WICKER PARK — A group of local athletes and beginning pugilists are taking their aggressions out on each other every Friday during free weekly "spar jams" in Wicker Park's namesake park.
"We are just keeping up our skills without having to give up all the money to fight. [Spar jams] give all of us a space to release our energy, stress and aggressions in a positive way without the stress of membership and coaching fees," said DeAnna Bellamy, a personal trainer.
Bellamy was among several pairs of people sparring in the southwest corner of Wicker Park at 1425 N. Damen Ave. around 6 p.m. Friday.
Bellamy's opponent was one of her personal training clients, Terra Tijerina, 14, who said, "When I'm fighting everything goes away; I block it all out."
Reached by phone after the workout, Tijerina's father, Roy Tijerina, said he signed his daughter up for personal training with Bellamy about twice each week for two months during her summer vacation.
"She suffers from anxiety from time to time and she just took to the sparring; I have never seen her so happy. It was a great experience for her and boosted her self-esteem," Roy Tijerina said.
Bellamy, 32, is not a boxing coach but was in the park for what she called "a collective effort to keep active using public outdoor spaces."
"I am not a coach. We are all out there teaching each other. ... We learn and share fighting skills for fight competition goals and street self defense. It really is a fun and amazing experience to be able to train and learn in a free and natural outdoor setting," Bellamy said.
Bellamy — who is hoping to compete in the Golden Gloves tournament next spring if she can save enough money to enter the competition and bring on a coach — described the mix of spar jam participants as "an eclectic group of fighters, martial artists, personal trainers, artists and entrepreneurs."
Bellamy said she has about 11 years working as a personal fitness trainer under her belt and three years of "reality-based street self-defense experience" as a Krav Maga practitioner. Krav Maga draws from a combination of mixed martial arts such as Ji-jitsu, Muay Thai and wrestling.
Prior to the weekly sparring, for which folks must sign a waiver, the group picks up litter and rids the area of sharp objects to keep the ground "safe and clean," Bellamy said.
Open to all levels of abilities and ages, the sparring takes place from 3:45 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays and is followed by post-sparring stretching from 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Bellamy said the free outdoor sessions will continue through the summer and that "Fall jams are a very good possibility."
She added, "Winter jams would be funny but probably not a good idea. But maybe!"
Though the spar jam sessions are free, Bellamy accepts cash donations for other outdoor classes that she runs on weekends, such as "City Body," which meets at 10 a.m. Saturday at Ashland and Augusta avenues behind Wells High School.
The "City Body" class teaches participants how to be creative with creating exercises using city structures such as benches, stairs, poles and more.
Bellamy hosts several other classes, including a "Hit it and Kick It" class at 1 p.m. Saturdays, and offers high-intensity interval training using bodyweight exercises and basic self-defense techniques.
Lastly, a class called "Stretch It" offers free stretching at 10 a.m. Sundays. Bellamy said to contact her for information.
She also has an online fundraiser for Rape Victim Advocates, where she has raised $850.
For more information on Bellamy's personal training sessions at her Ukrainian Village studio, 935 N. Damen Ave. or her free classes, visit bodyrevolution.biz or call 708-299-4594 to be added to her text message list for outdoor events.
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