Download Event Flyer

Saturday, May 12th 2012

• Open to all ages (5th grade thru Senior Division)
• Folkstyle and Freestyle
• Round-robin style, blocked by age, weight and experience level

For more information visit:
http://www.worldsportchicago.org/wrestling-fest.aspx

**Please Note: a 2011/12 USA Wrestling Competitor Card will be required to participate

Beat the Streets-Georgia, a 501c (3) nonprofit organization has initiated a funding program and will be seeking city, state and national grants as well as private/public resources to manage and maintain the rollout of new programs through 2015.

The Mission of Beat the Streets-Georgia (BTSGA) is to expand and develop kids programs in Georgia’s “at risk” communities. Teaching kids’ life skills through the sport of wrestling with an uncompromised commitment to safety, opportunity, character building, and physical training focused primarily on middle school age kids from “At Risk Schools”.

The “Beat the Streets Wrestling-Georgia” program has committed to help establish middle school programs in Georgia, focusing on at-risk students. The organization will attempt to foster the development of students by providing the resources to support an after school educational activity and aiding the academic environment of local schools and community programs alike.

The goal is to give Georgia at-risked students an identity and challenge, while building character, discipline and self-esteem. Above all, it will be a positive influence in their daily lives, along with the benefit of having fun while learning to deal with competitive situations.

The inaugural program in Georgia will be initiated at Radloff Middle School in Norcross, Ga.

According to Al Bevilacqua-Chairman of the Beat the Streets USA nationwide movement, “the program has taken a big step forward by securing the recognition and services of a USA Wrestling State Association like Team Georgia to implement and help to fund programs within their state.”

“Growing up in South Omaha I was one of those “At Risk Kids”. If not for getting involved in wrestling at Boystown in Nebraska I believe I would be dead or in prison as many of my childhood friends are. Wrestling taught me to work hard, overcome challenges and to set and achieve goals. These skills were critical in me becoming a success in business and as a community leader,” said Anthony Flatt, Chairman of the Georgia Amateur Wrestling Association and USA Wrestling’s 2010 State Chairman of the Year.

Under Flatt’s leadership, the Georgia Amateur Wrestling Association has in the past couple of years provided funds to help Shorter University, Treutt-McConnell College and Darton College to begin intercollegiate programs. The organization also helped sponsored the FCA Wrestling Summer Camp, and provided Georgia Public TV funding to enable the live coverage of the Georgia State High School Championships.

The entire Board of Directors of the USA-Georgia believe there are more than 100 “at risk” Middle Schools in Georgia. “This is within our mission of expanding wrestling in areas of the state of Georgia,” said Flatt.

USA Wrestling leaders are excited about this new initiative and the impact it will have on the lives of young people in Georgia.

“Beat the Streets is a wonderful program which has been very successful in many different areas. We are very pleased that our state association in Georgia is taking a leadership role in creating this program for the youth there. It will make a major impact,” said USA Wrestling Executive Director Rich Bender.

Team Georgia Wresting, the non-profit state affiliate of USA Wrestling. Visit the website for more detail.

For more information:
Contact Al Bevilacqua
e-mail- albevi@optonline.net
www.BTSUSA.org
Facebook- Beat the Streets USA

Ohio Colleges Beat the Streets in Columbus

Nine Schools will participate in the inaugural BTS – Fall Clinic Series

Kevin Schlosser; www.buckeyewrestling.com

The concept behind USA Wrestling’s Beat the Streets movement is simple, to promote wrestling in the local community while making a positive impact in the lives of the wrestlers they work with. To accomplish that mission they provide quality coaching and mentorship while creating opportunities to for wrestlers to train and compete. With those directives in mind the Columbus, Ohio Beat the Streets program is proud to announce their 2011 Fall Clinic Series.

“We are very excited to release the list of clinicians for our Beat the Streets fall clinics,” stated CWC head coach Brian Church. “Every Ohio Division I and Division II college with a varsity wrestling program will have a featured clinician for at least one night during the series. This is a great opportunity for the central Ohio wrestling community to learn from some of the best in the state.”

The 2011 clinicians will be Ohio University head coach Joel Greenlee, Findlay head coach Shawn Nelson, Kent State head coach Jim Andrassy, Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan, Cleveland State head coach Ben Stehura, Tiffin head coach Joey Simcoe, Ohio State associate head coach Lou Rosselli, Ohio State assistant coach J Jaggers, Notre Dame College assistant coach Jake Patacsil, Lake Erie College head coach Kevin Hoogenboom, and Ashland head coach Tim Dernlan.

