When a Loss is not really a Loss....

In 1996, I entered my first Daily News Golden Gloves Tournament. My trainer had prepared me as best as anyone could prepare a fighter. I had been living on my own since 15years old in NYC, so fighting and my dreams was pretty much all I had. I won my first two bouts and made it to the finals that would take place at the Paramount Theatre in Madison Square Garden. This was a crazy tough fight, but my trainer, the announcers and myself thought I had done enough to win until the official decision was announced and I had lost a split decision.

I truly believe that each difficult moment has the potential to open my eyes and open my heart. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve my performance for the next time. That first loss taught me the meaning of resiliency, perserverence and faith. I should have won that fight, but there was a lesson to be learned. In 1997, I entered the Women's USA Nationals and trained even harder. I won my first 3 bouts making it once again to the Championships Final against another tough opponent. My performance that night made me the 1st Female ever to be voted "Athlete of the Year" by the USA Olympic Committee. This victory would not have been as rewarding without that first loss.

This past Wednesday, March 7, 2012 was suppose to be my moment to shine at BB Kings for my 6th professional fight. My team knew that by taking this fight we were in for an uphill battle as my opponent for this bout was represented by the promoter putting on this event. However, that was not going to deter me from putting in the hard work and lose focus on my goals for boxing. I had 4 weeks to prepare properly and I am ever so grateful for the great training & sparring partners & support I received at Trinity Boxing.

I have always felt that if you are willing to work hard and make the necessary sacrifices in all areas of your life, you can make your dreams come true. The big day had arrived and I did my usual routine of prayers and visualization. I had put in the hard work and I was mentally & physically prepared.

Being in the ring prior to that first bell, I felt at home as if this was where I was suppose to be. All my life I have fought for my beliefs, my rights, my dreams and that night was no different. The bell rang and although my opponents style was awkward and different, I was still charging forward and trying to adjust. In the 2nd round, my opponent stepped on my foot and I got caught off balance where this was called a "knockdown". For the first time in my professional boxing career, I was behind in the cards and knew I had to dig deep and never give up. I rallied and threw hard punches right thru the next 4 rounds which resulted in me knocking down my opponent in the fifth round and causing her legs to buckle a few times.

The end result once again was losing a tough split decision but I realize that every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes my soul nobler and stronger than it was before. This loss is no different..It has left my spirit untouched and know in my heart it happened for a good reason. A loss, injuries & heartbreaks are minor setbacks that have made me the fighter I am today and I will take this opportunity to build on my faith to make me a stronger all around athlete and person as well as continue on my mission of being a good inspirational example to women, athletes & everyday people around the world.

In closing, I would like to thank my boxing Team, loved ones, family, friends & fans for the wonderful love & support on this tough road that in the end will make all of us believers of always fighting the Good Fight and relying on Faith, Strength & Courage!

Much Love,
Patty Boom Boom
www.patriciaalcivar.com

No Guts, No Glory!

"There's a difference between interest and commitment. When you are interested in doing something, you do it only when it's convenient. When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses; only results!"

The Chicago Marathon was nothing short of magical. My sister and I were nervous but excited when we arrived in Chicago last Saturday,October 8th. Besides, she had been in the hospital just a week before with a serious debilitating injury/condition that had caused her to rethink about her plans to run this marathon in which she had put in 15 solid weeks of training.

I remember her asking me "What would you do in my situation?" I took a deep breath and tried to respond the best way I could with her safety in mind. In my second professional fight last year, I fought with a broken foot and earlier this year, I fought with a respiratory infection. Obstacles will always be part of our lives and you have to do what you feel in your heart is best for YOU and the rest is pure Faith. I assured her that I was proud of her despite of what her decision would be. A couple of days later, she would confirm her decision to run the Chicago Marathon although her goals had changed and completing this Marathon (her 3rd ever) after a 6-yr break was going to be beyond rewarding.

The alarm sounded at 5am on Sunday, October 9th. I had awoken with amazing feelings of Gratitude for arriving safely the day before, for having an awesome night out in Chicago and for the day I was about to have. My sister and I got great sleep and we were stoked that the hotel's Starbucks was opening at 5am to accomodate the runners. I was smiling big when we went downstairs to have our tea & oatmeal. Genuine Enthusiasm, Confidence & Faith are contagious and I knew I had enough for both of us.

