09/13/2021
Dear SSBC Members,
This email was sent out several days ago, but some of you opted out of receiving emails, so this was unable to reach you. I hope this finds the majority of you who did not initially receive it. So here goes.
I have some rather big news for you. Some of you have already heard this news through the grapevine, but for most of you it will be a surprise. In the next month, the gym will be undergoing some changes, the primary of which is my departure. After 20-plus years of devoting myself to this gym and to all of you, the time has finally come for me to move on. The gym, however, is going nowhere. It will remain right where it is, but under new stewardship. The classes and class schedule will remain largely the same, with the possible addition of some classes. Some of the instructors you’re already familiar with, some will be people I’ve trained over the years, while some no doubt will be new to you. The main thing is that you will continue to receive the same high level of coaching you’ve come to expect, with the same focus on teaching genuine boxing technique and a genuine fighter’s workout.
Brian Sawicki, the owner of Key2Fitness, the gym two doors down from us, will be the new owner of the gym. I know he already has plans to make cosmetic improvements to the gym and to add some new fitness equipment. In addition, and most importantly, members of SSBC will now have full access to Key2Fitness with their membership, at no additional cost, and, like Key2Fitness, SSBC will be available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In the next day or two, Brian will send you an email welcoming you and further outlining the benefits you can expect from the new arrangement.
For those of you who have been sparring or have an eye toward sparring or competing in the future, the contact work will be supervised by Manny Raya, a local coach who began boxing with me years ago. Manny is a good guy – knowledgeable, dedicated, reliable, and a man of his word – all qualities any coach, in whose hands you are putting your safety, should have. Did I not feel Manny was equal to the job, I would never have asked him to step in to fill my shoes. Doubtless his coaching style will be different than mine, but you’ll adjust to that soon enough and may even prefer it. Again, the main thing is that he will be giving you the real deal and you can rely on what he tells you.
Regarding the payment of your gym dues, we will be sending out instructions on what you’ll need to do to ensure a seamless transition. We will make this process as simple as possible. Once that’s done, you’ll be given a code or a digital key fob that will enable you to access both gyms 24 hours a day.
Lastly, I want to express what I cannot express, which is my gratitude to all of you – those who’ve been with me for more than 20 years and those of you who’ve been with me 20 days. This gym, its members, my coaching, have been, trite as it sounds, so much more than a job. Humble an accomplishment as it is, it has truly been a life’s work, and it is not with ease that I let go of it or of all of you. Those of you who know me well, know that I’m not much given to sentimental effusions, and I won’t indulge much in them here, but I feel it’s important to let you all know what an enormous place you have occupied in what passes for me as a heart. Whatever small satisfaction or gratification I’ve been able to bring to you over the years, I assure you, all my incessant crabbing and sarcasm notwithstanding, you have given to me threefold. I will miss all of you. I hope you will all stay and carry on the good work.
Many, many thanks,
Josh
