Sports spotlight | IMPACT’s favorite number is 20
Boxing and kickboxing association IMPACT says "ooh wee" to its growth numbers
Read more- Sports , Student
- 11/03/2024
Sports spotlight | IMPACT’s favorite number is 20
TU/e boasts a total of 38 student sports associations. And every one of them offers its own unique experience: from slamming aces to skimming across the water. At student sports center SSC, you get a wide range of options to choose from: gaming, jumping, running, cycling, rowing, flying, shooting, hanging, playing chess, surfing, punching and pushing. Cursor wants to put every one of these associations in the spotlight. The first question is “What is your favorite number?”
Warming up
E.S.K.B.V. IMPACT is an association dedicated to two sports: kickboxing and boxing. In kickboxing you use your fists, shins, feet and knees to attack, and in boxing you only punch with your fists. The winner is determined by the judges’ scorecard, or by one of the two fighters giving up.
IMPACT’s favorite number is 20, says chair Gonzalo Pedraza, but he means it ironically. Whenever the trainer shouts “twenty”, he knows it’s going to be hell. It means he has to punsh against the pad his sparring partner is holding as hard as possible, 20 times in three minutes. “A nightmare,” he calls it. But beyond that, he really enjoys the adrenaline and the feeling of satisfaction that boxing gives him. He beams as he talks about it.
Scores
IMPACT’s figures show an impressive growth
- Membership currently stands at 190, but it was only 80 two years ago. It reached 120 last year and now we’re at 190. “And still counting,” Gonzalo notes.
- IMPACT has been around since 2007.
- IMPACT can be found at the SSC for 9 hours a week, “hopefully more in the future”.
- They have 1 punching bag, “hopefully more in the future”.
- There are 2 trainers and Gonzalo helps out when it’s busy, which it often is.
- They currently own 0 boxing rings.
- The best score is held by IMPACT member Gerardo; out of 8 matches in the last six months, he lost only 1 and won 6.
- An amateur match consists of 3 rounds of 2 minutes each.
- Gloves or shinguards cost € 50, a mouthguard costs € 5-15 and shoes can be purchased for € 70.
- The farthest distance traveled for a match is 90 km (Germany).
Analysis
The boxing and kickboxing association doesn’t have a boxing ring yet, so they occasionally rent one. “We hope to build a ring ourselves,” Gonzalo says. “We are going to design it as a 5m x 5m ring incorporated in the floor so we can just detach the poles and other people can also use the room. This will be done with the help of professionals and the ESSF, who are helping us a lot with the process and it should be done by the end of this year.”
In November, IMPACT will host the Dutch Student Boxing Championships for the first time, also the very first Dutch Student Kickboxing one. Hopefully they will have their own boxing ring by then.
Unfortunately, they don’t have an association song, but to make up for it, there is a sound that the audience shouts as often as they can when particularly great kicks are given. It’s very cheerful and sounds something like “ooh wee”.
Discussion