“The wrestlers that attend these clinics will receive some quality instruction that has proven to be successful on all levels; from youth to high school and into college,” added Church.

The featured clinicians will each be giving a motivational speech focusing on the values that wrestling develops; setting goals in sports and in life; dealing with success and failure; working hard on the mat and in the classroom; and making choices that lead to positive outcomes.

“Every coach, like every wrestler has a different story to tell and a different path to success. We look forward to them each delivering an inspirational message that will motivate and help everyone to achieve their goals,” said Church.

The 2011 Beat the Streets Fall Clinic Series is sponsored by the Columbus Wrestling Club. All clinics in the series will be held on Monday and Wednesday nights at the Whetstone Recreation Center between 6:30 and 8:00. The first clinic will be held on September 19 and finish on October 31.

The clinic series is open to all members of the Columbus Wrestling Club and a limited number of spots are open to the general public. To keep the size of the clinic manageable and the mats safe, the CWC will pre-register up to 50 wrestlers before September 19 and fill the remaining slots with walk-ins before the first clinic. For additional information please download the registration flyer HERE. or visit the Columbus, Ohio – Beat the Streets website HERE.

By Beat the Streets USA

Brute Wrestling has donated over 3,400 singlets, 1,740 ear guards and 500 wrestling shoes to the Beat the Streets USA program.

The Brute donation, valued at up to $125,000, provides essential equipment to newly created programs, which are vitally necessary to launch a new program.

The mission of the Beat the Streets program is to expand wrestling by nationalizing the sport into every major city in America.

The 2010 U.S. census reflects the growth of the population moving back cities, with over 62% of the country now living in the top 50 cities in America.

The last frontier for wrestling is Urban America. Wrestling needs more wrestlers and America needs Wrestling!

Beat the Streets USA Chairman Al Bevilacqua testifies to the importance of the gift on behalf of the entire Beat the Streets initiative.

“This equipment is very valuable in the development of any new program, especially in urban schools where the lack of resources has always been an excuse not to introduce wrestling into the curriculum or afterschool program,” he said. “In order to sell a city school system on wrestling we must take the finances off the table especially in today’s economic downturn. Mats and equipment are the largest budgeted items in beginning a program.

“The Brute Wrestling donation helps other cities to consider joining the movement knowing that we have such great support from the wrestling community,” said Bevilacqua.

In the 2006, the New York City Partnership with the Department of Education, Mike Novogratz, the Chairman of the Beat the Streets Board in New York, made it abundantly clear that the organization would provide the mats, shoes, uniforms and other equipment.

Beat the Streets-NYC only wanted access to the schools and was able to secure 1,200 donors from 29 states to help expand the program from one inaugural middle school in 2005 to over 120 middle and high school teams.

Since last year, Beat the Streets USA has received inquiries from many cities seeking information on how to join the movement.

The cities involved now are New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, Milwaukee, Columbus, St. Louis, Norfolk and Hartford.

It is a simple formula: “Wrestling Needs More Wrestling and More Fans.” To reach the goals of this program, we need more help!

“Now, 4,000 kids new to wrestling will wear a new singlet and a new ear guard this season thanks to Brute. You will be amazed how much this means to kids in Urban America,” said Bevilacqua.

Follow the Beat the Streets USA program on www.btsusa.org, Facebook and Twitter

About Brute Wrestling

As the first U.S. company to sell wrestling products by mail order, Brute Wrestling originated in 1967 as the Henson Company, Inc. in the residence of its founder, Captain Josiah Henson. Today under the trade name, Brute Wrestling, the company continues to provide a complete line of top quality wrestling products and apparel to sporting goods dealers for amateur and professional athletic clubs and teams; and other buyers all over North America. For more information on Brute wrestling visit http://brute.com/ and follow Brute Wrestling on Facebook http://on.fb.me/BruteFacebook.

Please post on your individual Beat the Streets websites and encourage all the kids, coaches and parents to vote for Henry.

Wrestling needs more media attention and our national personalities can help us getting there.  BMW is a Olympic Sponsors and will be running commercials for the build-up to the 2012 Olympics.

We need a wrestler to be on these powerful marketing tools that brings validity to the sport.  The good news, “ you can vote as many times as you want.”

http://www.themat.com/section.php?section_id=3&page=showarticle&ArticleID=23826

Vote 2008 Olympic Champion Henry Cejudo onto BMW Performance Team in online contest

Fans can vote online for the last athlete chosen for the BMW Performance Team.

