Men @ Work
story by Alex Frazer-Harrison, photo by Sergei Belski
TEOFISTA ELITE (a.k.a. AIRDRIE BOXING)
When Rhys Eckardt realized he couldn’t fight anymore, he decided instead to share his expertise with a new generation of boxers.
For several years, Eckardt had been a member of the Teofista Elite boxing gym in Calgary, until its owner decided to expand into Airdrie. “I was having [an] issue with some medications that put my bone density into an osteoporosis state,” explains Eckardt. “I couldn’t fight anymore – I was always getting my ribs broken [with] even the slightest hit. So I started to train people. And I wanted to go to the next level, which was being part-owner of a gym.”
Airdrie Boxing opened in the Kingsview business park in November 2008, offering programs for kids as young as four, all the way up to athletes with their eyes set on major competitions.
“We teach Olympic-style boxing,” says Eckardt. “There are tons of misconceptions about boxing, and we’ve had people turn their noses up and say, ‘Is this it?’ And we’ve had people come in and say, ‘Wow, this is nice for a boxing gym.’”
Indeed, the gym’s window-rich location is a far cry from the stereotype of dark warehouse-style basements perpetuated by movies and TV. Instead, Airdrie Boxing has a traditional boxing ring in the centre, surrounded by exercise equipment, punching bags – even an arcade-style “Who punches strongest?” game.
“For the kids ages four to seven-eight, we have jungle-gym-style exercises – they’re just having fun with the sport,” says Eckardt. “The 6 [p.m.] classes are for all age groups, more fitness-based. At 7 [p.m.], it’s about learning the theory and applying it lightly with non-contact sparring and working on defence.
“At 8 [p.m.], it’s for people who want to test the theory and get in the ring. The blood happens at 8 [p.m.],” he adds, tongue-in-cheek.
Eckardt works to bring the science back to the “sweet science.” There’s a big poster of John Sullivan, a classic fighter of a century ago, over his desk, and he speaks with admiration when he talks about wanting his boxers to appreciate the science developed by such greats as Jack Dempsey.
“Dempsey could teach you six types of jabs – I like to teach the science behind it,” says Eckardt. “Gene Tunney (who famously defeated Dempsey in the 1920s) turned boxing into a chess game.”
Eckardt says both men and women use his facility, with many coming in to lose weight and get in shape. “You come here, and you leave feeling you definitely had a workout,” he says.
Check back in July to read about our next man@work.
