The Coordinator/Trainer

My name is Jesse. I am non-binary and use they/them/their pronouns most often. As an athlete, all my life, I have felt like an intruder in gyms and sport. Pushing past that feeling and carving a space for myself in binary spaces has put me in a position to challenge the norms and open up an experience like boxing to others who share my experience.

Boxing is my go to sport for its complexity wrapped in a simple concept: punch without getting punched. At first glance it seems simple enough, but if you dig a little deeper there is so much more to it. I have been around long enough that I do not worry about my gender and the gym as much, but that does not mean gyms are making their spaces accessible to gender non-conforming and 2SLGBTQ+ people. There is work to be done, but I think some great discussions are happening.

*Images taken by various volunteer photographers (locations: Pan Am Boxing Club, Club Regent Casino)

Boxing

Boxing is much more than just a “hit things hard” kind of sport to me. It is about building strength of the mind and heart; seeing that mountain in your life and starting to climb it, one step at a time (whether that mountain is shedding the self-consciousness keeping you from dancing, or applying for an intimidating job). It is about leaving your comfort zone to learn something new and become a braver more determined you. I cannot guarantee that you will get the same things out of it that I did or that you will develop a passion as I have, but I believe you deserve the chance to find out.

Exercise doesn’t have to be about changing the shape, size or makeup of your body, it can simply be about feeling good, preparing for the future, community and learning a new skill! We don’t have to do 100 push-ups or do 15 minute planks to be fit. Sometimes a good sweat is all it takes and for some people that is a speedy walk and for others it is a dozen burpees. Whatever we can do, we should do it and not have to feel guilty about whether it was enough or not, especially compared to someone else! Maybe just getting out of bed is a challenge enough for you some days. No one should make you feel like a failure for that. If you cannot magically conjure up the energy needed for an exercise experience like this, that’s okay. Keep on fighting your fight and I’ll keep on fighting mine! But know I am in your corner every step of the way and I hope you are in mine.

---

• Instagram
• Link
• Facebook