2008 Olympic freestyle wrestling champion Henry Cejudo is a candidate for the final spot on the BMW 2012 Performance Team. The BMW Performance Team has been organized to assist Olympic hopefuls in their quest for success.

Cejudo is competing against rower Ursula Grower and cyclist Evelyn Stevens for the final position. An online fan vote will determine who gets chosen. Voting remains open through August 13.

http://www.bmwusa.com/performanceteam

Help Olympic champion  Henry Cejudo with your vote, and help promote the sport of wrestling to the general public through BMW’s Olympic promotional campaign.

For Olympic champion Henry Cejudo, wrestling was a way up, and out.

“I was one of the Beat the Streets kids. Not necessarily here in New York, but I was a “beat the streets” in Phoenix. What I mean by that is that I was a kid that had to beat the streets before the, before the streets beat me, ” said Cejudo, 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist – Freestyle Wrestling.

And coach Bobby Douglas says “Beat the Streets” is making a measurable impact.

“If you take 8000 kids off the streets, you eliminate a big delinquent, delinquency problem, and I don’t think your mayor understands that. This Beat the Streets program is, hey it’s taking a bunch of kids away from the gangs, and it’s keeping them out of prison, ” he said.

And those who know wrestling say they know the sport brings discipline and focus to kids’ lives.

“Once you’ve wrestled in life, everything else is easy. I mean if you go through a grueling hour and a half wrestling practice, these kids can do this….you know, doing their homework, you know, getting their, uh, doing their chores, you know, doing just the simple things, that becomes easier, you know,” said Herbert.

“Once you don’t have a guy coming at you trying to put you and pin you down on your back. I mean, taking out, taking out the laundry, taking out the trash, that stuff’s easy…So it teaches you to make the right decisions. It shows you need to be determined, you need to be focused, you need to be smart, all on the wrestling mat. So all that stuff hopefully carries on into, you know, other things in life, ” he added.

Now, you might think these young athletes from tough city streets would be excited to wrestle under the lights on Times Square — and they are — but for them, Beat the Streets is about a whole lot more.

“You become a better student, much stronger, much faster, everything about you is going to change,” said Zimba Hamm, a student at I.S. 129 Middle School in the Bronx.

And the focus that wrestling brings is no longer just for the boys. Today, ladies are also hitting the mats, and reaping the benefits.

“I have a lot more discipline. I’m a lot more organized. Um, I’m better at speaking now, public speaking. I’m much more of a leader, much more of a leader now. I wasn’t much before, but now I am. I know how to channel all of my extra energy, ” said Nyasa Bakker from the High School of Public Service in Brooklyn.

“It’s really added structure to my life. My grades have been up. They’ve gone up since I started, ” added Amanda Jackson, a student at Scholar’s Academy High School in Queens

Thanks to Beat the Streets, street-fighting has taken on a whole new meaning in New York and inner-city communities throughout the United States, so don’t be surprised if you see wrestlers down on the mats, but looking up, here at the crossroads of the world.

Philadelphia

Beat the Streets Clinic featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer

Beat the Streets Philadelphia sponsored a youth clinic at the Shops at Liberty Place in Center City Philadelphia on Thursday March 11, 2011.   The clinic was run by Current University of Pennsylvania Assistant Coach and 2x NCAA Division I Champion Matt Valenti.  Kids from Wissahickon Charter School were in attendance for the event.  The event would not have been possible without the support of the Philadelphia Sports Congress which is part of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau.  The event was held as a way to promote our efforts throughout the city as well as the activities surround the upcoming NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships which are being hosted in Philadelphia this year.

Check out the article by going to the following link:

Young Grapplers Get Lessons in Life

Beat the Streets Wrestling Philadelphia is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that uses the sport of wrestling to provide a safe and nurturing environment for student-athletes throughout inner city Philadelphia, Camden and the surrounding region.  It is only through the support of our generous donors that we are able to continue creating opportunities for youth throughout the area.  Please consider making a tax deductible donation by going to the following link:

NCAA Makes $25,000 Donation to Beat the Streets Philadelphia

03/29/2011

The NCAA and the Philadelphia Local Organizing Committee make a meaningful contribution to Beat the Streets Philadelphia and included our young student-athletes throughout the entire 2011 NCAA Division I Wrestling

Milwaukee Beat the Streets /CityKids Wrestling

Roger Quindel

CKWC is now a proud affiliate of Beat the Streets, for our Fall Middle School League.

