PARMA HEIGHTS, Ohio — Giving high schoolers gym time and the opportunity to punch each other may, at first glance, sound like a recipe for chaos. But the Valley Forge Boxing Club at Valley Forge High School in Parma Heights is proving just the opposite is true.
Started more than 20 years ago by social studies teacher Tim Vojta and his colleague Paul Spooner, the club offers a place for students to feel a sense of belonging, blow off some steam, and engage in athletics, without some of the requirements seen at the varsity level.
"After school, so many kids don't have a place to go or don't have anything to do, and if you don't have grade requirements, you're out of luck for playing a varsity sport," Vojta said. "So the nice thing about boxing here at Valley Forge as a club is we can accept everybody, and if a kid has to work two or three days a week, we still have time to fit them into the ring. They don't have to commit to every day like you would for football or basketball. And if a student might not have the grades that we would like them to be at, they can still participate and be part of the school, even though they're trying to work on building up their grades."
Vojta got into boxing after he graduated college, heading to a Parma gym to try his hand at the sport. Soon, his passion for boxing grew. Fellow social studies teacher and football coach Paul Spooner ended up training at the same gym as a child, with the two realizing their connection and common ground as colleagues at Valley Forge High School.
Eager to share their passion for the sport with their students, and realizing they could use space within one of the school gyms to install a ring and heavy bags, all they needed was the final sign-off.
"Fortunately, our administrators thought that it was a great idea," Vojta said. "They realized that it would be a good way to keep kids involved in school, and they also realized that, based on who's working at the events — myself and Coach Spooner, — that we would make sure that it was safe, that we understood what we can or can't do within the building."
Spooner says their principal recognized that having students involved in extracurriculars increased the likelihood they would stay involved in the school community and ultimately graduate.
"He thought that maybe this could be something that, again, we could get those kids that were outliers that wanted to do football or basketball or anything like that, that had that athletic drive," Spooner explained. "This was a competition that we would be able to keep them, and we'd be able to retain them."
Vojta says the club is open to all students and attracts a diverse group — students who, in the course of the school day, may not typically be friends. The club spans different classes, interests, and grades.
"We've got just a diverse group of kids that otherwise wouldn't normally be hanging out together that have found a common sport that they fell in love with," Vojta added. "They wouldn't have normally crossed paths, but here they are."
Rising senior Isaac Repp appreciates that range of the club, saying while you may think punching one another could foster anger or ill will, it's actually quite the opposite.
"Everybody's really diverse in here; everybody does different things. Not two people in here are going to be in the same thing every day," Repp said. "Some people in here are on the basketball team, the football team, they're in different clubs. But regardless of that, we all come in here and we are all friends. We're all really close friends because of the sport."
Both Vojta and Spooner said being able to control potential frustrations and not allow the punches to get the best of you is a big lesson learned through the sport and in the club.
"A big thing from boxing is controlling your temper, not letting your anger get the best of you," Vojta said. "If somebody punches you in the face, that's usually a pretty traumatic thing, but this is part of this sport. So keep your composure, keep your control, and deal with it in a responsible way."
"When they're able to come in here and they're able to kind of let off that steam, but then also learn something and also learn how to then control it, I think it just, again, helps to fill them out as a person," Spooner added.
Through the club, students can learn how to box, get a workout in, spar and hit the heavy bag, and even participate in competitions with other students in the area. In addition to forming new bonds with fellow students, these athletes can also get to know their teachers in a different setting.
Rising sophomore Sofian Attab calls the club a 10 out of 10 experience.
"It's in the school, the boxing club, so I wouldn't have to go out to it, and I can learn at the same time," he said. "The coaches themselves are teachers, so it's like the student-teacher relationship at the same time gets better."
"It's a great feeling," Vojta told us of getting to know the students in a different setting. "Everybody can operate a little bit looser than what they normally do in a classroom. You get to know the kid a little bit better, and again, I think that helps with retaining the student at the building and helping them have a positive attitude about coming to school."
"We became teachers for that reason: We like talking to people, we like talking to kids," Spooner said. "We like being able to make that change in them."