Former student opens boxing gym

By: Juan López

Tuesday, October 6, 2009 - 12:07 AM

Ashley Miller, right, a former Nevada volleyball player, opened Elite Boxing and Fitness Club last spring. The gym, located at 920 Matley Lane, Suite 4, offers several classes for various skill levels. Photo by Ricardo Lopez/Nevada Sagebrush

Like many students, Ashley Miller didn’t know what to do after college.

She graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno in the spring of 2008 and had a competitive spirit like no other. Miller, who lettered for the Wolf Pack volleyball team in 2005 and 2007, needed something to fill her competitive void after she could no longer play collegiate volleyball.

She decided to open a boxing gym with her business and life partner Jesse Maldonado.

“It was really hard getting started,” 25-year-old Miller said. “We developed a business plan and were figuring out how to get a loan. It was hard to get a small business when you didn’t have any credit history, any backup money.”

But eventually, they caught a break. Because of the economy, the pair were able to negotiate more on rent for space and were able to cut deals on supplies that were usually sold in bulk.

Fast-forward to Aug. 15 and the pair own Elite Boxing & Fitness Club, an all-inclusive fitness facility in downtown Reno.

While there are multiple gyms in town, Miller said Elite Boxing gives its members an unparalleled atmosphere.

“We make sure we know everyone’s name, we make sure everybody knows everybody and then they start to hold each other accountable,” she said. “So when you come in here and you don’t go all out on something, not only am I going to give you crap about it, everybody else is going to give you crap about it.”

UNR student Joshua Gullo is one of those on the receiving end of Miller’s “crap.” But the third-year student said joining the gym was one of the better decisions he’s made.

“The best thing about coming here is that it’s made me a happier person,” he said after a tough workout at the gym. “I always leave here happier than I come in.”

Gullo said he joined the gym a month ago and has already dropped 10 pounds. While he is quick to claim he is “not an athlete” and has “never been an athlete,” Gullo said the club is accepting of people of all athletic levels.

“Coming in and talking to Ashley and Jesse is what sold me because they were just so cool about everything,” he said. “A lot of boxers, they’ll have a chip on their shoulder and be kind of (mean), but everybody in here is really cool. I’m not a good athlete, but everybody here’s really cool and really helpful with everything.”

But when it comes to Miller and Maldonado, they aren’t so happy-go-lucky all the time. The gym holds boxing, kickboxing, CrossFit and Elite Team classes regularly and the two owners of the gym aren’t shy about getting in their members’ faces to push them harder.

“(Miller’s) more the type to say, ‘OK, I want you to do this and I want you to hit it, hit it, hit it until you puke,’” Maldonado said. “I’m more verbally technical with what I say, but I still spar with some of the guys here. We both get in your face in one way or another, but we’re just trying to help everyone out.”

Miller said her training style fits the main crowd the gym gets.

“I’d say the majority of our kids are 18 to 24,” she said. “It’s good because those people are really antsy to learn and have a lot of energy.”

➤ Open gym times: 6 to 7 a.m., 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 8:30 to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday. Open gym weekend times are 9 to 10 a.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays.

➤ The gym charges $75 per month for a membership and $60 per hour for a one-on-one training session. Pre-paid discounts are available.

➤ The gym offers classes in boxing, kickboxing and CrossFit training.

Click here to go to the Elite Boxing & Fitness Club.