By Fernanda M. Tovar
Staff Writer
Photo Credit: Jerome Velasco
Team Tempo members left to right President Julian Velasco, co- President Dennis Castillo, Treasurer Laura Placencia, and Secretary Hector Velasquez.
Last year, Team Tempo, the Cal State Dominguez Hills boxing club, had a rocky start establishing itself on campus.
However, the club’s new president, Julian Velasco, a junior and psychology major, is determined to make Tempo successful.
Team Tempo’s name came from a conversation Velasco had with his cousin during a workout session.
“I wanted it to be something catchy and unique,” Velasco said.
“’My cousin said, ‘You have to find your tempo,’” he recalled of the conversation. “That’s when I thought of it, Team Tempo.”
The club teaches basic self-defense, as well as other sports, such as kick-boxing. It also emphasizes wellness by promoting a healthy lifestyle, keeping a positive outlook and empowering others.
Velasco takes pride in members using the club as an outlet for problems that they could be facing outside of school.
Velasco described boxing as a way to overcome obstacles he faced when he was younger. He had a rough childhood and tough time in high school.
The club is facing challenges, mainly financial, that have stalled it from completely flourishing.
“I know that the commitment and responsibility is a lot, but I keep reminding the officers that this is something we are passionate about,” Velasco said. “It’s something we have to give back to the community.”
In order to achieve the club’s purpose, to box, Team Tempo has to raise $1,500 per semester for insurance. Without this insurance, the club cannot perform physical activities or hold group workouts on campus.
“When this issue came, I said, ‘For now, we can cut down the member fees, sell merchandise, and focus our energy on the fundraisers, and overcome the financial issue, eventually,’” Velasco said.
Velasco said the university does not offer enough financial support for clubs.
This has been difficult for Team Tempo, he added, however, the members have found ways around their financial obstacles.
Team Tempo sells T-shirts to help with expenses. Velasco donated money earned from teaching classes for ASI to kick-start the T-shirt venture.
Velasco said selling the shirts to students and family members has helped tremendously.
Though the club currently cannot perform physical activities on campus, this does not stall it from working out at local gyms or finding other ways to stay active. When they do work out together, they motivate each other to achieve their goals.
“We want to hopefully connect the community and school through fitness and wellness,” Velasco said. “We want to empower everybody.”
