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Sports

RECAPTURING EARLY GLORY 9 | |
quamish Band reopens boxing club

THE SQUAMISH Indian
Band will officially reopen
its Totem Athletic Boxing
Club (TABC) today (Sun-
day) at 1 p.m.

Located.in the basement of. the
band’s 345 West Fifth Street head
office, the TABC will attempt: to
rekindle boxing glories won during
. the 50s and’ ‘early ..60s when the

‘club’s boxers competed in national
emerald and. diamond-

glove competitions.

TABC trainer Mel Nahanee said
Wednesday plans to revive the club
have been in the works for the past
two years, but were. put on hold
after a promised $12,000 in federal
government funding fell victim to
spending cutbacks.

Following recent band elections,
the new Squamish Band council
designated $8,000 in band. funds
for TABC equipment. Coupled
with. $22,000 previously. allotted to
the TABC project by the. federal

government, the club’s revival was_
. femounted

jahanee. ‘ 43, -Said, impetus -to

re-establish the band’s boxing fa-
cility was based largely on its past
success and the need to provide an
outlet for the band’s youth.

. “This club is not being set up to
make money. It’s for the kids on
the reserve,’’ Nahanee said Wed-
nesday.
discipline and code of conduct to
follow. A lot. of. our kids. need
that.’’ : .

From a family of nine brothers,

eight ‘of whom - were. boxers,

'

‘Boxing gives you a-

. . f
17 - Sunday, June 1, 1986 - North Shore News

i

f

Nahanee began boxing when Z
was five years old and weighed 49
pounds.

He was trained by Alex Strain,
the now-retired dean of Squamish
Band boxing and the TABC’s head
trainer in its glory years. /

“The old club. was nationally
known,”’ Nahanee said. ‘‘We had
contenders in every, division, every
year.”

Initially, the chib will cater to

Squamish Band youth, ‘Nahanee

2
i
f
i

said. It currently has approximate-
ly 30 fighters. ranging in age from.
eight to 21. a

Depending on its success,
Nahanee said, the TABC would
expand to include all North Shore
youth interested in boxing. - .

“We have our priorities,’’ he
said. ‘‘We don’t want to’ exclude
anybody, but we have to look after
our own first. I think. North Van-
couver is going to be proud of this

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