What made you want to start boxing? I started boxing because one of my friends James Smith introduced it to me and I’ve enjoyed it ever since.

Which is your favorite class at Contenders, and what do you like about the class? My favourite class is intermediate boxing because it’s the most challenging and I learn lots of new things.

What is your boxing/fitness goal? My boxing goal is to turn pro.

What is your weakness in boxing/fitness you would like to improve? I want to improve everything.

Who is your favorite boxer (pro-boxer, your fellow member, anybody!) and what do you like about him/her? My favourite boxer is Floyd Mayweather because of his ability to figure out all his opponents and make adjustments.

What do you like to do in your free time other than boxing? In my free time I like to play basketball, read books on boxing, and watch fights.

What is your advice for people who are thinking of starting boxing at Contenders? My advice for people starting boxing is to train smart and stay focused. Don’t quit.

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You’re never too young or too old to make a positive change in your life. Take a leaf from Mark’s book to challenge yourself and inspire others!

DAYLAN BUTCHARD

This August will be Daylan’s One Year Contend-a-versary. In that time, he’s lost 25lbs, skyrocketed his cardio, buffed up like a Hollywood star, and looks fly sparring in the ring. It sounds ludicrous, but it’s true. What does he think of Contenders? “Not great. Jk, I love it here.” His exact words. What a guy.

Like many Contenders, he is a disciple of the 6am class. “C’mon, all the 6 am’rs know which class is the best. LONG COMBO FRIDAYS!!!!! If you haven’t tried it, come and see why it’s my favourite.” All-caps and five exclamation marks? Yeah. That’s Daylan.

Despite saying he doesn’t have a specific goal, he is incredibly motivated. His consistency and hard work in class have created very visible results, both in physique and skills. Fellow boxers have commented on how much he’s improved as a boxer in class, throwing sharp punches and moving gracefully. His sparring has improved a lot, and he can hold his own in the ring even with more advanced boxers. Sparring is something he wants to work on. His exact words? “I certainly have a lot of areas I need to improve on, but without sparring at least once a week, it’s easy to get away with. Bad Daylan.”

Although talking in the third-person is not recommended, Daylan does it anyway. It’s this same vigour and confidence that’s allowed Daylan to make so much progress in 11 months at Contenders. His advice for anyone thinking about joining? “Don’t think, just do.”

Daylan was brought into our gym by his friend Devin Laurent, but as Daylan says, “let’s not give him too much credit.” In his non-boxing world, Daylan is a real estate agent for the Lee + Pete Real Estate Group and Oakwyn Realty. He also likes to lift weights as well as golf. “I’m an awful golfer thought, I recently shot 144 which, if you’re familiar with golf, you would understand that could be the worst score ever shot by anyone who’s ever played golf. Ever.”

Well, that may be true, but you’re a doing a great job at Contenders! We’re happy to have such a friendly, kind, dedicated boxer in our midst – keep up the great work Daylan!

“I absolutely love Contenders. The coaches are so supportive, knowledgeable, and amazing. The classes are a great mix of technical work and conditioning. I always leave class feeling better mentally and physically. Boxing has given me a lot of confidence. It makes me feel like a bad-ass!”

Tessa’s favourite class at Contenders is our Beginner Sparring Class, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4:30pm. “I was scared to try it at first, but I soon realized that getting hit is the fastest way to learn what your weaknesses/bad habits are. I always leave feeling like I’ve learned something new, or levelled up my technique in some way.”

Outside of boxing, Tessa attends Naturopathic Medical School and is graduating in June. She plans to start her own practice in Vancouver, with a special focus on successful aging, regenerative medicine, and chronic pain.

Her advice for anyone thinking of joining? “Have fun with it and stay consistent. The only way to get better is to keep showing up.”

Tessa’s hard-work and exemplary attitude is exactly what makes Contenders the fun, supportive, and driven team it is. Great work Tessa, keep it up!

Justin’s favourite classes are the Friday and Tuesday 6AM. “Long-combo Friday @ 6am (with Yo!) is great because it pushes me both physically AND mentally. Learning and successfully executing a 60-70 punch combo gets me fired up. Tuesday kickboxing @ 6am (with Richard) allows me to leverage my past kickboxing experience and it works different muscle groups from boxing. It’s a great break between boxing classes.”

Coming in pretty much every day, Justin is already in great shape, but that’s not enough for him! “My goal is to be in the best shape possible. There will always be room to improve.” Now that’s the attitude of a champ!

After his killer workouts, Justin is an account manager for a cyber security software company. In his free time, he’s usually with friends “taking advantage of some sort of happy hour.”

Great work Justin! Keep it up!

Steve came to all the morning classes in January, and he cites his fellow morning boxers as his inspiration. “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. The hardest thing is getting out of bed, but once I’m out of bed I know I will go.”

Was it worth all that early a.m. discipline? Steve thinks so! “When I go to a class in the morning nothing seems to bother me for the rest of the day. It seems I can make business decisions easier. I think it’s better to have a hard workout in the morning and a lousy day at work, than it is to have a good day at work, and then a lousy workout that night.”

Steve’s favourite class of the week is the Friday class, known for the long combos. “Previously I would come and just do the work out and not think, just do. But as I come more, I realize I have to think a lot more than I thought to make progress, and Friday is a prime example.”

