Boxing
The PAL - Charlotte Boxing Academy is a non-profit North Carolina Corporation created in a partnership with Charlotte Parks and Recreation and the Police Activities League (PAL). We are a member of USA Boxing, Inc. - the national governing body for all of amateur boxing in the United States. All the coaching staff as well as all Academy members is also members of USA Boxing.
Our mission statement is clear and simple - "HELPING YOUNG PEOPLE GROW". Amateur boxing is a safe and rewarding sport. Our coaching staff monitors academics, behavior and appearance. Our motto is "We are gentlemen first, students second and boxers third." Our aim is to help develop the whole person, not just their boxing ability.
The Academy was created in 1987 to give boys and young adolescents a safe and rewarding place to be after school hours. We serve both boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 21. We operate year-round. 10 to 17 year-olds practice from 6:00 to 7:15 Monday thru Thursday. Adults 18+ have a separate workout session from 7:30 to 9:30.
Our members learn the skills and dedication they need to compete in amateur boxing. They are trained in boxing and focused on physical fitness.
Those that dedicate themselves to the program and become proficient at a competitive skill level (Junior Olympics, Novice, Open) represent Charlotte as the Academy competes against other boxing clubs. Our team travels throughout the Southeast on select weekends throughout the year. For many members it is the first time they've been outside of Mecklenburg County.
Our elite members take part in national competitions held in cities such as Colorado Springs, Colorado; Washington, DC; and Miami, Florida.
We want you! If you are between age 10 and 21 you can find a home at the Charlotte Boxing Academy. You will have fun. You will improve your physical appearance. You will make new friends. You will have the opportunity to travel throughout the Southeast. You will learn to box and you will actually box in competition.
The cost to join is minimal. $5.00 for a pair of handwraps and $1.00 for a mouthpiece. When you're ready to box competitively you will join the national governing body, "USA BOXING". That membership is $50 a year and covers "USA Boxing" dues and provides secondary medical insurance should an injury occur on Academy property or during a sanctioned boxing match. And that's it - everything else the Academy pays for. It's the best sports deal in town. Come look us over and let's talk. 407 E. 36th Street. Phone number is 704-372-0140.
Coach Simpson
Al Simpson spent 16 of his 24 years in the Army coaching and molding some of the nation's top boxers. Now Simpson, who has been an assistant coach on two Olympic teams and the head coach of a U.S. team traveling to the Ukraine, is shaping kids at the Charlotte Boxing Academy.
Simpson has coached more than 100 national champions, and four U.S. boxers who won gold in 1988 were under his tutelage when he was the head assistant coach. However, the opportunity to work with young kids after his retirement from the Army seemed perfect for Simpson. "I love working with kids," Simpson said. "To be able to develop them through as a kid, as a teen as a young adult and as an adult is making them productive as a person, as well as an athlete, in society. With some kids, it's easy to develop them as an athlete, but the social aspect that goes along with it is more the work part."
Interested in Helping…Here’s HOW!
First is COACHING. If you have an interest or experience in boxing or teaching physical fitness we would like to talk with you about joining our coaching staff. Coach Al Simpson will mentor you in our methods of coaching boys and girls ages 10 to 18. Like our boxers, we need your dedication. Therefore, ideally a coach would commit to two or more evenings a week from 5:45 to 7:30. Those that can only make a set night a week may be pooled with another coach.
