Salmon Arm, put on your spiffiest clothes and prepare to sit ring-side as fellow townsfolk throw down in support of local charities and non-profits. Bulldogs Boxing’s Hit 2 Fit charity boxing event is coming into its second year in 2018, complete with new competitors and a new venue.
Fighters will be raising their gloves in support of charities ranging from the SPCA to SAFE Society, the Canadian Mental Health Association, Shuswap hospitals, the Salmon Arm Rescue Unit and more on Saturday, May 5 at the Salmon Arm Secondary School’s Sullivan Campus.
Related: Fundraising efforts may involve punches thrown at mayor
Beyond simply a boxing event or fundraiser, Bulldogs Boxing owner and head coach Peggy Maerz hopes Hit 2 Fit can bring Salmon Arm together and showcase the hard work of charitable organizations in the community.
“We’re hoping to educate people on what charities in our community are in need of support, and what is available to provide support. Some people don’t even know where that support is, they need the help but they don’t know where to turn,” Maerz says.
Maerz adds the event serves as a way to show the community boxing isn’t out of reach to the average person.
“We’ve done a number of small fundraisers, and we wanted to showcase boxing and what boxing looks like other than the perception that it’s a brutal sport – and show that anybody can do it,” she says.
In her many years of experience in the world of boxing, Maerz has seen many who thought the sport would be too tough for them. Many of the Hit 2 Fit participants are new to boxing and she wants them to learn the sport in a safe environment.
“When we’re in the ring we’re all on the same level, we all go through the same motions, and watching them grow is so rewarding,” she says. “Nobody wants to look like a fool in there, nobody wants to get beat up in front of all their buddies, and they need reassurance just like the little boxers.”
Like many sports that might be called ‘extreme,’ boxing is described by many as addictive, like a drug. “They’re making comments about that, like it’s so much more than boxing, like, ‘I’ve learned so much about myself, I’ve grown so much as a person, I feel so fantastic about myself,'” Maerz says.
“It isn’t just about getting in the ring and proving they can do it. For so many of them it’s really about the bigger picture which is exactly the point.”
The Hit 2 Fit fundraiser will be held May 5 at the Salmon Arm Secondary School’s Sullivan Campus.
In stark contrast to the athletic garb donned by participants, spectators are expected to be dressed up to the nines. After all, it is a black-tie event.
“People looking good, feeling good, there really is something to that,” Maerz says of the dress code. “And I wanted the athletes to see that level of respect, I think they deserve that. People think that what they’re doing is important enough to dust off their bright and shiny’s and get beautiful. It just sets the tone, it’s a beautiful tone. And frankly, Salmon Arm, what other opportunity do you have to get dressed up?”
While the dinner portion of the event is sold out, there are still tickets available for the boxing matches.
They may be purchased for $30 in person at Bulldogs Boxing or at the door. The main event starts at 7 p.m.
Observer reporter Jim Elliot, title holder in the 2017 Hit 2 Fit event, will return to defend his title.
