Views sought on forming Shetland boxing club

Adam Tait, right, is hoping to get a boxing club set up in Shetland. Photo: Kevin Jones.

Plans are under way to form a boxing club, with a public meeting being held tonight in a bid to get a committee up and running.

Keen boxer Adam Tait has been holding sessions at the Clickimin for adults and youngsters, after years of training and jumping on and off the north boat for sessions on the Mainland.

Tait believes the formation of a club would mean more competitions in future, as well as being a pull for fighters to come and compete up north.

“I’ve been doing classes all over Shetland,” he said.

“I think the first class I ever did was at Staney Hill Hall and then when I got my job at Aith Leisure Centre I had very successful kids classes there, and from there we got some funding to get some equipment for a Brae class.

“I got my job here [at the Clickimin] and I was doing my classes here.
“I felt like I was spreading myself a bit thin so I focused myself here at [the Clickimin].”
Tait said he gets at least five or six budding boxers for every class, and having pulled on the  gloves himself said there is a magical quality to the sport.

“I think the magical thing about boxing or any combative sport is that it’s always very humbling no matter how good you are; you’re always going to be humbled because you should always be learning.

“Once you stop learning at any sport, you should probably stop playing that sport because there’s always something to learn.

“I think what it does is put everything in your life into perspective and you can be far more content. That’s what I’ve found anyway.”

A public meeting is being held tonight in Islesburgh from 7pm to 8.30pm to gauge interest.

Tait said: “We just want anyone with anything to bring to the table to come and show your support.

“Even if nobody wanted to help us with the committee side, it would be great to see who would want to be there as members.”

Folk have already been in touch to see how they can get involved.

Having racked up the hours on the boat, he is keen to offer others the chance to train in the isles.

“I had been training for about six years straight and I thought ‘okay time to get competitive because I’m getting sick and tired of not showing what I can do’.

“So I found a boxing club in Aberdeen and me and Stuart Irvine started training.

“We started going down, getting all the sparring in and there were some Scottish champs and some ex-champs there.

“It was brilliant, our standard went shooting through the roof.

“My fight was supposed to be in April time and I was training for that specifically since the December.

“I trained all that time, going up and down on the boat, every second weekend and just learning some tough lessons.

“The night before the fight, before the weigh-in, I got a cold sore and I failed the medical for it and it has never sat right with me ever since.”

That was about three years ago and sadly relationships with his coach broke down.

“No other boxer who wants to box should ever go through that. It’s hellish. It’s ridiculous,” Tait said.

Sports development officer Andrea Strachan said the service was helping Tait set up the club, having been contacted about the possibility by Boxing Scotland.

“They [Boxing Scotland] have been in touch with us and came up in September and had a look at what we have to offer.

“They’re really keen to get a club started here so we’re helping Adam and hopefully at this meeting we can get a committee created.

“As soon as we have affiliation with Boxing Scotland then things can start moving.”

Anyone wanting to get involved can call Andrea on 01595 744045 or email andrea.strachan@shetland.gov.uk.

They can also email Adam at adamtait101@gmail.com.