Believe it or not, no experience is necessary to be a part of a club that offers intense workouts and promotes academic discipline. Three days a week, the ISU Boxing Club meets with Coach Terry Dowd in the basement of State Gym for strenuous exercise and training. “You get a great workout, but it’s also a lot of fun,” said Chris Grabowski, junior in mechanical engineering Practicing with the team is considered by teammates to be a better alternative to the regular weight room. “A lot of times I’ll go to the gym, and it gets kind of boring after awhile,” Grabowski said. “With this, you meet a lot of people, and it encourages you to come everyday and work out with them.” Most students who get involved start just for the organized workouts. Competing in meets is not required. “Whether you want to fight or not, you can come and practice, get in shape and learn how,” said Joe McElroy, graduate student in interdepartmental genetics. In fact, the chances of a new member competing in his or her first year are slim. “Coach is big on making sure everyone knows how to box before they box,” McElroy said. “He’s very adamant about that.” However, like Grabowski and McElroy, many returning members are preparing for their chance to compete this year. “That’s the exciting thing about this year. A lot of guys are going to get their first shots,” Grabowski said. Dowd also stresses that being involved in the team should never affect a member’s academic success. “The main thing here is education, education, education. Everybody who’s ever boxed for me has graduated, everybody,” Dowd said. “It’s not if you’re a champion or not, it’s your education. You get that first and foremost.” Dowd has been a boxer for the last 30 years. He has coached ISU’s team for the last 20 years, despite a stroke that doctors said would prevent him from walking again. His dedication to the team rehabilitated him so that he could walk again and coach his team. Sometimes, he even gets involved in the exercises. “These guys got me through it. If I couldn’t come down here, I don’t know what I’d do,” he said. This year, the ISU Boxing team will compete against Division I schools in meets at Michigan, Penn State, and the Air Force Academy. Regionals will be held in Kentucky, and Nationals are held in Reno, Nev. The dates for the tournaments have not been announced, but the season typically runs through April. Currently there are approximately 30 men and women involved in practice three times a week: Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. However, the Boxing Club is always looking for more people to join. “We’re always excited when new people show up,” Grabowski said. “If they find out it’s not for them and decide not to do it, that’s all right too.”