A handful of Tralee Boxing Club’s 2022-2023 competitive boxing squad were given a great welcome at Trojan Boxing Club in Listowel last Monday night for a friendly sparring session.

The TBC lads, who are used to a larger ring size, got a good lesson in close quarter boxing from their opponents and certainly came away with a new appreciation for keeping their hands up, and the importance of good defence.

Well done to all the lads who stepped into the ring on the night, some tough but important lessons learned and great sportsmanship displayed by all.

It is always a pleasure to visit a hardworking gym with game boxers and TBC are sincerely grateful to Graham, Niamh and all the crew at Trojan for inviting us over. We look forward to having Trojan BC back in our own gym in the very near future.

Tralee Boxing Club has finally come to the end of a summer long project aimed at  integrating migrants into our club and community through the sport of boxing.

The project, Building Friendship and Strength, One Punch at a Time, supported by the Communities Integration Fund and the DCEDIY, ran throughout the summer and introduced approximately 40 new boxers and 10 volunteers from the Ukrainian migrant community into our club and to the benefits of boxing.

We are wholeheartedly thankful to all the coaches, volunteers and participants in the project as it has been a wonderful experience for the whole club.

We have learned some of the fantastic footwork Ukrainian boxers are famous for from coaches Artem and Eduard, we have enjoyed the diversity and vitality that the boxers have brought to the club with their positive, upbeat attitude and we have come to really understand the value of a smile when words just won’t work.

We hope that being part of our club can in some small way, help our new friends to deal with the massive upheaval they have been subjected to by the war and to enjoy the multitude of positive effects of participating in sporting activities. We are proud to welcome all our new members into the boxing family here at Tralee Boxing Club.

Finally, unbeknownst to himself, boxer and TBC club member, Oisín Foley was nominated by the club this summer, for the Garda National Youth Individual Achievement Award.

The award recognises young people for the positive contribution they make to our community, and having seen Oisín in action here at the club over the past few years we felt there was no doubt that he would be the ideal candidate.

Oisin has been a tireless cheerleader amongst the teen boxers here in the club, always seeking to motivate and inspire his peers to achieve their best.

Coaches and committee members pointed out that “although he has struggled with his own issues, I’ve seen him contact other young boxers when they were having a bad day or feeling down.”

In addition to helping his fellow boxers Oisin has always been at the forefront of TBC’s initiatives for introducing boxing to other members of our community  such as children with disabilities and isolated migrant groups.

One coach noted that “ for every event that was organised, he was the first to put his hand up and volunteer his time…which is remarkable for a teenage boy.”

We were delighted to hear, earlier this month, that the awarding body agreed and Oisín was formally presented with the GNY Individual Achievement Award last Friday night at the official awards ceremony in Ballyroe Hotel.

Coaches and committee members of the club traded in their tracksuits for the night and proudly attended the formal event to support and officially acknowledge Oisín for his patience, kindness and service to others in the community. Well done Oisín, your indomitable spirit for helping others is a credit to this club.