from prep school a boxing champ {headline2} st andrews grad steve ed hardy clothing
星期一, 七月 12th, 2010From prep school, a boxing champ {HEADLINE2} St. Andrew’s grad Steve
With perfect manners, black-rimmed glasses and a Oxford collar shirt, Steve Geffrard comes across as just another student at an exclusive prep school No surprise, considering he was walking the halls of the prestigious St Andrew’s School in Boca Raton a few weeks ago before graduating
But when Geffrard stands up, stretching out his sinewy body to its full 6-foot, 2-inch height, he looks less like a bookworm
And when he climbs in the boxing ring, where he has risen to become the nation’s top-ranked heavyweight Golden Gloves boxer, all comparisons to a mild-mannered schoolboy cease to exist
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Geffrard, 19, is preparing for the Senior National Championships at the Olympic Training Facility in Colorado Springs, Colo, on July 12-17
The Boca Raton resident has his sights on making the London Olympics USA Boxing could be calling him soon to take part in international competitions and ultimately for a spot on the 2012 squad
There’s been a buzz around Geffrard for awhile — he won the 2006 National Silver Gloves competition — but his victory last month at the USA National Golden Gloves tournament in Little Rock, Ark, opened eyes
Geffrard, a former light heavyweight, entered the 201-pound heavyweight category at the Golden Gloves despite weighing 193 pounds at the time He defeated last year’s champion, Jordan Shimmell, 4-1 to take the title
“It was a great confidence booster,” Geffrard said “He’s bigger, stronger, more experienced, older”
He’s won 35 of his past 40 matches He has nine knockouts in those wins and has never been knocked out Geffrard’s victories, however, are rooted in modest beginnings
His parents were from Haiti but wanted their son to have the advantages that only the United States could offer So his father collected all his money and sent Geffrard’s mother to Boston to give birth
Geffrard was cared for by a great-aunt in Boca Raton for a few months before he was sent to Haiti to live with his grandmother The two stayed there about a year before moving back to South Florida
Growing up in Boca Raton, he shared a room with his grandmother in his great-aunt’s duplex The space was limited, but he was thankful
“I had somewhere to stay and someone to take care of me, so it was good,” he said “It was real tight, but it was better than nothing It was all I knew”
His grandmother, Gislaine Jeanlor, who speaks Creole and Spanish but has difficulty with English, said simply, “I love Steve so much I have a good grandson”
Roundabout route into the ring
Geffrard got into boxing sort of by accident When he was 13 and concerned about his slender build, he and a friend went to the Boca Police Athletic League gym to lift weights But Geffrard quickly became captivated by the boxing ring and the intensity of the training. (HOLLISTER ).
“I remember the first day We were jumping rope outside and doing all kinds of sprints, and it was real tough, so I liked it and I just wanted to keep doing that,” Geffrard said “It kept me out of trouble, (and) gave me something to do It was nice to get away from that small room and to be in that nice gym”
Many people try boxing, but what separates Geffrard is his work ethic, says Rick Broberg, a Boca PAL coach who has worked with Geffrard since he was 13
“He doesn’t take any shortcuts,” Broberg said. replica handbags “He’s willing to work a lot harder than anyone I’ve seen. (Ralph Lauren Polos). ”
That work ethic also helped Geffrard get into St Andrew’s As an eight-grader at Boca Raton Middle, Geffrard was encouraged by his coaches and friends at the PAL Gym to apply, and he did The school, however, said he’d first have to improve his grades There also was a question of financial aid
With help from people at the PAL gym, who got him a tutor, he began studying even harder
“I was motivated,” he said “I just wanted to make sure I get it right, so I can get in, because I knew it would be something that could change my life”
Geffrard was accepted to the school, and he received a full scholarship courtesy of PAL and private contributors
Advisers got him to open up
He was assigned, as all resident students are, faculty parents Jennifer Goldberg, a second-grade teacher in St Andrew’s’ Lower School, and her husband, Jeff Goldberg, the varsity boys lacrosse coach, took Geffrard into their family
“In the beginning, (he was) sort of shy and overwhelmed,” Jennifer Goldberg said. Wholesale Jewelry Shop “(But) within a few minutes of general conversation, we got him talking. replica gucci bag He’s incredibly charismatic, and it didn’t take him long to endear himself to people”
She said since meeting Geffrard when he was about 15, he has always been open and honest about his life
One day, when Geffrard stopped by the family’s home, and she told him that they would be working with Boca Helping Hands, a religious- based food assistance organization, to make sandwiches for Florence Fuller Child Development Centers, a nonprofit that serves low- income families, Geffrard replied: “Oh, I was there as a kid. (Womens Tracksuits). ”
Goldberg said Geffrard will always be welcome in their home
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