by Charlotte Barnfather
There is a new and exciting year ahead for Swansea University’s boxing club. The boxing team holds the Varsity trophy for three years and has big plans to beat Cardiff for the fourth year running. The club is training for endless hours, preparing for one of the biggest and most competitive matches of the year.
Boxing president Dave Thomas praises the hard work, determination and progress the team has made so far during the academic year and opens up about the successful matches where the teams most advanced players have been undefeated.
The Boxing team is always encouraging new members to join the society. Newly appointed president Dave Thomas said: ‘I would definitely recommend other students to join the club, not only to improve their fitness levels but to also enjoy the social aspect that the club can offer’. Dave joined the boxing team during his second year at university and has loved every minute being a part of this society. Dave explains: ‘I first joined the club to improve my fitness levels and I generally wanted to take part in a sport, but I was also drawn towards the huge social reputation the Boxing Club has’. The team, which trains three times a week, takes on a large number of freshers every year, it is a great way to meet new people and improve your overall fitness ability with professional trainers running each session.
Dave constantly motivates team members to turn up to training every week and said: ‘I remind our team that every time they walk out of the door, they are walking out fitter than when they walked in’.
Talking about membership Dave added that ‘we don’t have a limit. We encourage students to attend a free taster session and if they enjoy their experience and want to return then there is a charge of £2.50 per session to pay the professional coaches’. The team participates in intensive training that involves, circuits, running, track, bag work and boxing in the ring for advanced fighters only. The professional coaches; Tom Edgar and Ryan Thornhill, push all members of the club to perform to the best of their ability. There is great emphasis on improving cardio, Dave said: ‘cardio is one of the most important elements of boxing, players need to have high levels of endurance to be able to perform consistently at a high standard during a game’, which is why there is such a dominant focus on circuit training every Monday evening.
The boxing team describes themselves as a ‘big family’, Dave praised the team and said: ‘although boxing is not a team sport, we are a big team. You are on your own in the ring, but you have the support of the whole club who always attend every match’. The boxing club currently has seventy members not including the coaching team of the committee members and still it continues to grow. Within the club, the coaches have developed ten great advanced fighters who are ready and trained to have matches – but most importantly ready for Cardiff. When asked how the team plans to beat Cardiff, Boxing president Dave Thomas simply responded: ‘the team is ready to beat Cardiff’.
Dave has grabbed the presidency role with both hands and hopes to make the boxing club one of the best societies Swansea University has ever seen. Dave described his experience so far and said: ‘I saw an opportunity to get involved – so I took it. The club has had many great committee members over the years, so I hope to continue this success and maintain the excellent reputation of the club’. Dave wants to give the team the best opportunities available during his final year at Swansea University and is heading in the right direction to make 2017 a year of great success.
