Pink Gloves Boxing Hitting the Mark at Cleveland State

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Fun, community, achievement.

Those three words describe Pink Gloves Boxing’s vision. Garret Garrels founded the total body, high intensity training program in 2006. It uses the movements of competitive boxing in a non-contact program for women.

In 2014, Pink Gloves Boxing found its way to CENTERS L.L.C at Cleveland State University. Melissa Albers, the assistant director of fitness and aquatics, discovered them at the NIRSA Annual Conference Expo in 2014. After witnessing the program at the expo, and after accepting her new position at Cleveland, Albers made the move. “I knew this was a great program that I believed could be a huge success,” she said.

Going into their fourth year of offering Pink Gloves Boxing, she shares on her experience so far. Albers also reveals what she likes about partnering with Pink Gloves Boxing and their evident passion:

CR: How does your partnership benefit your facility and its users?

MA: We are going into our fourth year of offering Pink Gloves Boxing, and this is the first semester we are offering all seven tiers. We have women participating in each of the tiers. It’s really neat to see those that started with the program in the very first semester we offered it – Fall 2015 – are now so close to finishing the seventh and final tier at the end of this semester. The community it has organically cultivated and sustained here at the Rec, and its presence and awareness on campus, is really truly unique and awesome.

CR: What do you like about partnering with Pink Gloves Boxing?

MA: The communication with Pink Gloves Boxing is amazing. They are very quick to respond to any questions or requests I have, whether it be about programming, supply orders or anything in between. They really want the program to succeed at every tier. They are willing to help in any way they can.

CR: Was there anything that pleasantly surprised you about working with Pink Gloves Boxing?

MA: The heart and the passion they have for the program is truly wonderful. They love hearing the success stories and how people have grown with our program, and how it’s truly touched their lives and changed them for the better.

For more information on Pink Gloves Boxing, visit pinkglovesboxing.com.