Any student looking to get back in shape and toughen up needs to look no further than State Gym because tonight the Iowa State Boxing Club begins its fall practices.

Practice begins tonight at 5:30 p.m. in the lower level of State Gym, and it will last until 6:30 p.m..

They will be held every Monday through Thursday night at the same times for the entire school year.

The boxing club is open to both men and women and requires no dues or fees for participants.

All that is required, says Coach Terry Dowd, is that the participants show up to the practices and keep up with their studies.

Dowd has been at the helm of the boxing team for the past 19 years and has had several All-Americans and national champs.

He said the club usually starts out with 50 to 100 participants, but those numbers begin to shrink within the first two weeks.

Dowd says his focus for the team is that none of the boxers get seriously hurt and that all of them get their school work done and graduate.

“In the 19 years I’ve been here, we’ve had no serious injuries, and everyone that has competed for the team has gone on to graduate,” Dowd said.

The team competes in four to five meets a year against other Division I schools from across the country.

There are 41 other programs in the nation similar to Iowa States to compete against.

These programs should not be mistaken with Golden Gloves because the club competes solely in collegiate boxing.

“The practices will be intense, and we’ll teach you how to box, not how to fight,” Dowd said.