We made our way through the 47,000 thousand registered runners to our assigned corrals and the time to say good-bye had arrived. I gave my sister a heartfelt crazy tight, but very confident hug & then I focused on the race I was about to run. A run that I knew I was ready for and was doing to test myself; to bring the best out of myself & continue to strengthen my faith. The airhorn went off at 7:30am & the 26.2 mile journey begun...

My goal for this Marathon was to run a solid 3:40 that would qualify me for Boston. I had battled through a few health scares & injuries for a few years that prevented me from running a marathon at that pace since 2005. I visualized what I wanted to run & how I wanted to feel all week and just had the faith that I could finally pull it off. The first 3 miles, I was flying at a 7:30 pace. I was rocking to my mp3 player when all of a sudden it made a weird high pitch sound and completely died on me. Whoa! What was I going to do with 23.2 miles left without music? I don't think I ever ran any long distance events without music.

I did panic for a couple of minutes, but all of a sudden felt a sense of peace. It dawned on me that this was an opportunity to really take in each mile; to listen to my body; to rely on myself and on my faith. Each mile was dedicated to a certain time in my life where I could remember great achievements. I could also hear the church songs playing in my head throughout the race. Mile 23 seemed to be where I started to struggle the most & felt incredible fatigue & ache in my lower back. I knew I had it in me to push through the discomfort.

As Mile 26 approached, I was so overwhelmed with emotion. I could see myself raising my hands in victory and as I made my way to the 26.2 mile finish line, I looked up and saw 3:40! I was overcome with tears of joy and amazing feelings of gratitude. I walked in disbelief but with a big koolaid smile. I waited anxiously for my sister to finish and seeing her finish a couple of hours later was the icing on the cake! We had both completed the Chicago Marathon and we were both healthy and proud..

This was my 16th Marathon and definitely a very special one that I will hold dear to my heart forever for a few reasons. Training my sister for this event helped bond us in a unique way, but also seeing her dedication & transformation was rewarding for both of us. Sharing the incredible feeling of accomplishment and knowing that we both did it for our own personal reasons was significant as I have learned the hard way that doing things for the wrong reasons to prove other people wrong results in empty feelings. To me, this run was spiritual as it showed me the power of faith and belief like never before.

The feeling of accomplishment; to know you pushed beyond your limits and brought out the best in you for YOU is an inner satisfaction that no one can ever take away from you...I am forever grateful for this opportunity and can only hope to continue to bring out the best!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVDXiTF95fU&feature=share

Much Love,
Patricia "Patty Boom Boom" Alcivar

For the True Love of Boxing!

When my mom gave birth to me, she had not picked out a name for me. Talking about last minute planning..A student visiting her mom in the next bed brought in an old newspaper that she was doing her research paper on. The front cover picture caught my mom's attention. It was a picture of a woman with a machine gun holding up a bank...My mom named me after "Patty Hearst."

For as long as I can remember, I have always fought for my beliefs and passions and have literally put my life on the line for them. When I was 10 years old, I called the police on my father when he committed a mortal crime. At the age of 15, I decided I had enough of an abusive home and went to live on my own. The consequences of my actions were severe as I had to endure ridicule from my family and struggle to pay rent, go hungry many nights and work while I went to school. However, I would not change a thing today and stand by my decisions and dreams.

Even though I went through some incredibly difficult moments, the things that always provided comfort were my Faith, My Dreams & Sports. I have participated in quite a number of sports, but the one that caught my attention was Boxing. Perhaps, it is because it's the sport that most resembles the struggles of my life and gives me the opportunity to once again fight for my dreams.

I spent over 6 years as an amateur boxer winning two NYC Golden Gloves, the Empire State Games, a National title & an International Title. My biggest & proudest accomplishment in my amateur career was being the first female ever to be named "Athlete of the Year," by the United States Olympic Committee. After waiting for about 8 years for Women's Boxing to go to the Olympics, I took a break from boxing and always felt like I had unfinished business and had not done everything I could in the sport.



Against all odds, on October 9, 2009, I made my professional boxing debut in Columbia, TN. Little did I know the extreme challenges in the sport of pro boxing. There would be no purse (pay) for me and my opponent & venue changed about 6 times. My reward would be a first round knockout and the personal victory of doing something I truly loved and the satisfaction of taking that first step towards my ultimate dream of becoming World Champion.

