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In an old red, windowless building at 1402 N. Zarzamora St., the rapid thud of padded fists against punching bags can be heard through the doorway as young fighters begin training.
The Zarzamora Street Gym, started in 1987, is currently owned and operated by Tony Ayala Sr.
"The backbone of this gym is the amateurs. It's the kids," Ayala said. "Keeping this gym open keeps a lot of underprivileged kids off the streets."
Olga Tamajara sits next to the front door, where the outside breeze provides a small relief in the sweatbox gym, and watches her 11-year-old son, Hector, train.
"More than anything, he pushes himself everyday. I see him as a leader for his age and he has his future planned," Tamajara said.
Hector, affectionately nicknamed "The Samurai" by Ayala for his fighting ability, is one of the youngest stars of the gym and in addition to training at the gym and boxing in tournaments, he plays soccer and basketball.
As Hector practices his footwork in the ring, Ayala helps wrap the fists of 10-year-old Issac Jimenez for his second day at the gym. Once Issac is ready-to-go, Ayala speaks to his mother, Jenifer, about the importance of eating healthy in addition to his workouts at the gym.
Hector also has introduced his friend and classmate Joshua Reyas to the sport. After boxing at the gym, Joshua had lost at least 14 pounds and has noticed the results of workouts outside the gym.
"Now when I run, I feel better; I don't breathe hard," Joshua said. "When I play sports with my cousins, I don't back off because I'm not tired. I don't eat the way I used to because they say now that I'm in boxing, it's bad. Now I can do things I couldn't before; I can run longer and faster."
These kids are the exception to a disturbing trend in Texas school children.
Each year a student spends in school, their physical health is at greater risk, according to a physical fitness study of school children administered statewide.
The study, developed by the Cooper Institute in Dallas, assessed 2.6 million students, about 84 percent of Texas school children, from third to 12th grade in the following areas: a one-mile run, curl-ups, push-ups, shoulder stretches and skin-folding test.
The results were shocking. Roughly 30 percent of third-grade students passed the assessment; however, the passing rates decreased with every grade level to less than 10 percent of 12th-grade students passing.
"I don't see that in my students," Susie Johnson, physical education instructor at Cotton Elementary School, said. "I have very few kids who are overweight in my class."
Before starting at Cotton this fall, Johnson taught PE at Travis Elementary School from 1996 until it closed this spring.
Physical education is taught for 45 minutes every day at Cotton. This exceeds the mandatory requirement of 30 minutes a day for kindergarten through fifth grade, as set up by Senate Bill 530 passed in June 2007.
The law also called for the testing of fitness levels in Texas school children, which is how this statewide fitness assessment came about.
Students at Cotton, in addition to daily PE classes, also take health classes. In this class. students receive instruction on eating well, making healthy choices and the importance of nutrition.
"One of the downfalls in elementary school is the lack of health classes provided," Johnson said.
"It doesn't surprise me that 12th graders would fail; there are so many options for high school students other than P.E. and there are more ways around the requirements," Johnson said.
The law also called for the testing of fitness levels in Texas schoolchildren, which is how this statewide fitness assessment came about.
Students at Cotton, in addition to daily PE classes, also take health classes. In this class, students receive instruction on eating well, making healthy choices and the importance of nutrition.
"One of the downfalls in elementary school is the lack of health classes provided," Johnson said.
"It doesn't surprise me that 12th graders would fail; there are so many options for high school students other than PE and there are more ways around the requirements," Johnson said. •
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