Published: Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009 / Updated: Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009 08:02 AM

Troubled youth might be dealt disappointing blow

Teens with gang affiliations would like to stay in the ring and off the streets, but boxing costs money.

On the first day of boxing class, a dozen teenage boys with gang affiliations strode into the room, most of them late, wearing saggy pants and headphones.

By the second class, their attitudes had changed.

Jamal McFadden, 17, saw his grades go up. His temper went down, and his attitude mellowed, according to his mom, Diane Murray, who watches him each Saturday.

Jadarius Roberts, 13, said when he's angry and wants to fight, he saves it for the weekend, when he can “beat up the bag.”

They're two of nine students who disciplined themselves through a month of rigorous exercise and graduated Saturday from the Rock Hill Boxing Club's training camp at the Emmett Scott Center.

Organizers, coaches and parents want to continue offering classes to the teenagers during the week. But membership to box costs money, and the clock is ticking to find sponsorships to keep all nine in the ring, says the Rev. Seth Crosby of TLC Ministries in Rock Hill.

Crosby mentors each of the nine teens in Project Go, a gang-out program that aims to change the lives of troubled youth. He wants all 30 of his court-ordered teens to try boxing, but his church cannot sponsor them all.

CRAVE, an after-school program at the Emmett Scott Center, sponsored all nine students this month. Founder Latoya Mayes said she spent around $200 for mouthpieces, gloves and trainer's fees.

To continue training with the Rock Hill Boxing Club, the nine boys will need a one-year membership to USA Boxing, a national association for the sport. And the fee to become a member will go up next year from $32 to $45.

Mayes said CRAVE will continue sponsoring two students in the boxing classes, but she's stepping up her criteria. She'll choose students who have attended each training session this month and who have participated the most in activities at the Emmett Scott Center, such as a community potluck held last week.

CRAVE will pay the $45 fee in December for two students to continue boxing, along with equipment and supplies, Mayes said.

However, it will be up to community members, churches and civic groups to sponsor the other seven students who graduated from November's training program. Mayes said all nine of the teens are committed to boxing under a yearlong membership.

Flint Street resident Marvin Rogers has agreed to sponsor five teens, he said, and in coming weeks, he plans to give a presentation on why others should donate.

“We're finding programs for these kids, something everyone in the community has complained there's a lack of,” he said, referring to a handful of community meetings and rallies spurred by an outbreak of teen-on-teen crime this fall.

“But we need money to get the kids into the programs,” he said. “It's time to put our money where our mouths are.”

Rogers and other boxing proponents say the sport is good for letting out aggression and learning self-discipline.

“It's not just a class for bad kids,” says Marion Brown, the trainer in all four of November's Saturday training classes.

“They're learning. They're listening. For that two hours, I know they're not doing anything wrong.”

WANT TO HELP? If you want to help sponsor a teenager in the boxing program, call the Rev. Seth Crosby at TLC Ministries at 803-324-1594.