Kim Heikkila

Kim first walked into Uppercut Gym in 2005 and stayed until the gym closed in 2019. During that time, she took classes, sparred as a USA Boxing amateur boxer, competed in Unite & Fight, and became a certified level 1 coach and official. She was a trainer at Uppercut from 2010 to 2019 and taught a variety of boxing classes. Her goal was to give members of all abilities and backgrounds a fun and challenging workout while teaching them the sport of boxing.

Kim was also the program director and a certified coach for Rock Steady Boxing at Uppercut. Rock Steady Boxing (RSB) uses non-contact boxing training to help people with Parkinson’s fight back against their disease. She helped Lisa bring the program to Uppercut Gym in the spring of 2016, making it the first RSB affiliate in Minnesota. When the gym closed in June 2019, Kim helped merge Uppercut’s successful program, including its six coaches and 35 active boxers, with the RSB program at Element Gym in St. Paul, where she is now co-director and coach. She is grateful for the opportunity to continue bringing the benefits of boxing training to people with Parkinson’s and to help the program grow.

Though other sports have come and gone from Kim’s life – gymnastics, softball, tennis – she’s still boxing after all these years. She loves boxing for the way it challenges her physically and keeps her on her toes mentally. Outside of the gym she enjoys running, biking, stair-climbing, and doing Pilates. She is also an oral historian, author, and educator.

For more information about Rock Steady Boxing or to reach Kim, email her at kim@uppercutgym.com.