoing growth into high schools throughout the province we have recently launched a school based program in Precious Blood Catholic School. The aim of which is to teach and empower high school children through the vehicle of Boxing. The task given to these high school kids will be to deliver Boxing exercise classes as part of the school’s Daily Physical Activity to elementary school children in the school.
This will be a great opportunity to extend the reach of boxing through schools in Ontario.
YTP With Quest For Gold (Q4G) Athletes
As part of the athlete agreement we are collecting the training plans from the Q4G athletes. We are doing this to monitor their progress, assess their training methods and if necessary point them in the right direction and make changes based on what’s proven to benefit their performance. The idea here is to get athletes to critically evaluate what they include in their training and why.
Quest for Gold:
For the upcoming selection process the committee will include community involvement in the scorecard and boxers will be given points based on their level of volunteerism. Furthermore the committee is required to create a benchmark score that all athletes must reach before being considered for funding. The introduction to the new benchmark in some instances will result in Boxing Ontario not using the full amount of cards available.
Coaching/Officiating Courses
Do you want to partake in a coaching course and develop your ability to instruct and your athletes?
Why not fill out the following link, please leave your details so we can contact you and have you included in the next coaching/officiating course.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KVTCPXF
Weekly Knockout
Continued research as part of the weekly knockout to keep our community up to date with all the latest information you can handle such as training techniques, nutrition psychology to keep our sport at the top. As well as this we are always looking for local stories from your club or community so please don’t hesitate to mail them to [email protected].
Championship Series
We’re always updating our championship series which consists of important competitions to continue the development of boxers in Ontario. The importance of the championship series is to allow coaches and athletes have an adequate amount of time in order for them to create their yearly training plans and make the proper arrangements for each tournament. Below are some upcoming events within Boxing Ontario:
| Ontario Golden Gloves | May 28-31 | Toronto | Toronto Don Valley Hotel | All categories Provincials |
| Toronto Super Show | June 6-7 | Toronto | MTCC | Dual Match vs Quebec |
| Pan Am Games | July 10-26 2015 | Boxing in Oshawa | GM Centre | National team |
| Boxing Ontario AGM | September 12-13 | TBD | TBD | |
| Bronze Gloves | October 16-18 | TBD | TBD | All categories |
| Brampton Cup | February 5-7 2016 | Brampton, ON |
Injury Reporting
On the rare occasion where a boxer has been knocked out or received a severe head blow which results in a bout being terminated, the ringside physician will classify the seriousness of the concussion and prescribe a medical restriction.
This is recorded in the athlete’s passbook, the results sheet and the Sport Injury Report is forwarded to Boxing Ontario. In addition, the passbook shall now be surrendered to a Boxing Ontario official pending the completion of the medical restriction period.
Before athletes can resume boxing and/or sparring after a medical restriction period they shall have their passbook signed off by a medical doctor familiar with boxing or a neurologist. Check with Boxing Ontario for a list of doctors if required.
Please note: When an athlete is on a medical restriction period due to a head blows, concussion or post concussive syndrome…. They are not to spar or compete.
Safety will always be our biggest concern and with the addition to our resource Sport Safety page on our website, we will continue to work with medical professionals to determine the best measures to take in order to reduce the risk of injury, and to have the most appropriate return to play procedures in place.
Officiating:
Boxing Ontario is always looking for individuals with interest in becoming an official. Recently two successful officiating courses took place, one on April 25 in Sudbury and the other on May 3rd in Mississauga. The next upcoming official course is on June 20 in Chatham. If you know someone who is interested in becoming an official please have them contact Boxing Ontario to be put on the waiting list or have them complete the following survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KVTCPXF
As we adapt to new rule changes, Boxing Ontario will be using a new fun way to keep everyone up to date by using the Rules R learning assistance program. The Rules Learning Assistant is a sport based game learning app that is educational and provides a challenging and fun way to learn and understand the rules of the game. The Rules R was designed for all participants of the game officials/referees, players, coaches, teachers, spectators and fans. The objective of The Rules R is to increase the enjoyment of all participants by improving the understanding of the rules and their application.
Sport Alliance Of Ontario
Due to the unforeseen changes in the Ministry no longer funding the Sport Alliance of Ontario (SAO), the SAO filed for bankruptcy in April. The SAO was who we leased our office space, telephones, internet services, mail room and a few other services from so this obviously has an impact on us. The building owners, Crown Realty Partners, issued a letter stating that they are willing to work with all tenants, both in the short and long term. We are okay for office space and we will have to negotiate new lease terms with them directly.
The Boxing Ontario office staff are working to resolve this and numerous other service provider issues as quickly as possible. We will communicate via email, our website and Facebook page as we get further information. If you experience telephone service interruptions please use email to communicate with the office or board members until the issues can be resolved.
Any questions relating to the SAO situation can be sent our Executive Director, Matt Kennedy, via email at [email protected].
We thank you for your patience and understanding!
Standardizing Our Terminology
As our boxing world changes, it’s important that we align ourselves with what the rest of the world is doing and saying. Part of this comes down to how we communicate our brand. For example – “Senior Boxers.” It’s important that we use the term “Elite” in this case. We need to make some changes on our website, and I ask that everyone do the same.
Another one is the term “amateur boxing.” “Amateur” has a certain connotation to it and I believe that it doesn’t properly reflect the level of professionalism that we all strive for.
Please see below from a recent AIBA communication:
AIBA continues maintaining its principle of abandoning the use of the word “Amateur” in relation to its sport programs and dissociating the sport of boxing from images of it being a “Combat and Martial Art Sport” in order to ensure the protection of its original characteristic as the “Noble Art” sport.
Recreational Members
Simply put, the future of our organization will be greatly affected by the number or recreational members that we have on our books. Whether this is positive or negative depends on our efforts.
When we (or Boxing Canada) apply for grants, sponsorships, or other funding opportunities, our numbers are looked at. We’ve demonstrated excellent growth and performance over the past few years, but still have some work to do in the area of our recreational numbers.
Across the country, we have the 2nd highest number of total registrants, but when it comes to recreational members we are near the bottom. This has been noted not only by Boxing Canada, but also potential funding providers at the national level.
A recreational membership in our organization is only $20, and the member gets top-notch insurance coverage while training (non-contact), a free Boxing Ontario T-Shirt, and the opportunity to say that they’re a member of the best Provincial Boxing Organization in Canada.
Many clubs may not realize this, but your club registration for 2015 included 3 FREE recreational memberships. All you have to do is fill out the forms and send them in to the office.
Some of our clubs take full advantage of the benefits of the recreational memberships, while others do not. If each club were to register the 3 FREE recreational members, we would definitely be heading in the right direction.
So if you’re a club coach or owner, please, at the minimum, submit 3 names for your FREE memberships.
If you are a member of a club for fitness purposes, please speak with the club owner about becoming a recreational member of Boxing Ontario.
If you are a parent, family member, or friend of a Boxing Ontario member and would like to become part of the organization, please consider becoming a recreational member of our great organization.
If you’ve got any ideas on how to increase our recreational numbers, please let me know.
In closing, I’d like to wish everyone a safe and happy summer season. I have enjoyed the past two years as president of your organization, and look forward to continuing to work with everyone as we grow grow grow!
As always, if you have concerns or questions, feel free to drop me a line at [email protected]
Yours in the noble art of AIBA Open Boxing
Mike Power
President
Boxing Ontario