Almost 17 months & 3 fights later, not much has changed. In order to keep fighting for my dreams & be able to train and make ends meet, I have had to work a number of freelance/part-time gigs and have compiled quite the resume with skills that include: Event Management, Personal Training, Translating/Interpreting, Dog Walking, Babysitting, Massage Therapy and my latest after graduating with honors, Emergency Medical Technician!

Some female boxers like myself are not fortunate enough to have their professional boxing careers funded in order to train full time. It truly is a big sacrifice and I do it for the True Love of Boxing and My Dreams! On March 4th, I will be taking a closer step towards my dreams when I fight my 4th professional fight in my hometown of Queens, NY! In attendance for the first time will be my mom, younger sister & niece. It is an amazing opportunity which I am so thankful for, however, in order to make it truly successful, I definitely need the support of my supporters! Ticket Sales are an amazingly important part of professional boxing. Links to purchase tickets are included below...

http://www.wix.com/jsizzle141/boomboomtickets OR my website at:
http://www.patriciaalcivar.com/updates

In closing, I just want to thank all my family, friends and supporters for following me on this incredible journey thus far, Trinity Boxing for providing a safe & reliable place to train and my manager, Johnny who works exceptionally hard to make my dreams a reality! I thank God for giving me the opportunity to Dream High for my chance to Fly High!

Much Love,
Patty Boom Boom
www.patriciaalcivar.com

"Dream what you want to dream, go where you want to go,
be what you want to be. Because you have only one life and
one chance to do all the things you want to do"

Making My 2011 Resolutions A Reality!

Every year for about the last 13 years or so, I do the old fashion thing of writing down a good list of about 5-10 things I want to accomplish for the New Year. It MUST be written though! Written goals have a way of transforming wishes into wants; cant's into cans; dreams into plans; and plans into reality. Don't just think it - ink it!

When I was about 17 years old, I was barely surviving on my own working in a Battered Women's Shelter named "Sanctuary for Families". At the time, "The New School" offered the staff & clients free classes from their catalog. I had just won the World Full Contact Kyokushin Karate Championships in the women's light weight division & needed a new challenge. I have been fortunate enough from a very young age to be able to seek things that will help me grow spiritually & mentally. My goal for that year was to find something that would challenge me in a different way and I was going to stop at nothing until I found it! All of a sudden this one class just jumped out of the book at me..."Learn the Art of Boxing".

I was so psyched and could not wait to take on my next challenge! However, I was disappointed when I got there and saw that the class was more like a box-aerobics class. I marched right up to the instructor after class and told him that I thought this was going to be a real boxing class. I told him that I was a champion martial artist & wanted to improve my punches. This Brooklyn guy named Martin Snow had the nerve to tell me that Karate sucked & to throw any punches or kicks I wanted and he would block it. I was determined to make an impression on this 6'5", 240lb Brooklynite, so I was throwing kicks & punches and he was indeed blocking everything hard! Until...I found a wonderful opening right in his mid section & I threw a straight right hand with all my might! YES! I knocked the wind out of him and his next words to me were "Women's Boxing just became legal in NYC..Do you wanna fight?" I had found my next challenge!! It continues to be one of the sports that takes me out of my comfort zone & brings the best out of me!

In order to accomplish your goals, you MUST crystallize your goals. Make a plan for achieving them and set yourself a deadline. Then, with supreme confidence, determination and disregard for obstacles and other people's criticisms carry out your plan!

In my second professional fight this summer, I broke my right foot 3 weeks before my fight! A broken metatarsal requires at least 4-6 weeks in an air cast. I looked at the podiatrist straight in the eyes and told him that I was fighting no matter what! I was also crying like a baby & had the utmost faith that although it might not be easy, everything was going to workout. This doctor customized all of my foot wear with extra padding/cushion, put a cortisone shot right in my bone & taught me how to bandage my foot for extra support. I was not to run for the next 3 weeks & do non impact exercises. I replaced my daily runs with high intensity speed drills on the elliptical machine, stair master & swimming. The night of my fight came & I was insanely nervous as I was fighting with a broken foot & with someone who was much more experienced than I was. All through this though, I had amazing FAITH and my goal in mind the entire time! I won that fight with a TKO at the end of the 4th round!

