Revelstoke Boxing Club is once again asking the community if there might be a home out there for them. The organization put the call out to social media on May 31 and is still on the hunt for a space that can accommodate classes, equipment and maybe even some future endeavors.
“Even if we’ve talked in the past, maybe circumstances have changed… Please reach out to us, please contact us again,” A.J. Lerose, Revelstoke Boxing Club coach told Revelstoke Mountaineer.
The Boxing Club’s former location in the Revelstoke industrial area was closed after a city inspection deemed the structure unsafe for occupancy. The city-owned property had been provided to the Revelstoke Boxing Club for the last five years, but the agreement between the club and the city expired, prompting the inspection.
A short-term lease at the Revelstoke Golf Course club house was approved for the boxing club at a Nov. 28 council meeting, but Lerose said they were unable to take advantage of the space.
“We couldn’t hang our heavy bags, it was a space that wouldn’t work for us,” he explained.
The club was able to secure space at the Revelstoke Rod and Gun Club’s Camozzi Road location, but that time is now up and the boxing club must move out by the end of June.
Revelstoke Boxing Club is trying to weigh waiting until a more permanent spot is available or take whatever is offered short term, preparing for yet another location move down the road.
“Losing our last space, we didn’t lose a lot of members,” Jessica Stewardson, Revelstoke Boxing Club coach said. “I don’t think we’ll lose members if we have to keep finding spaces, but we want a space to keep our gear.”
Until finding space at the Rod and Gun location, Stewardson was keeping weights, heavy bags and other boxing gear in the back of her truck. The possibility of jumping from temporary space to temporary space where gear cannot be permanently set up has her feeling exhausted.
“We want a place where our gear has a home, where we’re not spending time setting up and tearing down before and after every single class,” she said.
With the average rental price at about $2,000 a month, finances are creating another barrier to accessing a more permanent space for the club.
Entirely volunteer-run, the club operates on a honour system $5 drop-in fee. The fee is waived for those financially unable to pay at the time, with the trust that members will either pay past dues when able to or provide support to the club in other ways.
Grants and donations help fill the financial gaps that the accessible membership fees can’t, including purchasing a supply of gloves, wraps and other equipment members can use.
“We try to keep this club so affordable for people that it’s at the detriment of us staying operational,” Lerose said. “It becomes so much more important to maintain that because of the affordability challenges that are out there. To give people that affordable space where they can come and work out, meet people and be part of something.”
Anyone who might have access to a space or organizations willing to work with Revelstoke Boxing Club to secure a more permanent space can call or text Lerose at (250) 814-9403 or message the club via their Facebook page.
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