ROANOKE, Va. – Gun violence continues to weigh on the star city’s community, but a Roanoke boxing gym that operates on donations may help curb the concerning rise by shaping young lives.
In Southeast Roanoke, you can find a brawl at Champ’s Gym on Jamison Avenue that teaches resilience and camaraderie.
Keeping kids out of the street and in the ring, Boxing and Brawling Owner and Coach La’Torie Woodbury provides an outlet where weapons are not the answer.
“But if you can come and work four or five weeks and settle that conflict in the gym then we can squash a lot of things,” Woodbury said.
Throwing jabs, Woodbury works with 65 kids a year, including 7-year-old Julius.
“He’s a good coach,” Julius said. “He helps me with everything. He helps me take out my anger. He helps me with stuff.”
Julius’s mother, Aisha Johnson, said her son is learning determination and hard work. She said in just six months, her son’s grades even improved.
“This is a great way for him to have a good influence of friends too that are on the right path that can direct each other,” Johnson said. “So that’s one thing I like about it.”
Fostering education, Woodbury even used his weight room as a spot for the athletes to do their virtual learning.
Though money is tight, he offers a free lunch program and works out payment plans with families to give their children a chance.
“I remember being that kid where I couldn’t get the cleats or the football and all that,” he said. “Boxing is an individual sport but we try to make it a family, a team.”
A team of new champions.
“Sometimes it takes a village to make sure these children do good so we need the village to come in and take care of these children,” Johnson said.
Woodbury offers three camps a day and you can learn more through his boxing team’s Facebook page.