Boxing is defined as the skill or sport of fighting with the fists in padded leather mittens.

For 20 Iowa State students boxing is much more than a sport. These men work to make the Iowa State boxing team a serious contender in the world of sports.

The coach of the boxing team for the past 11 years has been Terry Dowd. Coach Dowd requires a lot from his athletes.

“If you box for me, you have to have a 3.0 [GPA]. School is the main reason you’re here,” he said. “In 11 years, I’ve only had one kid not graduate.”

For Iowa State, boxing is not an official varsity sport, nor is it a club sport. Dowd describes it as somewhere in between.

The team does compete against the 41 Division 1 varsity teams in the United States, including schools with well-known boxing traditions such as the University of Kentucky and the Naval Academy.

The boxers wear head gear and gloves when they are competing and practicing. In the 11 years Dowd has been coach, no athlete has been seriously injured.

Dowd makes it clear that he is always prepared to help his athletes. He has even gone so far as to help them with their tuition.

Each year 80 students try out for the boxing team, but only 20 make it.

After making the team, the men compete for spots available in the 12 weight classes that are contested in a match.

In the entire season, there are only 6 to 8 matches, depending on how far an individual boxer advances.

Because the boxing team shares their facilities with the football team, there are no home matches scheduled for this year.

The season began in October and will end with the national tournament in April. This year the tournament will be hosted at the Naval Academy in Annapolis.

The process for making the national tournament is a grueling one.

Only four men from the entire country qualify in each weight class, each being the champion of his respective region.

Dowd said there are four particular boxers this year that stand out. Cory Berkland, junior in chemistry, boxes in the 147-pound class. Brett Weiland, a freshman in liberal arts and sciences, boxes in the 156- pound class. Steve Farrell, freshman in mechanical engineering, boxes in the 165-pound class. Sean Strama, freshman in exercise and sports science, boxes in the heavyweight class.