Gym on site of former Indian school closes
CARSON CITY, Nev. -- For nearly three-quarters of a century off and on, local boxers have honed their skills at what's now the state of Nevada's Stewart Gym. But not anymore.
With Capitol Police standing by, Victor Bruno was evicted late last week from the gym where he's coached boxing for the last 12 years.
"It's a little humiliating the way we have to go, but that's the way it happens sometimes," he said. "I lost the battle."
His gym space was cut back by the state Buildings and Grounds Department to make way for police training. The agency also changed its insurance requirements.
Buildings and Grounds Administrator Cindy Edwards said Bruno was advised in advance of the changes. Although he acquired the appropriate insurance, he was told it was too late.
"We gave him seven months to work it out. He had plenty of time," Edwards said. Bruno contends he was given three days.
The gym will remain open for basketball and will continue to house police training and a church group, among other things.
Bruno, who also works for Buildings and Grounds, said he's looking for another building to house his nonprofit Bruno's Boxing Club and its 30 members. He worries some of the boxers may find a negative outlet for their energy without the gym.
"When these kids got time on their hands, you're going to have problems," he said.
The boxing team at the Stewart Indian School was formed in the late 1930s and during its tenure several notable Nevadans boxed for and against the boxing club. They included Paul Laxalt, who went on to serve as lieutenant governor, governor and U.S. senator, and his brother Robert, who became a Pulitzer-prize winning author.
The program went defunct in 1949, but was revived in 1969 by amateur boxer Robey Willis, now a Carson City justice of the peace. He coached the team from 1969 to 1979. The school closed in 1980.
The gym that Bruno's Boxing Club used was built at the school in 1974. The following year, members of the Soviet Union boxing team trained there during a match against Team USA at Lake Tahoe. In 1976, the Olympic trials for the Western United States were held there.
Willis says boxing left a legacy at the Stewart Indian School that may now be forgotten, adding, "It's something somebody in a bureaucratic position may not understand."
"It's a crying shame that whoever is in charge is taking this attitude, when boxing has done so much for so many kids," Willis said.
"When so many kids are using meth or joining gangs, and somebody is trying to help kids, it's pretty narrow-minded to shut that down."
Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press
