Richard Miller, a level III certified and registered coach with USA Boxing, opened Deschutes County Rocks Boxing Club in 2004, where he trains 30 boxers, ranging in age from 8 – 34. He started boxing at age 8 and spent 16 years as an amateur boxer before becoming a coach 18 years ago. He and his wife Patty, also a certified coach, have been actively advocating for the sport and trying to dispel the commonly held belief that boxing promotes violence. “Our non-profit uses the vehicle of boxing to teach young people lessons they will use the rest of their lives, like discipline, dedication, and respect.” Miller is an accomplished coach, taking at least one athlete to national level competition since opening the club. His athletes train for two hours, four days a week.

 

Miller’s programs are part of the Celebrate Oregon Author series. During the month of July, Deschutes Public Library is celebrating Oregon author Katherine Dunn. Her latest book, One Ring Circus: Dispatches From the World of Boxing, is an anthology of Dunn’s essays about boxing. Her essays, written while she was a boxing correspondent for the Associated Press, cover the sport in all its forms and at its many levels. He accounts range from portraits of legendary fighters such as Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler, and Mike Tyson to the unsung stories of trainers, amateurs, promoters, cutmen, and a pair of pugilistic priests.

 

For more information about this or other library programs please visit the library web site at www.dpls.us or call 312-1032. People with disabilities needing accommodations (alternative formats, seating or auxiliary aides) should contact Liz at 312-1032.