Streator’s Elaine McKinney is punching back against Parkinson’s Disease

One! Two! One! Two!

With every punch in time, the 73-year-old Elaine McKinney pops her boxing gloves into her sparring partner’s mitt.

She’s beginning to sweat in the middle of the 60-minute workout, but her trainer Nichole Reynolds is pushing her to keep the intensity. The Streator YMCA gym fans are turned on high and “Mony Mony” by Tommy James and the Shondells is cranked over the speakers.

McKinney is not training to fight a traditional foe. Her opponent is Parkinson’s disease.

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Elaine McKinney extends punches a bag during her Rock Steady Boxing class at the Streator YMCA with instructor Nichole Reynolds alongside her. (Tom Sistak for Shaw Media)

She was diagnosed with the degenerative disease seven years ago and began the Rock Steady boxing program 3½ years ago at a Minooka gym. She’s grateful now the class is offered in Streator.

Rock Steady Boxing is a unique exercise program based on training used by professionals and adapted to people with Parkinson’s disease. The program involves regular exercises, such as stretching, bicycling, running, jump roping, push ups, balancing and lots of non-contact boxing.

In a fight against Parkinson’s disease, maintaining strength, balance and agility are crucial to staying ahead of the disease, much in the same way those skills are imperative before getting into a boxing ring.

Seven years after her diagnosis, McKinney still can move and pack a punch.

“It’s good to get my aggression out,” she said.

McKinney said she has gone through physical therapy and tried tai chi, but none of it compared to the feeling she gets from Rock Steady Boxing.

“I feel accomplished,” McKinney said. “There’s gratification. I feel better after a good workout, knowing I can accomplish overcoming obstacles.”

Rock Steady Boxing meets for 60 minutes, twice a week at the Streator YMCA. The program is tailored to its clients, Reynolds said. If a participant has limited movement, Reynolds will work within their skillset to improve their strength, balance or agility.

“In Minooka, we had participants boxing in their wheelchairs,” McKinney said. “You can still do the program.”

In McKinney’s case, the program is more intense, focused on pushing her and keeping those muscles strong, to keep away the effects of Parkinson’s disease.

The program emphasizes balance, because people with Parkinson’s are prone to falls, Reynolds said. The program includes drills to help them pull up themselves in the event of a fall.

People with Parkinson’s also are susceptible to losing their voices, so the fans are turned on high and the music is played loud, and McKinney has to shout to keep her vocal chords strong.

McKinney loves the sport of it all, along with the camaraderie with her trainers Reynolds and Ken Beutke.

“The environment is so different than therapy,” Beutke said. “The gym environment is competitive and pushes people to see what they can do. Coaches are pushing, trying to get the maximum out of you.”

After a few sessions, Reynolds learned what she can push with McKinney to get the most out of her, and is not afraid to pep her up, especially toward the end of workouts.

“What I really like about this program is we can approach it at different degrees of difficulty, depending on who the person is,” said Reynolds, who is a certified Rock Steady Boxing instructor. “It addresses so many skillsets, from speed, to reaction, to focus, to strength, to balance, all areas that become impaired as the disease progresses. Unfortunately, you can’t stop the disease, but you can slow down the symptoms, and our goal is to do that for people to maintain their independence as long as possible.”

McKinney said she doesn’t want to lose her strength, because she’s afraid once she loses it she won’t get it back.

She’s concentrated on popping those gloves against the sparring mitt and fighting back the disease. Despite the commotion of fans and rock n’ roll music coming through the speakers, she’s still creating her own echo in the gym. One! Two! One! Two!

“I’m not going to be defeated by this.”

To sign up

For additional information about Rock Steady Boxing at the Streator YMCA, go to streatorymca.org/rock-steady-boxing or call 815-672-2148 or go to www.rocksteadyboxing.org to learn more about the national program itself. The program is open to everyone at all levels of ability.