{"id":46460,"date":"2025-08-05T06:47:07","date_gmt":"2025-08-05T06:47:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/46460\/"},"modified":"2025-08-05T06:47:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T06:47:07","slug":"north-idaho-catholic-boxing-class-creates-safe-space-for-masculinity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/46460\/","title":{"rendered":"North Idaho Catholic Boxing Class Creates Safe Space For Masculinity"},"content":{"rendered":"

In early May, a unique, free 10-week boys boxing class called King David Men\u2019s Boxing<\/a> began at the OPEX CDA gym<\/a> in Coeur d\u2019Alene, Idaho. Recently, instruction wrapped up with a series of intense, sweaty and fun-filled sparring rounds in the ring for the boys ages 9 to 11. They boxed three, two-minute rounds in the ring cheered on by nearby family and friends.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This was not your ordinary sports activity. This was a program<\/a> designed for forming men, fathers and sons, in masculinity, brotherhood and spiritual virtue as well as strength in preparation for life\u2019s challenges. A dozen boys attended and over 90% completed.<\/p>\n

It was the brainchild of Coeur d\u2019Alene Catholic Jason Chavez, founder of the Catholic non-profit Communio CDA<\/a> and father of a young son. He decided \u201cit was time\u201d to take the gloves off and offer the Christ-centered boxing course to his community.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to teach boys to be constructive, or they will be destructive,\u201d Chavez said. \u201cForming virtuous, masculine brotherhoods through boxing helps young men and fathers unite in faith and muscle.\u201d\u00a0 <\/p>\n

A need for masculinity<\/p>\n

According to Chavez, today\u2019s culture gives young men a confusing message about their identity. Mark Griswold<\/a>, a Coeur d\u2019Alene father of three young sons, agreed. He and his 11-year-old son James participated in the one-of-a-kind boxing program.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cUnder the guise of a war on \u2018toxic masculinity,\u2019 which does exist but has been overblown and mischaracterized, the rites of passage that used to help create men out of boys has been stripped away,\u201d Griswold said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Forged from Chavez\u2019s passion for God, heart for service and desire to build fraternus<\/a> among males of all ages, he named the program King David\u2019s Men Boxing after David, the Old Testament biblical character renowned for his courage and faith. Chavez also serves as the campus minister at Holy Family Catholic School in Coeur d\u2019Alene<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough boxing, the boys learned discipline, courage and self-mastery so they can rise up and become men who serve, sacrifice and lead with strength,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Believing deeply in the importance of his boxing ministry, Chavez set out to build a program for young boys and fathers with Christian men, mentors and partners who also had a passion for boxing and God. He desired that the discipline and self-mastery of boxing would help the boys become men of service and sacrifice who lead with strength.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to offer a masculine space where boys could learn how to take a punch,\u201d Chavez said. <\/p>\n

Christian generosity key\u00a0<\/p>\n

He sought support to fuel his mission, and Christians came to his aid and to his corner. A critical partner was OPEX CDA gym<\/a> owned by Brandon and Katie Burchfield. The couple provided the facilities at no cost.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Boxing coach Phil Hostak, 74, also offered his time, mentorship and the needed funds to buy the boxing equipment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew how to throw a left hook before I knew how to throw a baseball,\u201d joked Hostak, a lifelong Catholic who after college considered boxing professionally. His father Al Hostak was a world middleweight champion at 22 and a World Boxing Hall of Fame inductee in 1997.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI kind of look at this class as a movement, similar to the Crusades back in the day, to help instill discipline and to help these boys grow into young men with their Catholic principles intact,\u201d Hostak said.<\/p>\n

He encouraged his Catholic friend John Nolan to join him in the gym. Nolan boxed competitively four years in college, and he was \u201cvery glad\u201d to share his knowledge with the group and the boys.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I trained in boxing, I developed many close friendships and learned patience and self-discipline,\u201d Nolan said. \u201cI know positive changes will happen for the boys who take part in this sport.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Chavez\u2019s boxing brotherhood takes place for 90-minutes a week and includes opening and closing prayer and a 10-minute talk about virtues and values, followed by a warm-up run, stretch and boxing training.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the beginning he\u2019d say, \u2018Do I have to go?\u2019 It was hard to get him here, but once he\u2019s here, he\u2019s happy,\u201d said 39-year-old Billy Maksen of Rathdrum, father of 10-year-old son Luke Maksen, who has complete hearing loss caused by Usher Syndrome<\/a> and wears Cochlear implants<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Maksen said part of that joy upon arrival is because all his school friends are boxing, too. That was a common theme among the boys for being there.<\/p>\n

When 9-year-old Aiden Kirschner was asked why he joined the boxing class, friends were at the top of his list. This was the Kirschner\u2019s\u00a0first go around at boxing. His dad Kyle Kirschner called him a \u2018karate dude\u2019 because that has been his sport of choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to see my friends over the summer and punch people,\u201d Aiden Kirschner said. \u201cI thought it would be fun to learn more skills \u2014 new punches and new techniques.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI enjoyed watching my son battle and respond to adversity with this tough physical challenge,\u201d Kyle Kirschner said.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Building skills and character<\/p>\n

Over 10 weeks, boys progressed from basic stances and footwork to live sparring, with each session building confidence alongside muscle memory. What started as tentative jabs evolved into combinations as the young fighters learned to face adversity head-on.<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned to protect myself,\u201d said 9-year-old Kohanim Chavez. \u201cI had a good time with my dad, and he was one of the best trainers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The program won strong support from mothers who saw beyond the physical training to the character formation.<\/p>\n

For Coeur d\u2019Alene Catholic mom Kara Michael, her 10-year-old son Wyatt\u2019s participation carries special meaning. Her husband died unexpectedly of a heart attack in January.<\/p>\n

\u201cJed would have been doing this with Wyatt,\u201d she said, tears in her eyes. \u201cI wanted Wyatt to know how to be strong \u2014 a man and a leader who loves God.\u201d<\/p>\n

Catholic mom Rachel Anderson, 42, appreciated the program\u2019s deeper purpose.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted our son to not only understand himself and stick up for himself, but also to know how to stand up for others and have the confidence to do so,\u201d she said. \u201cBeing around other Catholic boys and men leaders is 100% a good environment to teach these types of skills.\u201d <\/p>\n

Crosses not trophies\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the program\u2019s end, no trophies were awarded. Instead, 68-year-old Catholic Paul Grayhek offered each boy a cross to carry forward on their spiritual journey.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the kids took one and quite a few of the parents also,\u201d Grayhek said of the 35 crosses and crucifixes he provided. His hope: inspiring the boys and families to proclaim their faith \u201coutwardly and proudly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chavez hopes this boxing seed will take root and lead to more partners, donors and classes for boys and men throughout the region. The main obstacle: finding permanent space in the Coeur d\u2019Alene area.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t just a sport. It\u2019s a formation ground for the next generation of fathers, husbands and saints,\u201d Chavez said. \u201cIn a world that says, \u2018do what feels good,\u2019 these boys learn to stand for what\u2019s right.\u201d <\/p>\n

This article originally appeared at FaVs News<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In early May, a unique, free 10-week boys boxing class called King David Men\u2019s Boxing began at the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":46461,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[447],"tags":[703,49,48,82],"class_list":["post-46460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-boxing","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46460"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46460\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}