VENTURA : Free, 2-Week Tryouts to Begin for Boxing Program

Tryouts are scheduled to begin Monday for youths who want to learn about boxing and conditioning under the supervision of former Olympic and Golden Gloves boxer Ruben Juarez and his coaching staff through a Ventura Parks and Recreation Department program.

Youths, from ages 7 to 21, who want to learn basic defensive skills may attend the free, two-week tryouts held weekdays from 4 to 8 p.m. at Westpark Community Center, 450 W. Harrison St.

Those who qualify and choose to enroll in the program would then begin lessons with Juarez and the volunteer coaching staff at the San Buenaventura Boxing Club. The program will include physical conditioning, basic offensive and defensive skills, ring strategy, good sportsmanship and self-discipline.

After winning the Featherweight Division at the 1990 Pan American Games in Canada, Juarez, now 21, lost in the final rounds of the 1992 Olympic trials to gold medal winner Oscar de la Hoya. Juarez was selected as an alternate on the Olympic team.

A graduate of Rio Mesa High School who also attended Ventura High School, Juarez competed three times in the Golden Gloves amateur boxing tournament, winning his division in 1989.

With 13 years of experience in the ring, Juarez is looking forward to sharing the lessons he learned with the community in which he grew up.

“I started boxing at the Westpark Community Center when I was 8, and now as an adult, I’m coming back to coach,” he said.

The Ventura native, who now resides in Oxnard, described boxing as a sport that pays dividends in self-esteem and discipline to its young participants.

“The kids learn maturity from boxing, and they earn the respect from other people in the community,” Juarez said.

Youths 17 and under who enroll in the program after the tryouts will be charged a $5 monthly fee, while those over 17 will be charged $10 each month. For more information, call the community center at 648-1895.