ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Sean "Rocky" Cormier has the same nickname as a boxer from a movie.
But the impact he’s having on young people in Annapolis is very real.
"I wanted to use that same platform to do the same for other kids in the city," said Cormier. "I started going around the neighborhood, grabbing kids up and training them for free."
Boxing has been a part of Cormier’s life for a while. And Monday, at the Pip Moyer Recreation Center, he’s helping launch a new program, called Cut Different Boxing, to give kids in Annapolis a constructive new activity.
"If they can get involved in a sport like boxing, and then come across mentors like midshipmen at the Naval Academy," said Jim McNally, boxing coach at the U.S. Naval Academy, "that’s all they need to get pointed in the right direction."
"If this program saves one life, prevents one shooting, saves a life,"McNally added. "Any money we put into it is worth its weight in gold."
The idea for all this dates back to 2021, with involvement from the mayor, police, recreation and parks department, and the Naval Academy.
"A lot of these kids that [I] end up stumbling across, I’ll become a father figure or a big brother to them," added Cormier. "It’s no better feeling, to know that I can help change a life, and make such an impact on a life."
