Opening of Father's Gym

      Greetings all. I am J'Von Jerome. Above is an example of a video I hope to one day make a reality for my partner and me in our own gym. This will probably be one of the few times I'm ever this detailed in my speaking since I mostly introverted in my ways and never been the chatty type. So I will keep this story as short as I can. Out of all the careers in the world from those suggest to me (top one being a voiceover due to my tone), and those I endeavor in already, nothing compares to the joy of a lifetime I experience as a boxing instructor. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't something I had envision I would be doing but somehow I stayed drawn to this line of work. Guess “it’s in the blood” as my father would say. I actually had a passion for movies and hope to be a film maker but finances were too tight. Maybe one day. Currently my team (father, cousin, and close friend) run a training camp at Sugar Ray Leonard Boxing Gym. Didn’t start there but is where most of our work is done. We provide body, fitness, weight, and boxing training for all those looking to either fight competitively or simply improve their health by learning an art that will carry them on in life no matter their current ambitions. For the first five years, my father and me been doing this work on and off between other jobs, and starting last year marked our true commitment to the field and we have no plans leaving. I say on and off before 2014 due to financial strains as the business alone was not providing enough funds to make ends meet mostly due to not having a set space of our own.



           Originally before the idea of training camp came to mind my father was more so focus on training his sons and other fighters for competition threw the support of his longtime friend Adrian Davis at Round One Boxing Gym as well as many other renowned gym owners in the DC/MD region. Of course my father easily made a lot of his connections from previous being a retired Official for the Potomac Valley Boxing Association. However at first I figured I be the least qualified person to be doing any kind of teaching. I tell you knowing how to fight is one thing, but teaching it is a task on its own. Even when I initially started boxing at nineteen, I went into learning the sport for all the wrong reasons. At the time I recently got jump and manage to make it threw a street fight that let’s just say could have ended a lot better, Definitely learn what I could in hopes I run into them again to even the score. Also had young lady friend I was involved with and wanted to impress her more by improvement my physic. More so then anything else it look like a sport with so much potential to make easy money especially with as many connections my father had at the time. However after training for a couple of years and doing some fights I got a wakeup call that this is a sport that is a lot harder than it looks and you come across fighters every now and then who is into the sport way more than just for the money, but for the pure love of it. So after a while I got a little lost in my ways unsure what to do, especially since I learn an art with no purpose anymore. Despite how hard I trained my physic didn’t change much and was unsuccessful in my competitions. Things broke off in my relationship without reason. Hell I even finally ran into one of the folks at my local store from the past that I had an altercation with, but I could see in his eyes the sorrow and regret he had as he look upon me…Just knew it was time for me to try other things especially with the feeling  that I disappointed my father from one of my last sparring session when I was taking more of a beating then I should have.


