Coach draws from past fear to instill courage in boxers

Coach draws from past fear to instill courage in boxers

Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

As the 2003 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games approach, the head coach
of the national boxing squad hopes to fill his charges with
courage.

"They (the boxers) are physically ready. In terms of skill,
they are generally prepared for the competition. What they need
is this," Wiem Gomies said, pointing at his chest.

"It's only human to feel fear when in the ring. But they must
learn to be determined and fearless against their opponents,"
said the two-time Asian Games gold medalist and Asian champion.

With the departure of Cuban Carlos Penate Torre, who left
after the 2002 Asian Games in South Korea, Wiem has taken on the
responsibility of preparing the national squad for the mission in
Vietnam, the site of the 22nd SEA Games.

The Indonesian Amateur Boxing Association (Pertina) is
currently grooming 19 boxers, who will move from Jakarta to Kutai
in East Kalimantan at the end of this month to continue their
training.

The boxers are under the supervision of four trainers, with
Wiem being the head coach.

Wiem said he regularly invited the boxers to open discussions
in an effort to encourage them to focus on their training.

"It's not easy because today's lifestyle is different from in
my day. Today's boxers might be easily distracted by the delights
of city lifestyle," he said, adding that Kutai had been chosen as
a training site due to such considerations.

Wiem was a gold medalist at the 1970 Asian Games in Bangkok.
He became an Asian champion in 1972, and won another Asian Games
gold in 1978, also in Bangkok.

Speaking of past experience in garnering the courage that
enabled him to beat his foes in the ring, Wiem emphasized that
only with strong determination could boxers come into their own.

"I used to be afraid of bees. But one day I was watching
people taking honey from a hive, and I asked myself, if they
could do it with such determination, why couldn't I?" he said.

"That's what I always say to the boxers, that they must have
determination in a fight," he said.

Meanwhile, Pertina secretary-general Bambang Asmanu said the
boxers were expected to gather by the end of this month to resume
working out after the Jakarta phase.

With the Arafura Games in Sydney and the Pakistan outing being
canceled due to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
outbreak, the World Amateur Boxing Championship and a tournament
in Mongolia are the only remaining international tournaments the
Indonesian boxers are likely to participate in.

The world meet is scheduled to be held in July while the
Mongolian tournament will be in September.

"I have received a release from the world amateur boxing
managing body, AIBA, advising that the world championship will
proceed because Bangkok is not in the SARS danger zone," Bambang
said.