The Segovia Boxing Club is one of the latest clubs created this academic year. Quentin De las Peñas, founder and coordinator of the club, aimed to create a space to practice this sport for students like himself, passionate about boxing, or who were interested in it but never had the chance to try it. Last week, we had a meeting with him, in which he told us more about this fantastic club.
How many members does the club have?
IE told me that I needed a minimum of 10 members to start the club, and now we have over a hundred people in the WhatsApp group, which is pretty amazing.
In which ways can the members of the club participate?
We have training sessions in the Bekdoosan gym every day in the morning and afternoon. At the beginning of each week, I send out a file for members to reserve a spot for that specific week, so we do not have a fixed table but more like a liquid one, in which members can change their schedules weekly.
The class is around an hour and a half long. We train with a coach, and do boxing exercises with different drills, cardio, stretching, and that is pretty much it. Also, sometimes on Saturdays, we have sparring, where members train against another person. This activity takes place on the football field at the university.
Who can join the club?
Anyone can join. All levels are accepted. It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or an advanced boxer; you are welcome to join.
Do you need to pay something to participate?
Not really, IE has an agreement with the Bekdoosan gym, and thus participants do not need to make any additional payments for the sessions. The only thing you might need is to buy your own globes and bandages to train. The first time, if you only want to try it out, the teachers can lend you some, but if you like it and want to come back, you have to buy your own stuff.
How can people join the club?
People can join the club by contacting me directly through Email (qdelaspenas.ieu2020@student.ie.edu) or WhatsApp (+33 6 38 80 07 30). I think WhatsApp is preferable to Email. Also, through WhatsApp, I can talk to people directly and answer their questions about the club. It is really easy to join!
What have you learned as a member of this club?
I have been doing boxing for few years, and it really teaches you discipline. It is a strict sport where you have to put your mind to it. You end up learning a lot more about yourself, and how you can compose yourself in a situation of high-stress level, and how to manage anger, which is quite useful.
To be honest, being the coordinator of this club has been a lot of work. It was okay with ten members, but with the numbers rising, it became a bit more complicated. The most important thing that I have gotten by leading the club is a significant improvement and development of my organizational skills.
What would you say to the people interested in being part of this club
Please feel free to join if you are interested. Do not be scared. I know boxing can be an intimidating sport at the beginning because it is about physical contact and fighting another person. In the training sessions, no one gets hurt. These are very light and mostly technical.
Joining the club is good because you get the opportunity to meet a lot of new people from all years and find new passions. Most of our members have really enjoyed being part of this club, and some beginners have found out that they like boxing a lot.
Also, with boxing, you get to learn how to control and defend yourself, which are really good attributes to have. Moreover, boxing is a sport that will get you in great shape. Give it around two or three months, and you will be in top shape because boxing is one of the greatest sports for this.
