Keeping up with Keppner

Walking into Keppner Boxing on the East side of Athens, one might expect blaring music, booming coach’s drills, or the thundering punches of boxers plummeting their fists into punching bags. And visitors will confirm such an environment. But within that activity exists a binding community. Coach Dean Agnew stopping at an exhausted boxer’s spot on the mat and encouraging them to finish their rep. Coach Logan Hembree waving goodbye to members as they depart past the studio’s reception desk. Keppner boxer Kurtland (Kurt) Carey yelling “I love y’all” to Josh McMillian as he walked out the studio’s doors on his last day coaching. It doesn’t take one long to realize that they are welcome.

“I’m here almost 24/7. The only days I’m not here are Saturdays and Sundays. But otherwise, I’m here every day when I can, putting everything I got into the gym. Just trying to put myself in that position of life where I want to be,” Carey, Cedar Shoals class of 2022, said.

Although Carey is surrounded by a variety of ages in the various classes he attends, he notes that the boxing studio is especially formative for youth like himself.

“We live in Athens, Georgia, where a lot of troubles and problems happen if you end up with the wrong people in the wrong situations. This keeps you out of that,” Carey said. “I could easily not have done boxing after high school and I probably would have been out here doing something I’m not supposed to. But I chose to do this, and I’m happy, getting money, doing whatever I want to do. But not falling into that standard of life that people expect me to be, especially being a Black man in this area.”

Kurtland Carey said.

For Agnew, who has been fighting and coaching at Keppner for the past two years, the studio creates a community where participants improve their self-confidence and mental health.

“You never know what somebody’s going through. This could be their getaway. Maybe it’s a financial thing. Maybe it’s a bullying thing. People come here to get away from it for reasons, so you have to be on your ‘A’ game all the time because this could be the last straw. You got to make sure you’re positively impacting everybody, making everybody feel welcome, and also just making sure everybody is having a good time,” Agnew said.

Sophomore Flor Bazarte, the only female who spars inside Keppner’s boxing ring, has put in the training hours after her traditional boxing classes to fight against others. Bazarte has performed so well sparring that she has been invited a handful of times to travel with Keppner’s team to spar against opponents from other boxing facilities.

“There’s usually not any other girls for me to spar. Last time I traveled, there was supposed to be a girl for me to spar, but she didn’t end up showing so I had to spar a boy,” Bazarte said.

Used to flying solo as the sole female in her age division, Bazarte hopes to box professionally one day and realizes she needs to put in the work. But she wishes her male opponents would try harder.

OPENING UP: Keppner member Kurtland Carey stands in the boxing ring at Keppner, getting ready to spar against his opponent. Carey credits his coaches at Keppner for helping him learn to confide in others. “Before, I didn’t really talk to nobody. I didn’t tell anybody my situations or my problems. But hanging around them, they’ve been able to open me up a little bit and being able to be comfortable to the point where if I have something going on in my life, I can come to them and talk to them about it and get wisdom,” Carey said. Photo by Isabella Morgan.

“Whenever I spar the other boys, they usually go easy on me. They just feel bad, and I think if they actually tried on me, it would be better for me so that I could get better,” Bazarte said. “The girls give me more trouble because they actually try.”

Both Bazarte and Carey recently participated in a fundraising event that Keppner hosted for Heart Music on Nov. 12 to raise money for music programs in Athens schools. Both Keppner’s Athens and Loganville facilities supplied fighters for the night. Agnew noted how for many members, this event was their first time sparring in front of an audience.

“Even just getting up in front of a crowd, especially if it’s your first time sparring, you’re just gonna be proud because of different nerves,” Agnew said. “Kurt, it was his first time in front of a crowd. He did very well.”

Carey reflected on how he did not want to let down his peers during his fight that night. 

“At first it was kind of nerve wracking because it’s not just like random people, it’s people that I know, people that are going to see me after. I‘ve got to hold myself to a certain expectation,” Carey said. “I’ve seen some things that I could have done better that day, but there’s always room for improvement.”

Agnew makes a point of stopping fighters when they are sparring and grow frustrated with their performance so he can give them pointers on how to improve and what to look out for.

“One of the things I love about Keppner is that this is more of a family than anything. The way Kurt actually started was he saw my Instagram and saw that I box and now he’s living with me next year. So we’re all moving in together. Then on top of that, I’ve had a bunch of clients come in, just text me off hours like ‘Hey, I’m going through X,Y, or Z,’” Agnew said. 

On top of everything else, Keppner prides itself on affordability for the Athens community. First sessions are 100% free, and those like Carey who attend sessions nearly everyday only pay $23 per week. Both general fitness boxing and self defense classes are offered.

“Keppner offers a place for discipline and just for self growth in general. You can get anxiety, this helps you deal with that. Just being a teenager, you experience a lot of those things, so having something like this to just kind of have a crutch on, it keeps you grounded,” Hembree said. 

After fighting at Keppner for the past five years, Hembree began coaching the summer before his senior year at Clarke Central High School and is still going strong a year later.

While playing football for Cedar Shoals, Carey had no idea that he would be boxing after graduation with the intent of becoming a professional. 

“Since a kid, I’ve been wanting to box, but eventually I had no time for it because I took football very seriously. I thought that’s what I was going to do after high school and all the rest of my life. Obviously, that didn’t go as I thought it would, so I decided to come to Keppner and try to pursue what I had wanted as a kid, and it’s been working out for me really good,” Carey said.

Carey knows he can rely on Keppner to make his dreams a reality and recognizes what it has done for both his mental and physical health.

“What it provides for the youth, it keeps them out of trouble. It gives them stability,” Carey said. “Before I got here, I had very bad temper issues. I used to be a little hot headed when I was younger. But, when I came in here, it taught me how to be more disciplined and self-accountable.”

Melanie Frick

Melanie Frick was the Co-Editor-in-Chief during her fourth year with BluePrints. Having always been interested in nature, she is currently pursuing a major in ecology. Outside of school, she enjoys gardening, baking, swimming and hiking.

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