Kyle Regnier didn\u2019t know he\u2019d be going up against a champion amateur boxer until about five days before his first-ever fight at Saturday\u2019s Hit2Fit Gala.<\/p>\n
Another person had been scheduled to meet Regnier in the ring at the fundraising event, held April 25 at the SASCU Recreation Centre. Instead, the Salmon Arm man \u2013 this year\u2019s only Hit2Fit Challenger to get in the ring \u2013 wound up being paired off against Prince George\u2019s Kenny Lally, whose list of credentials includes numerous provincial and national titles, a spot on Team Canada, a bronze medal at the 2015 Pan American Games and a silver at the 2010 Continental Championships.<\/p>\n
By comparison, Regnier had six months of training \u2013 as is required of Hit2Fit challengers who are typically newcomers to the sport \u2013 at the Bulldogs Fitness and Boxing Centre, under the guidance of owner\/coach Peggy Maerz, coach\/manager Jordyn Konrad and coach Trea Fisher.<\/p>\n
\u201cI walked into the one class, and it was a week before the fight or so, and they said, \u2018Should we tell Kyle?\u2019 I was like \u2018oh-oh\u2019, and everyone kind of had a little smile on their face,\u201d recalled Regnier. \u201cI was like, \u2018whaaat\u2019, and Peggy said your opponent dropped out\u2026 but we have another opponent for you. So I was \u2018OK, Good.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018But he\u2019s a very successful Olympic fighter, this and that,\u2019 and I was kind of like, \u2018ohh man,\u2019 I think I kind of felt my heart drop a little bit there.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Regnier persisted and, come fight night, stayed on his feet for three, two-minute rounds of the Elite Novice demonstration bout, managing to connect with Lally in the ring and afterwards as peers.<\/p>\n
\u201cA couple of hours before the fight, during the medical check-ins, he came and talked to me, and said, \u2018I\u2019m not coming out there to kill ya! I\u2019ve had a pretty successful career, so you don\u2019t need to worry \u2013 but if I see you not breathing or if I see your hands down, I\u2019m going to clock you,\u201d said Regnier. \u201cIt was pretty good, and he was like, \u2018I don\u2019t really want to get hit either. I\u2019m going to try and stay away from you\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think I hit him very much, but I guess I got him with a good left hook. He said I rattled his bells pretty good and he saw the stars, and he\u2019s like, \u2018That\u2019s when I started running away from you. I didn\u2019t want to get hit again.\u2019 We had some good laughs; it was a great experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bulldogs had seven fighters compete in this year\u2019s Hit2Fit, including Jackson Mitchell, who won his Main Event bout against U19 Youth Open\/Male competitor Josh Awousi of Calgary.<\/p>\n
Standing in a boxing ring, let alone in an auditorium full of people, is arguably out of character for Regnier, who describes himself as a \u201cvery quiet person\u201d who typically avoids big crowds. When not working as a technician with Solstice Auto Glass, the husband and father of four, with kids ages four, nine ,10 and 12 \u2013keeps a pretty busy routine at home.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always kind of wanted to join some sort of physical activity, a sport, I\u2019d just been too shy to do it because I\u2019ve always been not the most confident person\u2026,\u201d said Regnier, who found himself hooked on a Facebook post promoting this year\u2019s Hit2Fit. \u201cI think I looked at it probably four nights in a row, and it was probably about 10:30 at night, lying in bed, and I decided, you know what, I\u2019m just going to sign up.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I make a fool of myself, at least I tried and can say I did it. Not many people would sign up for something like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Regnier said his family was supportive of the decision, his kids providing words of encouragement throughout his training.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy kids, they were \u2018you\u2019ve got this, dad\u2026,\u2019\u201d said Regnier. \u201cThey were great. Every night coming back from training and that, they were \u2018how\u2019d you do, dad?\u2019 and when I\u2019d be going there they\u2019d be, \u2018make sure you do good, dad, don\u2019t get hurt!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Things didn\u2019t quite work out that way, though, as Regnier said his first try at sparring left him with a black eye and a bruised nose.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe family ,they kind of laughed and said \u2018Oh, did you have a good night?\u2019\u201d said Regnier. \u201cPeggy was just like, remember, you\u2019ve got to keep your hands up. You\u2019re supposed to hit them back. I was like, \u2018Oh, right!\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not used to swinging at people. It took me quite a while to remember I\u2019m supposed to hit back at them. That was the hard part, too, because I made good friendships with everybody there\u2026 so it feels weird getting in the ring with them, and it\u2019s OK, I\u2019m supposed to hate you now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the bruising and late change in opponent, Regnier said he kept \u201cshockingly pretty calm with everything,\u201d including the fight itself, mostly. He said his nerves kicked up a bit in the ring \u201cbecause I definitely ran out of gas really fast \u2013 I wasn\u2019t expecting that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though not entirely satisfied with his performance in the ring, thinking \u201cI should have done a lot more,\u201d Regnier is happy about the overall experience and plans to continue training at Bulldogs.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just makes you feel happy, and once you notice you\u2019re getting in better shape, your shirts aren\u2019t as tight anymore \u2013 just seeing the transformation, you just feel healthy and really good about yourself,\u201d said Regnier. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely something I want to keep doing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to continue going there, and hopefully I can get in the ring again for next year\u2019s Hit2Fit. I\u2019m not going to do the six-month challenge thing because the kids definitely want me home at night. It was a lot of work going there five times a week.\u201d<\/p>\n
For this year\u2019s Hit2Fit charities, Regnier had hoped to help raise funds for Parkinson Society BC, as his stepfather has the disease, but that didn\u2019t pan out. Instead, this year\u2019s fundraising recipients were the Shuswap Children\u2019s Association, which will receive $10,260, and U Grow Girl, which is getting $6,267.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe two we did end up picking, I think, are really good ones \u2013 I\u2019m really happy with that,\u201d said Regnier.<\/p>\n
Read more: Pressure Makes Diamonds at 7th Annual Hit2Fit charity boxing gala<\/a><\/p>\n