New site, approach for boxing club
Scrapyard Boxing Club on George St. offers kids program
Scrapyard Boxing Club has a new location, new partners and a new approach.
With the former location they rented on The Kingsway recently sold, gym owner Kerry Hendren relocated to the basement suite at 311 George St. N. on the southwest corner at Charlotte Street.
He has a licensing agreement with Adidas and is subletting space to Core Strength and Nutrition Thai Massage and Scrapyard Kids a boxing program for children run by Hendren’s proteges Brad Crough and Jessica Swain.
Hendren has operated the club more as a hobby and when he learned he was losing his space he says he had to really think about whether he wanted to continue.
He’s operated a gym since taking over the original Peterborough Boxing Club started by Harold Jones and Al Wilson in the early 1970s.
“My core members told me ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do if you don’t do it because I’m not going anywhere else,’” Hendren said.
He’s got a dedicated group of coaches in Neil Anderson, Richard Ayotte, Dwight Kelusky and Wilson, so with their support he decided to forge ahead.
He decided to create more of a business model. The new 1,800square-foot location features all new Adidas equipment and new members will have an opportunity to purchase equipment through Adidas at a good rate.
He’ll have an online store through the club’s website and a club management system to accommodate pre-authorized payments for gym fees.
Lighting Interiors and More helped Hendren brighten up the space which includes a ring, heavy and speed bags and workout space.
He’s expanded to four nights a week, Monday through Thursday, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
“As we have competitions we’ll add weekends,” he said.
Membership fees are $210 for three months.
“It works out to about $4 a class,” Hendren said.
Ruby Zinsmeister founded Core Strength and Nutrition and will practice Thai Massage in her private space within the gym.
“Some people call Thai massage the lazy man’s yoga,” Zinsmeister said.
“It’s done on a mat on the floor. I use compression with the palm of my hands, thumbs, elbows, knees, feet to lengthen and stretch. I work through the energy lines, the meridian lines, in the body to release blockages so that blood flows better through the body and allows the body to heal.”
Beginning on Sept. 8, Swain and Crough will run a children’s program on Tuesdays from 5 to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
The cost is $50 a month and allows children to also access the gym at other times.
“There hasn’t been a kids program so Brad and I are teaming up to start one and see if we can get them started younger,” Swain said.
“If you can get them when they are younger, like any sport, hopefully you can get them in better shape and keep them out of trouble.
“It’s been an amazing sport for me and I’m hoping by teaching little people we can get some young people loving the sport like I do.”
NOTES: For information on Thai massage contact Zinsmeister at 416-557-5728 or email rzcorestrength@gmail.com .... For information on the Scrapyard Kids program call Swain at 705-927-0431 or email scrapyardkids@gmail.com.