Members of the women's boxing program, Baraka Bouts, directed their physical and mental toughness toward raising funds for East African Holy Cross Missions this past weekend in their signature event, the Power 24 Hour.
With the hope of raising more funds and increasing awareness of the club and charity, the team changed and intensified the structure of this year's event, senior captain Jen Coe said.
"For a few years now, we've had a ‘power-hour' where the boxers are split into two teams and try to beat each other in the number of pushups, sit-ups and jumping jacks that could be completed in the hours," she said. "We wanted to double the amount of money raised, so we spread it over an entire day in the hopes of garnering more funds and raising more awareness about our club, the tournament and the Holy Cross missions."
The longer time period allowed the boxers to test their creativity and come up with unique approaches to their workout, senior captain Carleigh Moore said.
"At one point we were doing push-ups for every dollar raised," Moore said. "It was a great way to get in shape for the Bouts all in the name of a great cause."
Coe said there was an advantage to working out in one-hour shifts over the previous structure of one 24-hour period.
"Since everyone had a one-hour shift, the energy was kept high as people were rotating in and out, then coming back later to visit and cheer their fellow team-members on," she said. "We were working out for a good cause, so it wasn't hard to keep up the spirit."
While the team has not yet totaled the funds raised from the Power 24 Hour, both Coe and Moore said they are extremely grateful for the outpouring of support.
"The response was incredible. Students, faculty, alumni and fans were so generous and receptive to our cause," Moore said. "Thank you to everyone who donated to help us support the efforts of the Holy Cross Missions in Uganda."
The women's boxing team will fight in the Baraka Bouts tournament in the beginning of November to raise additional funds, which will benefit two secondary schools in Kasese and Jinja, Uganda.
The women's boxing team is changing the structure of the Baraka Bouts tournament this year as well, Moore said.
"For the first time, women's boxing will be holding a two-day tournament," she said. "Our vision for this year's season has been double the bouts, double the donations."
This year's Baraka Bouts event will take place on Monday, Nov. 7, and Thursday, Nov. 10. Tickets for entry on both nights can be pre-purchased from any Baraka Bouts participant for $10 until the night of the tournament.
