Boxing ACT RJ Committed to Development Across Boxing

Adrian Craft (Boxing ACT) first began boxing as at young age, but any long-term aspirations were cut short in favour of pursuing a career with the police force. Since retiring from work in the police force Craft now has more time to dedicate to the sport that he is so passionate about.

In 2018 he returned to boxing under the guidance and mentoring of 3 – star referee Carl Ruhen and Boxing Australia New South Wales RJ Coordinator Andrew Lazich. While at boxing events in NSW, Craft gained early exposure to both refereeing and judging. These early stages provided Adrian with an avenue to get involved in boxing as a referee and judge.

In 2020, Adrian met with Boxing ACT Director and 3 – star referee Carl Ruhen about becoming more involved in refereeing following that meeting Adrian’s involvement in refereeing was to develop more of a consistent level.

Within the Boxing Australia Futures Program activity, local Referee’s and Judges are brought in to assist during competition sparring. Not only as a benefit to the athletes in training this also helps support the officiating space where possible.

Carl Ruhen would regularly conduct competing sparring at camps but had pursed more international events, therefore the duties transitioned over to Adrian.

From 2022 Adrian has been involved with Boxing Australia as a volunteer, assisting in the running of comp sparring. During 2023, over 9 nationals camps have been held at the Australia Institute of Sport (AIS) with Adrian dedicating his time to come in and officiating over 10 sparring sessions in a 3-month period. Working across all areas of our pathway’s events, from futures and development to our high-performance camps, Adrians time has been valuable to ensuring both competition sparring is conducted in a safe environment and benefiting our athletes.

Adrian believes that working as a volunteer in this space is rewarding as you become part of each athlete and teams journey to reaching their dreams in boxing.

He spoke about his experience in the camps with great enthusiasm saying.

“I’ve seen some amazing fighters compete and sometimes you have to remember that you have a refereeing job to do, not just marvel at the skills”.

Adrians enthusiasm throughout camp involvement is highly appreciated.

“Volunteering means a lot to me. Without volunteers a sport like ours just couldn’t happen. Volunteering allows for athletes to compete and achieve their goals”.

The added perks of volunteering have allowed for Adrian to be involved in different levels of boxing from novice into the elite level competition, further developing his ability as a referee and judge.

This development has continued as last month, Adrian took part in the recent 3-star program (National) referee accreditation at the Australian Masters Games 2023 in Adelaide. The 3-Star program is a process where referees and judges are be assessed by Boxing Australia R&J Coordinator Wayne Rose OAM under an exam, practical assessment and competition evaluating.

Congratulations to Adrian in successfully passing this evaluation and we look forward to having him around our future camps.

Referees and judges are a vital component within boxing. As volunteers, their contribution to the sport is appreciated.

Volunteering in an official capacity is an opportunity to stay connected within the boxing space and allows for an alternative to get in the ring.

If you want to get involved in officiating speak to your Member Association and State RJ Coordinator. https://www.boxing.org.au/officiating/