During this unusual time that we are facing, many have found now hobbies to pass the time and try new something that they didn’t have time for previously. This was the case for Jamestown Community College wrestling head coach Kris Schimek.
Schimek made his amateur boxing debut this past weekend, competing in the Rough N’ Rowdy 12 event presented by Barstool Sports. His opponent was Alex Beaudreault, a podcaster from New Jersey.
“The opportunities to compete in combat sports are limited now with the global pandemic going on,” said Schimek. “I submitted an application and they called me a week out from the fight. I’m not getting any younger so I wanted to continue to push the Spartan mindset and try out new things.”
This was the first of 20 fights on the night and it took all three rounds to determine a winner. Both fighters came out of the gate, each winning a round to take it to the final round to determine a winner. The fighters exchanged a handful of punches but as round three was coming to an end, Schimek landed a strong right hand which was the difference. Schimek came away with a 2-1 split decision victory.
Schimek, a two time All-American wrestler at Niagara County Community College and a one time All-American wrestler at Ithaca College, isn’t a stranger when it comes to competing in combat sports. Schimek has competed in mixed martial arts events on numerous occasions in Western New York and has fared well in his outings.
“Having a background in combat sports helped me during my fight,” said Schimek. “Even though MMA and boxing are different, you know at some point you will get hit and it’s just a matter of how many times. It’s how you react which will put you in a great position to win.”
Having starting his amateur boxing career off on the right foot, Schmiek says that it’s something he would like to do again and keep perfecting his skills.
“This was a great experience. I had a lot of fun and would do this again.”