Saturday, May 21, 2011

No I Will NOT Run Today.

I teach the early morning classes at my job, and it takes all of my energy, so by Saturday afternoons I don't want to do anything.

Eventually I will have the motivation to workout on weekends, but 5 days a week is where I currently cap-out.

I found something interesting while roaming the world wide web; A photographer who sought out females in male sports. Take a look:



"This series looks at male orientated sports through the female aesthetic. The series 'Female Boxers' was inspired by the documentary 'Ways Of Seeing' by John Berger.

It compelled me to take a closer look at how the female is viewed in today's society and also to explore a way to portray this through a photographic narrative.

I spent few months making emails and phone calls to the Amateur Boxing Association of England in order to gather further information on gyms in London that hosted female boxers.

All in all I spent about three to four months at a great gym in the North West of London where I spent each Sunday taking portraits of the girls who chose to use boxing as a form of self expression.

I guess it was a way for me to examine not only perceptions of how females are viewed but also perceptions I have about our society and if it is able to manipulate the way in which we perceive things."

—Inzajeano Latif







http://www.mag.walldone.com/female-boxers

Friday, May 20, 2011

Just Another Day.

 



Video courtesy of dear ol' dad. He won the Dallas Golden Gloves Tournament in 1978.

Mitts courtesy of Aaron Bryant. I'm very grateful for his expertise and assistance in my training.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Resilience. Or whatever.

After high school, giving up my title as a Dance Company Officer and freezing up at my college drill team auditions, I chose to stop dancing and focus on my education and career. I couldn't afford to take classes at a private studio, and my family didn't want me to major in dance, saying it wasn't "real education".

Two years later, I was hired on as dance coordinator at a local kid's facility to teach preschool/grade shcool ballet and tap. With lesson plans handed to me and all students at a beginner level, it was a comfortable way to get my groove back (no pun intended). Now I'm looking at teaching at a new dance studio in town--I'm jumping in, cannonball style.

It's hard to believe that while I was busy forcing myself to forget about dance and pretending that I didn't need it anymore, it was finding it's way back to me. I think I understand what people mean when they say that they didn't find something, IT found THEM. Now my focus is finding my niche again, putting my tights and spandex on and going back to the barre, the floor and the opportunity to choreograph and teach.

While doing this I also plan to continue my boxing workouts. As passionate as I am about dancing, boxing has been my outlet while I've been away. What started as a replacement and a hobby, has evolved into it's own animal. I hit mitts in my dreams, I obsess over training clips and I have sacrificed valuable time and money to make this happen.

Sometimes I look at myself in the mirror and ask, "Who ARE you?". In the gym, I keep my body too straight and upright, which gets me hurt in the ring. In dance class I forget which arm goes where, which makes me feel like a fool. My muscles are in constant confusion, which often carries over to my emotions.

My goal is to have patience with myself, and to find the confidence I need to continue on my dual path, the path of MOST resistance.