              Eventually I went into martial arts and prosper there quite well to the point of even getting my black belt. Don’t get me wrong the belt came with a lot of trials and tribulations but that is a story for another time. Just knew despite the hard times I given my sensei especially trying to adjust switching from one fighting style to another, she was proud of me becoming one of her black belts. Then my karate brothers and sisters notice a glow about me that even to this day I don’t notice when working with others. Oddly enough I kind of heard some of the same things from other coworkers from the retail company I use to work for. My sensei strongly recommended I open up my own studio which  I didn’t mind considering. What held me back was the fact that my original coach or my father still stuck with the boxing business even after retire from his boxing organization and his property management business. I didn’t mind him wanting to continue since he still had two on my brothers among others training as pros and other people training to be in better shape. One of them I will never forget since he was one of the first people I help train when it came to boxing and after eight to nine months my father and I brought him down all the way from 300 pounds to 175 pounds ( the guy in black t-shirt from video). Basically I had to inform her before trying to open up my own dojo I had help my dad with his boxing teachings. For one no matter how skilled my two other brothers were neither of them were truly ready for the task of teaching the sport. Even I wasn’t ready however they had other responsibilities to tend first like families of their own. As matter as fact one of them decided to put his fighting on the back burner since he is in school again. I knew I at least had a better chance since I was the most free with limited distractions. I still had good chances with opening up my own martial arts school especially since she had other black belts willing to help me when I had a location. I just knew I was still learning from one of the best when it came to teaching in the boxing field and I got to admit me learning the boxing strikes help me win a lot of my martial art competitions. It wasn’t a surprise to my other karate family either as I was at my advance stages of my ranks, I was doing it all working out with them. Having a full time job, and doing part-time fitness training with my dad. Things seem to be going well for that period except for the fact my other sales job was pulling me more and more from gym. Despite the decent shape I was in stress started to take its toll on my body. At least it was comforting to know at the end of the day, I was working hard to better myself and possibly start a future with another lady in my life that my sensei push on to me. Though once again things turn for the worse my sales job require more out of me then necessary forcing me to work over night shifts keeping from gym all together, plus needed the extra cash for a new place anyway since I was trying to take care of a new family of my girlfriend at the time and her son. The recreation center where my father continued training people shut out down operations due to one spiteful director. Lastly one of the closest support system lost all her care in me and walk out of my life…not going lie had to deal with a lot of emotions at one time. Anger, confusion, depression even started to slightly hit me. Even when I was younger growing up imagine getting my first house first over a car unlike my bros wanting learn to drive quickly. Guess what really kind of bugs me is the fact that things use to be stable in the house I grew up in with my family until a house fire was the start to a lot of disruptions in my life. Once again a story for another time but let just it has led to my family and moving around a lot to where legally speaking I am actually homeless…Not to say I been living a pretty harsh lifestyle. So I didn’t have to spend too many days in the street I still had a good support system such as my father and my mother but even more so when there were times they couldn’t be there for me I had close friends that look out for me when things got tough. As much as I may yearn for a new spot, ultimately the one place I truly feel at home is at the gym. The new families I tend to want to provide for are ones I teach on regular bases, young and old. They are the ones I concern for their safety and willing to protect with all my heart by challenging not just their physical capability, but also enhancing their mental by channeling their emotions of joy, confusion, anger, fear, and belief to balance the body and soul. Now I am not sure how all gyms are run let alone what the all the best practices are but I learn what I can from others on my free time and so does my team (some of them are quite experience away). I just know whatever uncertainty I have about myself from my minor struggles. I almost become a different person I don’t recognize when I am teaching but folks seem to gravitate to me just as well as my other team members. As hard as it might be for some to figure out exactly what they want when it comes in terms of a career focus. I am fairly certain I found a purpose in my life that I am still learning more as go but has a future I am highly favored for.


         To those that took the time to hear my story I am truly grateful for your consideration. I might have wasted a lot of your energy reading all of this. Just wanted to be able to preserve my father legacy since a lot of opportunity to prosper in the sport was taken away from him when he was drafted in the army and then later having to choose raising his family with a different business. Right now he is just getting back into what he originally fell in love with and now even at 66 he is still trying get back into it. As hard as he work he does worry me sometimes due to him working hard so much that just last year he suffer seizures mid workout due to not eating enough and being a diabetic which was scary for me considering he didn’t tell any of his children and I had to be strong for him in the moment. With others being mad at him for not discussing it I guess I could relate to him since I didn’t discuss much about the bit of brain trauma I suffer from one of my boxing competitions. Even when folks may ask why I don’t compete guess I kind of still hold back from explaining the real reason since in the back of my mind I know it puts me at more risk for harm. Just easier to say I enjoy helping others more which I do, plus I don’t want folks looking at me in a weaker light. Been doing fine so far only thing that gets me here and there is the sensitivity of some of my senses (such as light and what not) however If I told certain folks like my sensei she probably wouldn’t have let do any sparring let alone competition. Now not to dwell in the past too much I am just glad of how far the training camphas gone so far. Not to say everything has be perfect at Sugar Ray’s but more good than bad so far and still working hard to open up a spot up of my own for my team to be station at and where my father does have to do so much but live the rest of his golden years enjoy his passion. Actually he does now but would be nice to do at our own gym location. Rather then this opportunity ending with him, I want to make sure it continues to run in the family as well as make sure other families can experience a lifestyle of the art of boxing. Now since he been more into the real estate field then I have I wanted to discuss some figures over with him since more of my focus has been on training folks. As he describes a good place where he can work people out in is a lot with a minimum of 1000sq ft to have an enough space to place his gym equipment such as a ring, bag area, restrooms, office, etc. All in all make sense except the he said we would have to work to is about $50,000. Now of course this of all figurative talk (with him having no Idea I am doin this campaign) the price point was a bit shocking but considering some of the logistics he was covering I guess it made since in the long run, plus he still wanted to make sure there was space so I can also teach folks the  art of Tangsudo Modokon in which I studied(still had no idea I would raise that much). Just know I am going to do what I can for him. If I can raise half then I wouldn’t mind. Heck I would feel lucky if I can even raise $12,000. Either way I just feel good doing what I can for my pops. Who knows might have a kid who might get me back into film when I am older. Still like my boxing though.