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New Year's Day Event Kicks 2004 to the Curb

Posted on: Thursday, 6 January 2005, 15:00 CST

While many slept in Saturday after a night of celebrating, an ambitious group of fitness buffs gathered at a gym to start off 2005 with a kick.

Actually, they started the new year with 2,005 kicks.

More than 60 people showed up for the kick-off. It is becoming an annual tradition at Mick Doyle's Martial Arts Center, a small gym tucked behind an auto parts shop at the corner of 108th and Blondo Streets.

The event, which took about two hours to complete, was a free- for-all. Many of the gym's regulars brought in family and friends who had never before tried kickboxing -- a martial art that originated in Thailand.

Participants were wellrewarded for their efforts. Boxes of pizza, salad and other goodies awaited them at a table near the front window.

Gym-goer Erin McCandless, 34, of Omaha, said it took her a month's worth of pleading to persuade her boyfriend, Bill Sauer, to participate.

Sauer, his face flushed and his gray shirt soaked with sweat, said he agreed after he thought about the benefits of such an intense workout.

"I knew if I did this, it gave me a reason to drink beer and go out last night," Sauer, 40, said jokingly.

Mick Doyle, owner of the gym, said he first held the New Year's Day kick-off three years ago.

Snapping out as many kicks as the number of the new year was an exercise in discipline that he had usually done by himself.

"I just did it to stay focused on my training," said Doyle, a competitive kickboxer. "But some friends saw me and asked if they could join me."

Doyle's gym is not exclusive to martial artists. He serves a range of clients, from people who just want to develop a basic workout routine to those interested in competitive kickboxing.

His kick-off may have attracted some new clients. Around 15 newcomers attended.

Christie Gleason, an athleticlooking 34-year-old from Omaha, was one of them. She was invited by her friend and triathlete, Lisa Cimino, also from Omaha.

"I love it," said Gleason, after she snapped several kicks against a large rectangular pad held by Cimino.

"It's an awesome way to start the new year," added Cimino, 39.

Source: Omaha World - Herald

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