Pre-Punch Project Blog

It’s day one of my Senior Project and I’m still struggling to articulate my exact mission. Instead, I’d rather discuss how I, an un-athletic, most-commonly-defined-as-“sweet” girl, came to embark on The Punch Project, a pilot program intended to teach high school girls the basics of boxing. Welcome to my decision process.

Seniors at Marblehead High School are offered the chance to take on a project, such as an internship, to complete during their final semester. Last fall, I thought I had it all figured out. I like to write, so I figured I would create a writing center at MHS. I have always been drawn to the logical choice. Yet, for a multitude of reasons, my Senior fall left me feeling weak, a word foreign to my mind. I have this crazy tendency of making up stories about myself, and suddenly my story was that I lacked punch. I was tired of making the logical choice, even if logic had never failed me. So I punched logic in the face and went with risk. 

But where to find risk? I knew that Senior Project would be the perfect opportunity to tackle my mission but couldn’t quite grasp what I truly wanted. When did I feel strongest? When did I feel most able? Covered with sweat, dancing down the JCC hill after conquering a new workout. Call it superficial reasoning, but feeling physically strong always dominoed into the oomph I was seeking. But I could never leave it at that. No, I needed a hook that would make my program a bit different. After all, Marblehead already offers a lot of fitness programs for teens. The choice of boxing really seemed obvious; I wanted punch and I wanted a hook. Thus, The Punch Project was created.

For the next few weeks, I will be training at the JCC in Marblehead and Dullea’s Boxing in Peabody. I may also decide to try other places. My goal is to design a program for girls like me, girls who for one reason or another need that edge in their lives. While both empowerment and self-defense are important, my program is not about either one. My program is for the girls who are sick of the fluff of most exercise classes, the petty competition of who’s using bigger dumbbells or who’s spinning faster. My program is for the girls who are simply ready to do it.

If you want to see The Punch Program become more than an outline, show your interest by following it on Facebook (The Punch Project) or Twitter (PunchProject11). I’d love to hear feedback and suggestions!