Testimonials
Comments from our members we have had the privilege to work with
Do it without any doubt in yourself. At first it all seemed a little too difficult for me, but bit by bit I became accustomed and I began to see the changes. The best thing about Contenders is that all of the people are so nice, the trainers are always available for questions, and they really want to help you improve your skills and motivate you to get the best out of you. – Catalina Spath
I was nervous when I came to the gym for the first time, and I felt so awkward and clumsy. But nobody cared – they just helped out. So I stopped worrying about it. Now I can honestly say that joining Contenders was the best decision I made in 2014. I’m getting in shape, learning all the time, and meeting a wonderful bunch of people. – AnnMarie McKinnon
Although there is a wide range of skill/fitness levels among the members, everyone is so encouraging and friendly. I’m always so grateful to the other members for their willingness to share what they know and help me improve. – Helen Stortini
I just do it even though my legs are shaking before I get in the ring. Now I have more confidence than I did before by sparring more. – Taeho Kim
I wanted to lose some weight, and I needed to do some exercise to get fit. The hardest part of boxing for me was getting motivated to come down every day – but oh man, I am so glad I did, because it is one of the best choices I ever made. – Daniel Brown
Everyone at Contenders is amazingly friendly and helpful, and there are no meatheads among staff or members. – Ed Chu
The classes really push you to realize that what you perceive as your physical limitations are not necessarily so and that you can always find more to give. The classes are never static and the challenge in always there. I also have to say that the instructors really make the experience more enjoyable. Their passion for boxing always shows. – Alon Mizrahi
Try, stay, enjoy and work hard. And remember it’s for you, not for others. – Daniel Wexler
It’s the people that inspire me to keep coming to class. Everybody is very friendly with no egos. No matter what level anybody is at, it’s easy to get a sweat on. – Steve Brown
I’ll often feed off the energy and hard work of the others around me. There have been numerous times when it takes all of my energy to drag my sorry butt into class, but end up having a great workout because of the group energy. – Roger Bing-Wo
I got confident. I remember my first months when I couldn’t do 5 push-ups. Now I want to be stronger than I was yesterday. A part of my New Years resolution was to start sparring, and only half year ago I couldn’t imagine myself in the ring. Now I want to fight.” – Valeriya Bogdasheva
All the instructors are knowledgeable and friendly, and the people in the class were super nice too. I enjoyed the atmosphere a lot. – Cathy Shih
The trainers at Contenders are so knowledgeable and they do a tremendous job of making you feel comfortable regardless of your skill level. – Franco Perucho
Contenders is the best gym in Vancouver. The staff is professional, friendly and helpful. All members are there to challenge themselves, take their boxing skills and conditioning to another level and have fun. – Greg Neeld
Boxing is an amazing sport to try. I had no real ambition of being a fighter and certainly no experience of being one. If you do, that’s great, but if not, you can still have a very rewarding experience training hard and learning something new every time you wrap your hands and put on gloves. At every class there are all sorts of different people, different sizes, different abilities, but we are all getting something out of the workout. – Kyle Bienvenu
There really is no easy way around. It’s a tough workout every day and that’s what most of us have come to respect and why we keep coming back. – Richard Lawrence
I had no experience boxing prior to joining Contenders and was intimidated at first but the staff and members are very helpful and it didn’t take long to settle in. I really look forward to my workouts – they are very challenging and there is a lot of variety. Inevitably, I end up saying “that was the hardest class yet”. – Patrick Reddy
JUST DO IT – Don’t be intimidated by the other members’ strength, power and agility because sooner or later you will be one of them. The members and instructors are friendly, and have a good sense of humour. I have met a lot of nice people and have made some new friends and acquaintances. They are all very supportive and encouraging. – Jo Ann Guerrero
