THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2015
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September 29, 2015 8:14 PM
What started out as training his son in his garage has turned into what Albert Draine hopes will be the rebirth of youth boxing in Kootenai County.
IN JUST a short time Draine, along with his brother Floyd, have put together a club that had its first matches over the weekend at the Best of the Northwest event in Seattle.
IN JUST a short time Draine, along with his brother Floyd, have put together a club that had its first matches over the weekend at the Best of the Northwest event in Seattle.
“My son started training in our garage,” Albert Draine said. “There were some people at Trevor Prangley’s American Kickboxing Academy that were interested in boxing, so we started to put a club together.”
Draine comes from Silver Valley and boxed as a youth, advancing to nationals in Washington, D.C.
“I come from a big boxing family,” Draine said. “My son had some interest in the sport, so we started training and just got invited to keep working at Trevor’s gym.”
Three club members traveled to Seattle last weekend, but only one of them was able to be matched up for a bout.
“We really want to give the kids some recognition for all the hard work they’ve been putting in,” Draine said. “As a kid, we had boxing like crazy in this area in the ’70’s and ’80’s. I fought all throughout the Northwest as a kid and my brother was a Golden Gloves winner when he was a kid.”
“We really want to give the kids some recognition for all the hard work they’ve been putting in,” Draine said. “As a kid, we had boxing like crazy in this area in the ’70’s and ’80’s. I fought all throughout the Northwest as a kid and my brother was a Golden Gloves winner when he was a kid.”
It was also Albert’s first time coaching during a fight.
“If it wasn’t for Trevor inviting us, we wouldn’t be doing this,” Draine said. “When you get involved in something like this, you become a father figure to some of these kids, and you want to help them out. That’s why I keep doing it.
“If it wasn’t for Trevor inviting us, we wouldn’t be doing this,” Draine said. “When you get involved in something like this, you become a father figure to some of these kids, and you want to help them out. That’s why I keep doing it.
Draine also works full-time as an underground miner for Cementation at the Lucky Friday Mine in Mullan.
THE GROUP works with the Silver Valley Boxing Club, which puts on “Fight Nights” at the Wallace Civic Auditorium at least three times a year.
“We’re really involved with them and (promoter) Rick Welliver,” Draine said. “We’re all kind of helping push each other to get things going and they’re helping me too because they know we’re pretty new to this.”
THE GROUP works with the Silver Valley Boxing Club, which puts on “Fight Nights” at the Wallace Civic Auditorium at least three times a year.
“We’re really involved with them and (promoter) Rick Welliver,” Draine said. “We’re all kind of helping push each other to get things going and they’re helping me too because they know we’re pretty new to this.”
Going winless in the first event, Draine added, will help the team improve in the long run.
“It was an eye-opener for them with their first fights,” Draine said. “We only had one kid enter the tournament because they didn’t have anyone in the smaller divisions.”
“It was an eye-opener for them with their first fights,” Draine said. “We only had one kid enter the tournament because they didn’t have anyone in the smaller divisions.”
They’ll return to action this weekend with three area fighters competing at the Boxfit Gym in Spokane.
Fighters in the club range from age 11 to 17.
“We’ve got a couple of girls in the gym and some others that aren’t quite ready for live action yet,” Draine said. “We’re starting to get some kids coming in that are really excited to learn.”
Fighters in the club range from age 11 to 17.
“We’ve got a couple of girls in the gym and some others that aren’t quite ready for live action yet,” Draine said. “We’re starting to get some kids coming in that are really excited to learn.”
Classes are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at Prangley’s American Kickboxing Academy in Coeur d’Alene, located at 6325 N. Sunshine Street.
“There’s a lot of different things kids can learn from Muay Thai or Jiu-Jitsu,” Draine said. “Some just prefer the traditional boxing that we offer to them.”
“There’s a lot of different things kids can learn from Muay Thai or Jiu-Jitsu,” Draine said. “Some just prefer the traditional boxing that we offer to them.”
Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @JEPressSports.