(323) 876-5090
The original Trinity Boxing Camp, circa 1912. A favorite haunt of President Theodore Roosevelt. Years earlier, the Camp was the birthplace of the Bull Moose Party, Roosevelt''s last gasp attempt at regaining the presidency.
Trinity Boxing Camp, 1962. John Lennon, Aunt Mamie''s grandson, and bandmates Paul, George and Ringo, stayed at the Camp when the Beatles played the Hollywood Bowl. Legend has it that the lads would settle their disputes here in the ring.
Grandpa Lorenzo''s gambling addiction cost my family the camp, and led to a phrase that became part of the American vernacular. In a desperate attempt to win back the small fortune he had gambled away, Lorenzo literally ''bet the farm'' on a pair of tens and Jacks. Much to his dismay, a full house beats two pair, but not as bad as my grandmother beat him when he got home three days later. Where once some of the world''s greatest fighter''s trained, now housed two horses, several chickens, a goat and the grandson of a pretty good poker player.
Runyon Canyon Trail. I like to tell clients there are bears out here. It really personalizes the whole fight or flight reaction for them, leading to dramatic gains in both speed and cardiovascular output. It also puts an end to those "I hate running cause it''s boring" complaints.
 \r\n
Once, as a practical joke, I put this sign up on the trail. I noticed that the running times not only of my clients, but all Los Angelinos who ran the trail, had increased dramatically. While the rest of the country experienced rampant obesity, citizens of L.A. were getting leaner and healthier. Studies were commissioned, commitees formed, to explain this statistical aberration in hopes of stemming the epidemic, but all to no avail. But if they only knew that there are no rattlesnakes in that part of California, there would be ''Beware of Rattlesnake'' signs all over these United States
Runyon Mountain Trail. If there''s a Runyon Canyon, it stands to reason there''s a Runyon Mountain, and if there''s a Runyon Mountain, it stands to reason you''ll be running up it. My proof of the existence of God uses similar logic, although a little less Aristotelian.
Santino Snow, father of the medicine ball. Uncle Sonny''s friendship with Thomas Alva Edison inspired over 2,000 inventions, including sneakers, Pop Tarts and the athletic supporter.\r\n
"Antonio Snow is the hardest puncher I have ever faced. Harder than Willard and Firpo combined." -- Jack Dempsey.
Antonio, touted by many as the heir apparent to the Manassa Mauler, was shot and killed in a poker game by Benjamin Siegal, better known by his nickname, "Bugsy."
Uncle Fredo once set a World Record by jumping rope for three days, sixteen hours and twenty seven minutes straight. Despite his physical prowess and steely resolve, being cross-eyed made prizefighting nearly impossible.
Uncle Angelo. In a classic case of sibling rivalry, Angelo attempted to break the jump rope record set by his brother Fredo just two weeks earlier. After 73 hours, suffering from dehydration and shin splints, Angelo collapsed into a coma from which he never recovered. At his funeral six days later, a tearful Fredo eulogized his fallen brother. "If only his brain was as big as his heart, poor Angelo would still be with us today."
Uncle Mickey, Petey and Fabrizio with frequent ''camper'' and lightweight champion Benny Leonard. Leonard, although he was Jewish, was godfather to all three.
Former President Theodore Roosevelt (center, seated) called the camp "my home away from home." Lorenzo, when asked by TR for advice on fatherhood , replied "Speak softly, Teddy, but carry a big stick." These words would later become the cornerstone for U.S. foreign policy.
First Holy Communions were always a good excuse for a boxing exhibition, so much so that Second and Third Holy Communions soon became the norm, not the exception.
 Uncle Frank clowning with best friend and screen legend Charlie Chaplin. An alleged affair with Frank''s sister Oona led to a daughter, Ivory, and ended the friendship between Frank and ''The Little Tramp.''
|
