The Roslyn area has not been home to a boxing champion, at least not in recent years. But it has one now. Drew Musumeci, a resident of Roslyn Heights, and a 13-year-old eighth-grader at St. Mary's in Manhasset, recently won the North East Region Junior Olympic Heavyweight title. The tournament was held earlier this year in Lake Placid. There, Mr. Musumeci handily defeated his opponent from Niagara County to win the crown.

The new champion comes from a boxing family. As such, he had a lot going for him during the tournament, especially his training. Mr. Musumeci is the son of Sal Musumeci, who manages the Westbury Boxing Club for the Nassau County PAL and the Nassau County District Attorney's Rising Star program. While fighting in Lake Placid, Mr. Musumeci had the legendary Al Gavin, cutman for world heavyweight champ Lennox Lewis, in his corner.

The Rising Star boxing program is located in Westbury and is open for both professional and amateur enthusiasts. District Attorney Denis Dillon included boxing programs as part of his Rising Star strategy to help fight off the lure of gangs. Mr. Dillon uses private money and forfeiture funds seized from criminals to help high-risk youth stay on the straight and narrow.

According to Mr. Dillon, character building is at the heart of Rising Star and the special team of prosecutors work to prevent crime by mentoring to young people and teaching them the natural virtues of temperance, justice, prudence, and fortitude.

"With the right coaching, boxing can be a terrific way to teach young people the virtues and help fortify them for the challenges that lie ahead in their lives," Mr. Dillon said. "It can also offer the kinds of physical challenges and sense of belonging that might make it, for some youngsters, an alternative to gang involvement."

While Roslyn Heights is not known for any gang problems, the immense physical challenges that boxing offers is one the young Mr. Musumeci is more than willing to take up.