Giving kids a fighting chance; Garland Police Boxing Gym home to Olympic hopeful
GARLAND -- A venue on South 9th street that used to be a grocery store has become a second home for young kids for decades now.
Life can deal you a series of bad blows, but the Garland Police Boxing Gym is giving kids a fighting chance.
"When I first started I would have gang members bring siblings in here and say 'Hey I don't want my brother to grow up like I did,' " founder of Garland Police Boxing Gym David Swavey said. "I looked around the city and the only thing I could find was a tough love through a local church so I went back to my police department and said hey, me and another guy in the gang unit who boxed as kids what we'd like to start a boxing gym."
This unassuming gym for the department started as an intervention and prevention program 30 years ago. At the time, the program had just six students but now it's grown to more than 100 kids.
"You're out there working the streets you can tell there's a lot of kids that are misguided," Swavey said.
Swavey and several other coaches inside the gym are training kids to focus on discipline and hard work. The reps in the ring are also supporting careers for people like Alex Espinosa, 20.
"You get those friends that are not real good influences but this gym has helped me stay where I need to be at and it's helped me a lot," student athlete Espinosa said.
He said this isn't something he wanted to do but his parents brought him to the gym at just 8-years-old.
"It helps me stay relaxed and get focused," Espinosa said. "It's just a very rewarding sport the more you put in, the more you get out."
Now he's punched his ticket to the Olympic trials.
"It's something that you dream about," Espinosa said. "Qualifying for the trials is one of the greatest feelings."
Abriana Aviles, 15, is also taking a swing at a title, she's a five-time national champion and highly ranked.
"Mike became a Plano firefighter and still to this day is," Swavey said as he showed a picture album full of former students.
The tale of the tape is long and stacked with positive stats of former students who've stepped out of the ring and are doing great things.
"I have a university of Oklahoma professor in aviation," Swavey said. "I've got people that are in the CIA, I got a dentist in the Air Force, police officers."
Inspiring other young boxers to follow in their footsteps, one jab at a time.
"We're not only producing some really educated children, we're starting to produce some really great athletes," Swavey said.
