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14/07/2008
Talent ID Camps
In an effort to dig deeper into the wealth of boxing talent in Great Britain the GB Boxing Programme has just sponsored a week's camp for schoolboys in Liverpool.
The boxers assembled at the excellent Salisbury ABC facilities on the afternoon of Monday 7th July under the overall direction of Mick Gannon, the England Head Coach.
England provided the 12 boxers who are due to compete in the European Schoolboy Championships in Serbia at the end of July. These boxers were accompanied by Ronnie Rowe and Chris Cairns.
Scotland provided 12 boxers accompanied by Kevin Smith (National Coach) and Colin Bellshaw and the Welsh team of 12 boxers under the direction of Vince Powell and John Radmore completed and excellent response to our request for an opportunity to see some of the most talented, but very young boxers from all across the UK.
Accommodation for all the boxers and coaches was provided at the Adelphi Hotel which has a long and distinguished involvement in looking after boxers. Kevin Carter, the Conference and Banqueting Account Manager ensured that our special requirements were met even to the extent of providing a separate dining room for the exclusive use of the boxers.
The boxers quickly adjusted to the camp format and quickly made new friends. The coaches and boxers were mixed together to ensure that, regardless of national background, they would derive the most benefit from the training and sparring opportunities provided to them.
Vince Powell, an army PTI and ex international boxer led a number of tough but enjoyable workouts and provided the boxers with an insight into the fitness requirements of an international boxer.
In the background, Jim Davison, the GB Development Coach worked tirelessly to see the boxers training and sparring. He also gave a talk to the gathering on the requirements of an international boxer where he emphasised that the camp was not set up to assess the boxers but rather to bring the most talented young boxers together to let them know that they were on the GB Programme radar.
The camp also had the good fortune to involve the services of Damian Ridpath, the Boxing Development Officer for the City of Liverpool. Damian has a regular spot on both City Talk and BBC Radio Merseyside and in his role as a DJ he invited three of the boxers onto his show (English, Welsh, Scottish) which probably gave these young boys their first taste of celebrity status.
The action packed week was a real tribute to the dedication of the coaching team and the reward was a very positive response from all of the boxers.
GB Boxing is now seen to be moving deeper into the talent pool of young boxers and it is hoped that a significant number respond positively now that they have some insight into the requirements of international boxing.
Thank you England, Scotland and Wales and let us all work to identify and nurture our most talented boxers wherever they may live.