Developing champions in life

New London ― Whaling City Athletic Club is all about the intangibles.Sure, you can learn to be a professional boxer here, as New London's heavyweight champion Cassius Chaney did while training at the gym's former site on Bank Street.But it's the life lessons of respect, loyalty, responsibility, honesty and trust, literally written on the walls of the club now located at 436 Broad St., that will help kids become not only a better athlete but a more accomplished person."The focus of this gym, it's really a helping environment for a lot of different people," said Dean Festa, a longtime coach.Kent Ward, who owns the gym, sees it as his mission to get kids to do things the right way while developing respect for themselves and others. He's focused particularly on young men 18 to 25 who are at risk of falling into the bad habits of drugs and crime that are so pervasive today."Understand the correct way of doing things," he said. "Understand respect and accountability and responsibility and speak up for what's right. Once you recognize the right way to do something, you have strategies (to cope with the world)."Ward likened his gym to "Fort Apache the Bronx," requiring firm rules and regulations to move young people toward a better place in life.For parents, the gym is a godsend, allowing kids to work off some energy but also pointing the way toward becoming a better human being."I've seen a huge change in attitude," said Amanda Bishop of Gales Ferry, whose daughters Nadine, 9, and Leanna, 5, have been coming to the gym for the past three months."'It's boosted my confidence," agreed Nadine, after a class Aug. 30. "And I got a lot stronger."Rose Miller of Groton, whose grandson Rylan was part of the same boxing class, added, "I love this place. ... They hold them all accountable and encourage them."Emily Evans of Griswold was there to watch children Ryker and Mason, while her husband, Max, a longtime member who once competed in mixed martial arts, spent time chatting with Ward."It does test them. It's not an easy sport," Evans said as a coach directed the practice of boxing moves. "They'always sweating when they're done. It's good for their conditioning and their mental health."Ward said the gym has about 300 paying members, but it also brings in scholarship students who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford a membership. He credits state Rep. Anthony Nolan, D-New London, with arranging a recent round of scholarship money.Ward at 76 is a tough task master, worried that today's disconnected youths are heading for trouble without a high school diploma and with few job prospects."It's a recipe for disaster," he said.So he started a Summer Survivor wrestling program run by New London High coach Mike Gorton to help young people run off some energy and use the discipline they learn in sports to help improve their readiness to work. He also has a Heavy Hitters USA program year-round that instills discipline and commitment in his boxing students best exemplified in the "gloves, not guns" motto.In addition to boxing, the gym offers training in mixed martial arts and jiu jitsu as well as a wrestling program.Whaling City Athletic Club also caters to older athletes through its Gray Dogs boxing program, where the average age is 74. And there's another program that targets seniors with Parkinson's disease."It's not just about the physical," Festa said. "We have a group of people in there, including me, that never thought they could do the things they're doing at this point in their life."A champion in life Ward said the key to his gym is that people are seen as important. So if a kid seems to be down in the dumps, he'll take him aside and see what is wrong."We'll say, 'Hey, how you doing? Is there something going on, and nine out of 10 times there is," Ward said. "We've had more than one kid come through the door, and say, 'Wow, I'm at my home.' He called it his home because he felt protected, he knew we cared about him."With "teen suicide rates through the roof, and social media destroying the kids," Ward said, sports can be a great way to break through, a needed respite from the pressures of today's world. At his gym, the emphasis is not on unrealistic expectations or unfair comparisons but on simply improving on your own performance every day."I asked them one day, 'You guys,' I said, 'what would you rather be: A champion in life, or a champion on the mat?" Ward said. "I said, 'What I want you to do is go home to think about this, don't answer me right now. ... So they came back, and it was the greatest little conversation we had, and some of them said, 'Can we be both?' I said to be in both is Mount Everest, Mount Everest."I said, "but if I have my choice, a champion on the mat is fleeting. It's only going to be there for a while ... but the champion in life, that's the person everybody will recognize for the rest of your life. The things that you've done for the community, the things that you've done for your co-workers, the things that you do for your siblings, your family. That will never be forgotten."l.howard@theday.com