The following camp diary was written by Rebecca Gibson, and the photos are from Naz Bhardwaj (Bradford College Marketing Department):
Day 1:
The boxers arrived, registered and had lunch between 12pm and 2pm and settled into the accommodation that was located on the college campus. The college facilities were fantastic, with use of a large sports hall, dance studio, fitness suite and the new boxing gym. Following a welcome from the college, Mick and Rebecca welcomed and briefed the boxers including the purpose of the camp, expectations regarding effort, supporting one another and behaviour.
The first boxing session started at 3.30pm with a fun warm up that helped to dispel any worries or nerves. The session included all 52 boxers in the large sports hall doing partner skills work and technical sparring. It was fantastic to see so many female boxers training together – all loving their sport. Even at the end of session one it was good to see individual progression of boxers under the tuition of Mick Gannon.
Following the evening meal and some social time, all boxers took part in a fun games session to enable everyone to get to know one another better. A team meeting concluded the day.
Day 2:
The day commenced with a bleep test to test stamina and mental toughness. Lucy O’Connor achieved the highest bleep test score followed by Hayley Webb and Talia Anthony. After a hearty breakfast the boxers were split into 5 ability / age groups. The boxers remained in these groups for 2 sessions on this day and 2 sessions the following day. The boxers worked with qualified coaches and each session had a different focus and took part in a different area of the facility. For instance stance, guard and movement drills were undertaken in the dance studio, and a bag and pad work session took place in the boxing gym. The groups rotated to ensure they took part in the each of the four stations. Some boxers showed progression within the week and changed groups accordingly. When the boxers were in the boxing gym they were also given the opportunity to observe the England boxers training and sparring. Some boxers from the highest ability group were also appropriately selected to spar with the England boxers, which was a great opportunity.
The afternoon included a motivational goal setting workshop which included a talk by Lucy O’Connor, England boxer and an interactive session about how to set goals. After a tough day of technical work, the day was concluded with a fun games session.
Day 3:
The third day followed a similar patter to the second, with a run, 2 group sessions and a games session. To break the day, the boxers were also allowed to have a break and visit the local shops of Bradford under then supervision of the female coaches. In addition the England and Scotland boxers attended a media training workshop delivered by the Press Association.
Day 4:
The final full day included a full programme, as well as an arranged media presence and guest visitors. The day, as always started with a run. The morning session was led by Mick Gannon with all carded boxers taking part in conditioned sparring and the recreational boxers enjoying a dedicated pad session. Although everyone was hurting with muscle soreness and was feeling tired it was impressive to see how everyone had progressed through the week.
After lunch the boxers were split into two groups for workshops either on Doping Awareness or Nutrition.
The final activity session comprised of two groups, which rotated half way through the afternoon. One group took part in a technical skills based session in the sports hall led by Martin Utley and the other group took part in open sparring. The coaches managed to cram an opportunity in for everyone that was willing and able to spar.
The evening finished with a social and team building activity - Rebecca’s long awaited quiz!
Day 5 – departure day
Following a run and fun relay race, and breakfast everyone packed and all rooms were cleared. All boxers and staff departed by 12pm.
Overall:
It was a fantastic event that enabled individual progression, inspired many to further their boxing and stay involved in the sport and Mick Gannon was able to identify potential boxers with talent who will be tracked for future events and selection.
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