To achieve success, you need both persistence and flexibility. When you face difficulties and unexpected problems, use all your persistence and determination to stick to your goals. If the way you do things now does not work, try another way. Keep trying until you find the one that works. Don't change the ends, change the means. It is my true belief though that gratitude and faith MUST be part of the whole goal setting process. I would not have gotten this far without my belief in a higher power. It is a very important part of my everyday life.

So, what's in store for Patty Boom Boom in 2011? LOTS!! Before I start mentioning just a few, I want to say that I am incredibly thankful to my higher power which is God. I feel truly humbled and blessed to be able to accomplish so many things this year even through some extreme challenges. Everything I do, I do with so much love, passion, faith & determination. Some of my goals for 2011 include:

1. Boxing/Fighting in my hometown & Internationally
2. Completing my first Ironman at Lake Placid in July
3. Start Nursing School in March
4. Focus on writing & completing my memoir
5. Continue Living my life with incredible Faith & Passion!

Thank you all for your amazing & continued support! Looking forward to sharing this incredible journey of adventures, faith & growth in 2011 & beyond! My wish for all my Friends & Loved ones is:

May you always have enough happiness to keep you sweet;
enough trials to keep you strong;
enough success to keep you eager;
enough faith to give you courage;
and enough determination to
make each day a good day!

Wishing you all amazing blessings & health for the coming year!

Much Love,

Patricia Alcivar aka "Patty Boom Boom"
www.patriciaalcivar.com

The Power of FAITH!

This picture pretty much sums it up for me...When I realized the fight had been stopped at 1:06 of the 4th round during my second professional fight last Friday, May 14th in Orlando, Florida, I looked up and thanked my higher power which to me is God. This was definitely a magical moment for me as getting to that place was nothing short of a miracle...

3 weeks before my scheduled bout, an MRI revealed a stress fracture on my right foot. A few days prior to that, a kettle bell dropped on my foot making it vulnerable to further injury, however, I couldn't stop training and I kept running and pounding on that foot until I was severely limping. The podiatrist was about to put my foot in an air cast for the required 4-6 weeks! I was in tears and told him how much this fight meant to me. When you speak to someone with sincerity, chances are that you will be heard. This Doctor was wonderful and taught me how to tape my foot as well as customized all my footwear with the proper cushion to relieve the pressure of the stressed bone.

I was to lay off the pounding which meant no long distance running or jumping. I got my heart pounding fix by doing hour long speed drills on the bike & elliptical machine. I made sure to tape my foot up well before my sparring sessions and not wince too much from the ridiculous pain. I was also wearing these crazy hard plastic orthopedics in my shoe that made my feet fall asleep, however, the toughest part was keeping this quiet from just about everyone. Two weeks later, I was scheduled to participate in a tough adventure run called the "Tough Mudder" which consisted of 7 miles of trail running with 17 obstacle courses designed by the British Military.

The thought of skipping this event did cross my mind, but I knew I would have felt as I had let myself down as waiting for everything to be perfect is not my style. Taking risks is what life is all about! I went forward with this event and I am so glad I did! I ended up finishing among the top women in an excellent time and had CBS do a special feature on me (which I just got confirmation will definitely air this Wednesday, May 19th on channel 2 during the Early show from 8-9am)...

After this event though, my foot was extra sore followed by extra hours of icing and pain. The training continued and then all of a sudden the week before my fight, my bout was cancelled! The replacement was going to be a tough and very experienced Mexican fighter. My only fight as a professional was back in October last year and I definitely had doubts, but it just made me NOT want to give up this opportunity to fight again as a co-main event feature under Hector "Macho" Camacho. I see every difficulty as a challenge, a stepping stone so I can never feel defeated by anything or anyone!

The week of the fight, I was waking up each day with feelings of amazing gratitude and hope even though there were still so many things that were up in the air. I felt that the only way to survive was with dignity, pride and courage. Everything fell into place literally at the very last moment and that was when I was raising up my hands in the end...

I am eternally grateful to my wonderful corner for being there and those closest to me. Thank you for your continued support throughout my journey! Although, these challenges teach me about life and having faith & patience it is extremely rewarding to be able to share my experiences and know that they have touched people in different ways.

"Your talent is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God."

Much Love,
Patty Boom Boom