[281 Howdy, CNU-ians?]Let’s Dive into the Allure of Boxing

 

 

By Na Chan-ho, Guest Reporter

 Do you like boxing? If so, what things cross your mind when you hear the names of two former famous boxers, Choi Young-su, and Ji In-jin? In their prime, both of them had swept the world away as other famous boxers did. Recently, however, they gave up boxing and transferred to K-1 which is a combat sport combining stand up techniques from various martial arts. Taking it into consideration, the popularity of boxing is seemingly going downhill and good memories about boxing are fading away from people’s mind. Against my thinking, one boxing club’s placard recruiting new freshmen fluttered in front of the White Library, so I could no longer repress my curiosity and decided to cover our university’s sole boxing club, Technician.

Technician was established in 1999 by some students who were campaigning for a revival of boxing. The club regularly practices at the gym, located near the Side Gate. Before visiting the gym, as a sports buff, I was confident of my abilities in every sport. Regardless of my confidence, the idea of trying boxing, which is well known as a risky sport, made me feel nervous. Fortunately, as soon as I arrived at the gym, a cheerful and energetic atmosphere welcomed me so that it did not take a long time to shake away my prejudice. As a newcomer, first, I had to learn the basic skills from boring jumping step to sharp punching skills. As time went by my legs became asleep, I came to find myself mesmerized by the attractiveness of boxing.

 

The club might have had a small membership but all of their eyes sparkled like a tiger glaring at its prey. Suddenly, I wondered what makes them so crazy about boxing. The President of Technician, Yang Jin-gu (Junior, Dept. of Applied Chemistry)gave me a clear answer. “Don’t be afraid before you even try it. Only a few people know how attractive boxing is. Unlike a prevalent perception you might have, it is neither risky nor insipid. If you try only a week, you will become addicted to the genuine allure of boxing.”

 

Their passion for boxing has never betrayed them. Even though Technician has been managing for only ten years, it has been dominating the league of university boxing clubs in Korea. Almost every year, club members have regularly participated in national boxing competitions. Last year, nine out of ten the club members advanced to the semifinals and one member won the championship three years ago. To my surprise, one female member won a silver medal several years ago. As a student at the same university, I was somewhat proud of their achievements. Who knows? Another winner of this year’s national competition could be a Technician member.

 

Do you think Korean boxing is waning? At least, at CNU, boxing is still alive and will be forever with them! I was just curious about the unknown aspects of the club life before meeting Technician members. However, I unexpectedly fell in love with boxing and now consider it to be a fascinating sport after meeting them. I plainly saw their burning passion towards boxing.