After his morning workouts, Steve works as an installer and lineman for TELUS, and has for the past 20 years. In his free time he likes to play his guitars, and cook. He’s also a big hockey fan, and loves to watch and play the game.

What advice does he have for anyone considering boxing at Contenders? “Come to a morning class and enjoy the endorphin rush you get throughout the rest of the day.”

Great work Steve! Keep it up!

Shivam tries to attend a class every day, and “twice a day when Yo bugs me.” He comes to our lunch time classes as well as the evening classes. “All of the classes are really great. I go to all of the classes because each class helps improve a different part of me– Sebastien’s class has taught me a lot of great boxing techniques; Yo, Kevin, and Richard’s classes have upped my strength and stamina. I also like that all of the trainers at Contenders push you to take your workout to the next level.”

As to the positive results he has seen in himself from doing boxing, Shivam says “I’ve seen a lot of positive results after just half a year of consistent training. I’m leaner, stronger, faster, and I’m more confident with my movements while boxing. But the most obvious result? I’ve lost 95% of my beer belly!!”

Shivam’s goal is to start sparring in February, and he has been getting ready for it “by working on my boxing technique, building up my strength, learning how to move faster, and getting lighter on my feet.”

When asked what inspires him to continue training, Shivam said “the fitness that I’ve achieved so far keeps me motivated to continue training. I don’t want to lose all of the progress that I’ve made.”

Shivam works for a data software company as a Technical Account Manager. In his free time, he enjoys reading, watching Netflix, playing guitar and snowboarding.

To the people who are thinking of starting boxing at Contenders, he says “just do it! Consistency is key. Once training is part of your daily routine, it becomes much easier to reach the level of fitness you want.”

Aline had never done boxing previously, but decided to join Contenders in December last year as she wanted to find something new to help her stay in shape other than just training alone at a regular gym. Her favourite classes at Contenders are the lunch time classes for their shorter and fast paced workouts, which she finds perfect for those who live or work nearby. She also enjoys the 6AM classes as they have “a calmer and more technical atmosphere, but they are also great workout and great way to start the day”.
Since she started boxing, Aline says she has lost some extra weight, gained more energy & confidence, and reduced her stress level. Her goal is to be able to continue practicing boxing regardless of the age or the stage of life she is at, to be healthier, and to have fun.

As to her motivation for her training, Aline says “the trainers motivate each and every class (they are the best!), and so do the members. They are a very good group of people. Some of them have been attending the classes for over 10 years. There are also new members always joining, and everyone is super friendly.”

In her free time, Aline enjoys reading, watching movies, playing guitar and weight-lifting.

Aline would like to encourage anybody who is thinking of joining Contenders to go for it. “Please do it!! So much fun! No matter which level you are at, you will benefit from it.”

Having played soccer, basketball and softball competitively, Len’s goal was to take on a contact sport. Now that he is boxing, and has started sparring, his next goals are to build up lean muscles, improve his endurance, and continue to improve his sparring. As to his weaknesses, he says he would like to work on his footwork, head movement and the habit of telegraphing his punches, especially his right hand.

When asked who inspires him to continue training, Len says “I find all the instructors at Contenders very inspiring and they always strike the right balance between encouragement and ‘tough love’. By ‘tough love’ I mean they aren’t afraid to be honest with me when my technique is off or I’m not giving maximum effort. Johnny has been a great help with my technique in the personal training sessions we have done.”

Len does media relations for the Federal Government. In his spare time he enjoys traveling, watching movies, and attending live sporting events and concerts.

His advice to anyone thinking of joining Contenders or taking up boxing is “JUST DO IT! You’ll be in the best shape of your life, you’ll improve your self-confidence and meet a bunch of really cool people, who are awesome to train with.”

Thank you, Len, for always coming to the gym with a positive attitude! Keep up the great work!

“Before joining Contenders I had learned some basics from a friend who used to train at Franco’s kickboxing and had messed around with hand pads a couple of times, but I hadn’t trained anywhere before. My sister was doing the 2-week trial and I decided to tag along. She didn’t end up joining but I was hooked after the first couple of classes. The gym is close to my office so it’s convenient and I can sneak out of the office to go train.

Ryan says that the Tuesday beginner sparring drills class in his favourite to attend.

“The classes are a great way of learning new techniques in a controlled environment. Sebastian does a good job of breaking down techniques so they are easy to understand and use, there have been a number of times where I have been taught something during the Tuesday class and have used it/ had it used on me during sparring later on in the week.”

Ryan is currently working on improving his cardio so that he does not gas out as much as sparring. He enjoys competing with other members and seeing everyone’s improvement week to week. In his free time, he enjoys playing volleyball and reading comics.

For anyone who is considering joining Contenders, and to any current member who is considering starting sparring, Ryan says:

“It can be intimidating first walking in the gym, I remember being a bit overwhelmed on my first day, but Contender’s did a great job of making me feel welcome. So, come and train with us, talk to people, and ask questions, you’ll see that Contenders is a great place to train. I started sparring this year, it has been a lot of fun. If you’re interested in sparring I recommend getting your medical done and trying it out!”