Megan Emmett of St. Albans spars with Brad Mullins at the Elk River Boxing Club’s new location in Elkview. The club moved recently from downtown Clendenin, to provide more convenience for its members. Photo by Ben Calwell, Metro
By: Clint Thomas, Metro Staff | Posted: Mar. 2, 2018 | Source: WV Gazette-Mail
Elk River Boxing Club owner Rob Fletcher and his staff introduced current and potential members and guests to the club’s new location in Elkview on Thursday.
Previously located in downtown Clendenin, the Elk River Boxing Club is now open at 5522 Elk River North in Elkview, behind the former worksite of Wally’s Rope.
“We wanted some place that was a little more convenient for our members,” Fletcher said of the move from the Clendenin locale it has occupied for the past two years. “We’ll be seven miles south of the last location. We have members coming from Elkview, Big Chimney, Charleston, Hurricane and St. Albans — that seven miles means a lot. Some people had to drive for 45 minutes or an hour to get to the old location.
“It’s a nice facility,” he said, “and a little more centered to our members’ location.”
The new Elkview gym and fitness center “has more use-able space. The last building was bigger, but I couldn’t use the facility the way I wanted to. It was in a 120-year-old building and I had some problems with that,” Fletcher explained.
The new location will still provide the classes and training the Clendenin one did, he said. These include children’s boxing classes for ages 5 to 8 and regular boxing, kickboxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and mixed martial arts classes.
Fletcher said his gym has a core membership of about a dozen people, who come from Kanawha, Putnam, Roane and Clay counties to hone their fighting and self-defense skills, as exercise for some and competitive training for others.
“We have all ages — from 10 up to their 60s — taking classes. We have a retired Marine from Clendenin who comes for physical fitness. He can do more pushups than any teenager you’ve ever seen,” Fletcher said.
Thursday’s grand opening celebration offered demonstrations of some of the disciplines members undertake, along with refreshments for newcomers and longtime members. Sign-up opportunities were available during the evening, as well.
For more information about the Elk River Boxing Club, contact Rob Fletcher at 681-313-6001.
Metro reporter Clint Thomas can be reached at cthomas@cnpapers.com or by calling 304-348-1232.
Wesley Fisher, right, of Elkview, spars with Brad Mullins at the Elk River Boxing Club's new Elkview location. At right, Emilee Morgan of Walton strikes a boxer's pose. Ben Calwell | Metro
