Eskasoni boxing club’s new home.
Couldn’t happen without community support says owner
ESKASONI FIRST NATION — Davis Prosper has spent the summer volunteering his time to build a new boxing club he may never use himself.
The 26-year-old was a member of Red Tribe Boxing Club in Eskasoni First Nation until he got hurt fighting. He’s waiting for surgery to find out if he’ll be able to fight again, but either way, he knew he wanted to make sure the opportunity is there for other youth in his community.
He and the 20 members of the club, along with community volunteers, have been working alongside the club’s owner, Barry Bernard, and his family, through heat waves and humidity to build the 30-foot-by-40-foot structure that will soon be the permanent home for the growing boxing club.
“I’ve got people from We’koqma’q, people from Wagmatcook, from Potlotek, people from all over coming to our club, and that’s great because it’s a program they enjoy and we’re like a family here,” Bernard said.
The club has been fundraising for two years, running a weekly Chase the Ace and selling Red Tribe branded clothing, to build this space for training and has raised over $30,000 in that time.
Bernard points out the corner where the boxing ring will be permanently installed, another corner where punching bags will go, and an area for fitness training. It’s custom built to meet the club’s needs for now, and there’s room to expand the building if necessary.
For now, the young boxers are training in a warehouse – a temporary solution after they were moved out of their original spot in the Eskasoni strip mall to make room for new development. The building and location weren’t ideal, so Bernard and his wife and three grown children, who all help run the club, decided it was time for a forever home.
There are a number of promising boxers including 17-year-old Xzorion Marshall, who has made it through the first round of qualifiers for the Canada Games and is training for the next round of try-outs.
It’s kids like Marshall, Bernard said, who inspire him to keep the club going on a shoestring budget and long unpaid hours.
“We teach them the Seven Sacred Teachings and we teach a lot of respect and it’s a safe zone, a place where they belong, and a lot of these kids need this outlet – it’s a stress reliever and I’ve seen, for some kids, it’s saved their lives,” he said.
There is no fee for the boxers. Coaches and officials are volunteers and operating costs are covered through fundraising.
In addition to the fundraising the club has done for the building, Bernard said there’s been thousands of dollars donated in materials and labour by businesses including Gillis Building Supplies, and cash donations by community groups and organizations including a $500 donation by UNIFOR Local 4600.
“Every child does matter, and we want to make sure that the children are able to grow and advance in their own community and that’s what’s happening here, so we want to be a part of that,” said union president Jamie Pollock when he visited the club on Friday to make the donation.
Bernard said there is a bit more work to be done to get the new club ready for opening day, but he’s optimistic it will be ready for the young boxers by the end of October.
“We’ve had so much support from the community. We couldn’t have done this without it,” he said, waving a hand toward the almost-complete club.
“We had nothing and now look.”
Red Tribe Boxing Club will host a boxing card on November 6 – location to be determined – and will be going to Paqtnekek First Nation for another card on November 20.
In the meantime, when the gloves are off, the club’s members will be busy with drills and hammers to put the finishing touches on their new home.