Sarah Liegmann – From the ring corner: Chaos in the gym

Before I get started, I’m really glad you’re here to read my column. It’s going to be chaotic, funny, but mainly 100 percent real. I’ll be sharing lots of anecdotes and experiences from the world of boxing, but also giving you some exciting insights into my everyday madness. And now it’s time to clear the ring!

I actually thought I’d seen it all in boxing – but last Thursday (February 27) I was proved wrong.

Like every morning, I had an appointment with my coach John at the gym at 10am. Punctuality is a matter of course for me and so I was already there at 9.50am. Normally, a young man is already there training for himself at this time, so I never have to wait outside the door. But when I arrived at the entrance, I immediately noticed a note on the door: “Gym will be closed until further notice.” At first I was relaxed – I thought that maybe only the group classes would be canceled due to illness or something similar. But at around 10 a.m. I got a message from one of my training partners: he wanted to know if my trainer and I were already in the gym and whether it was really closed. I told him that our training would take place as planned – at least that was the plan…

In front of closed doors

Five minutes later, John was finally there. He wasn’t put off by the note on the door, reached into his pocket and took out his key. The problem: the key no longer worked. The lock must have been changed overnight. I immediately called my co-trainer, who I had spoken to on the phone earlier – he had scheduled a sparring session with several boys for 10:30 am. Maybe he knew more or even had a new key. When I explained the situation to him, he didn’t hesitate for a second and called the owner.

Shortly afterwards, he got back to me and confirmed that the gym was indeed closed for the time being. He didn’t tell me why – and nobody could say how long it would be closed at that point. John and I considered going to another gym, but as he only had time until 12 noon, that would have been almost impossible. Fortunately, my co-trainer was able to organize another gym for his sparring at short notice, so I was able to join him. John made his way home, slightly annoyed, while my other coach picked me up. On the car ride, he told me what had happened in the last 24 hours.

Tense atmosphere in the gym

The gym is – more or less – a family business. The father owns the building and his son was the manager and trainer. But the night before, the two of them must have had such a heated argument that the father unceremoniously threw his son out the door and had the locks changed out of anger. In the midst of this emotional chaos, they had obviously completely forgotten to let the others know… Or did nobody feel responsible? An absolute no-go for me! So the hall remained closed until a new manager was found and new keys were issued for all the coaches. The atmosphere was correspondingly tense – especially among those who had traveled from far away. One of the guys had traveled two hours to spar and was suddenly faced with closed doors without warning. Fortunately, we found a “boxing shelter” and were still able to train, albeit late.

At first we all thought the drama would last for weeks. But the very next day, John and I were able to train normally again. The owner handed out new keys to everyone as quickly as possible – he probably wanted to save himself any more trouble. On Saturday, I got to know the new gym manager who had emerged from the coaching team. He made a likeable and committed impression. Let’s hope it stays that way.