June 27, 2000 — The waiting is the hardest part. It’s not the weeks of intense training that lead up to the fight — the ropes jumped, the heavy bags hit, the countless sessions spent sparring. No, it’s not all that. It’s the empty, idle minutes and hours spent waiting …
Read moreMarch 28, 2000 — Wrestling is perhaps the most basic and intrinsic of sports. One on one. Man against man. Strength, cunning and endurance your only weapons. There are not many sports as physically and emotionally draining. Last six minutes on a wrestling mat and you can barely muster the …
Read moreDecember 14, 1999 — The welts on my right shoulder told me that I should be thankful my fencing lesson came on the verge of the 21st century and not during the 16th. For if the latter was the case, I’d likely be writing this from my grave. The modern-day …
Read moreJune 1, 1999 — Two lessons learned during my training session at the Gold Rush Boxing Club: Always wrap your hands, and never expect to win a talking match with young Thomas Heaton. The Gold Rush Club has the feel of a boxing gym. It is located in the heart …
Read moreMarch 9, 1999 — I was never much good at roller skating. So when my fourth grade friends and I headed to our local rink, I was not among those rolling on rented skates, singing to the beat of Eddie Grant’s “Electric Avenue.” I was safely on the other side …
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