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Sudbury boxing coach prepares for Pan Am games

The 2015 Pan American Games hit much closer to home for Copper Cliff native Gord Apolloni, a man who has literally spent a lifetime in and around the boxing ring.
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As Boxing Canada's Master Learning Facilitator/Evaluator , Gord Apolloni will be able to tap into talents at a young age and to make sure coaches are doing their jobs properly across Canada. Photo by Nick Liard.
The 2015 Pan American Games hit much closer to home for Copper Cliff native Gord Apolloni, a man who has literally spent a lifetime in and around the boxing ring.

The member of the Sudbury Sports Hall of Fame was named as a member of the Team Canada Pan Am Games boxing staff for the third time in his career earlier this summer, having previously attended in 1995 (Argentina) and 2003 (Dominican Republic).

"I'm looking forward to these Games, number one, because it's in Canada, and number two, because we have a whole new management system and a whole new attitude on the Canadian team," said Apolloni.

"And we have a very strong team walking in, which is pretty exciting." That team, which is comprised of three women and seven men, will feature 2014 Commonwealth Games champion Samir "Sweet Sammy" El Mais of Windsor, as well as defending Pan Am Games champion Mandy Bujold of Cobourg.

With the Canadian Olympic Committee having proclaimed the overall goal of a top three finish in the medal count in Toronto, the boxing crew are being asked to produce a number of podium finishes.

"I think it's very, very reasonable," said Apolloni. "It's attainable. It's really a mixture of everything. It's the attitude now - we want to be the best." Working in tandem with team head coach and Boxing Canada High Performance Director Daniel Trepanier and British Columbia native and former national champion in both England and Canada, Kevin Howard, Apolloni will form part of a team approach.

"We all manage the team as a whole," he said. "We'll be having team meetings nightly." Apolloni will enjoy familiar company in those meetings, as local sports psychologist Rob Schinke continues the work he has done for the national sports organization dating back to 1996.

The boxing competition within the 2015 Pan Am Games will commence on (Saturday) July 18th, with the Oshawa Sports Centre serving as the venue for both boxing and weightlifting.

Apolloni noted that he will enter these Games having worked previously, at least in some capacity, with every single member of the Canadian ten-person contingent. The Team Canada roster includes: Arthur Biyarslanov (Toronto), Clovis Drolet (Quebec City), Samir El Mais (Windsor), Sasan Haghighat-Joo (Coquitlam), Simon Kean (Trois-Rivieres), Kenny Lally (Prince George), P.G. Tondo (Toronto), Mandy Bujold (Cobourg), Ariane Fortin (Montreal) and Caroline Veyre (Montreal).

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