(Washington, DC)-The Headbangers boxing team, representing DC Parks and Recreation, Bald Eagle Recreation Center, took home several championship awards during the 2007 National Silver Gloves Boxing Championships, which were held January 31-February 3 in Independence, Missouri.

More than 200 of the top 10-15 year-old amateur boxers from across the country competed in this national competition. Boxers participated in local, regional and national championships and for the elite competitors who qualified; it represented the culmination of many months of training and competition.

"We're very proud of our kids. They put in a lot of hard work and it really paid off. They performed extremely well and did a great job representing DC Parks and Recreation and the city [Washington, DC]," said Boxing Coordinator Marshall Cunningham.

The multi-tiered competition began in December at the Sugar Ray Leonard Boxing Center in Palmer Park, Maryland. Twelve boxers from Bald Eagle entered the tournament, and 11 advanced to the regional competition held in Augusta, Georgia on January 3-7.

At the Region 3 competition, 11 boxers competed, with nine winning their matches and advancing to the national competition. Region 3 consists of boxers representing Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

During the national competition, all eight boxers competed and won their quarterfinal matches and advanced to the semifinals. Four out of the eight won National Championship titles. In addition to the championships, several members of the Headbangers won additional awards. Patrick Harris, at 75 pounds, won the Sportsmanship award in the 12/13 age classification; Devon Matos, at 90 pounds, won Outstanding Boxer in the 12/13 division; and Marquis Moore, at 132 pounds in the 14/15 age bracket has been selected to compete in an International Competition with the Silver Gloves International Team this summer. The region came in third place overall.