BTS serves a variety of wrestling interests around the NYC area, from summer camps to training centers. USA Wrestling is helping BTS go nationwide with urban affiliate programs.

CK PROMO VIDEO – Click here to see what City Kids Wrestling is all about!

Congratulations to the Eleven CKWC 2011 WIAA State Qualifiers!

The following City Kids Wrestling Club wrestlers  took first place at the 2011 WIAA State Regional Tournament hosted by Marquette University HS: From Bradley Tech HS, Ferriez Johnson (103), Luis Resendiz (119), Travis Smith (135), Rodney Daniels (140), and Vernon Rash (160); from Riverside HS: Darryl Guenter (130) and Montel Jackson (145); and from Nicolet: Chris Morrell (112) and Dakota Mitchell (140).

Second place qualifiers were Justice Parker (112) and Ledell White (215).

The South Side Scramblers Serve Chicago Community

The Southside Scramblers did their first community service project on Sunday, March 27, 2011. The kids served food to over 150 of Chicago’s homeless. Eighteen high school and elementary kids participated as well as had a great time and in the process broadened their horizons. They set up and served over 150 of Chicago homeless people. Then took a tour of Pacific Garden Missionary and saw how the homeless sleep, shower, pray and prepare to better their future. The kids felt like they did a positive deed and want to go back and do more projects at the missionary. They felt it to be very fulfilling. “This is one step in helping us developing these kids character and help building them in positive, contributing citizens” said Coach David Burchett.

World Sport Chicago Wrestling Festival Returns to Navy Pier on June 4th

Second Annual Event takes place Saturday, June 4th Download the Event Poster CHICAGO (March 23, 2011) – World Sport Chicago (WSC), in alliance with USA Wrestling (USAW), Illinois Kids Wrestling Federation (IKWF), Chicago Wrestling Coaches Association (CWCA), Chicago Wrestling Club (CWC) and Beat the Streets – Chicago (BTS – Chicago) are proud to announce the second annual World Sport Chicago Wrestling Festival to be held on Saturday, June 4th, 2011 at Chicago’s historic Navy Pier. Debuting in 2010 as Mayor [...]

Beat the Streets Detroit Fall Academy of the Americas Scrimmage and Thanksgiving Event

Beat the Streets Detroit Wrestling

The Beat the Streets youth wrestling program has been dedicated to improving the lives of at risk children and has helped hundreds of youths over the past 3 years. This program gives troubled youths something meaningful and fun to do in a city where few after school opportunities exist. The program focuses on building character, discipline and self-esteem, with the success of its mentoring components.

“BEAT THE STREETS” AWARDS GALA THURSDAY NIGHT IN NEW YORK RAISES OVER ONE MILLION DOLLARS FOR INNER CITY YOUTH WRESTLING PROGRAMS, NAMES NCAA CHAMPION ANTHONY ROBLES ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Staten Island Wrestlers Names Boys and Girls High School Wrestlers of the Year,  while USA Defeating Russia 5-2 In Dual Meet In Times Square before over 20,000 spectators

NEW YORK, May 6, 2011- Anthony Robles, who overcame the handicap of being born with just one leg to win the NCAA wrestling championship for Arizona State University this past March, was one of seven honorees at the annual “Beat The Streets” Gala held Thursday night at the Hard Rock Café in Times Square.  The Gala, which raised in excess of one million dollars for the program, capped an event-filled day that also saw the United States defeat Russia 5-2 in a dual wrestling meet under the bright lights of Times Square, before an estimated crowd of over 20,000 people. Robles was honored as “Beat The Streets” Athlete of the Year because of his inspiring story and the success he has had on the mat.

In addition to Robles, a tandem of high school wrestlers from Staten Island received Male and Female Wrestler of the Year. Vin Fischetti, a senior at Monsignor Farrell High School was named Male Wrestler of the Year after winning The Mayor’s Cup and CHSAA state titles and All-American honors, while sophomore Rosemary Flores of Curtis High School was the female wrestler of the year. Flores, who is the captain and only girl on the Curtis team, also captured the Mayor’s Cup and a host of state and regional girls wrestling titles this year.

The organization’s Atlas Award went to Allen Cornelius, a senior at Hostos Lincoln Academy in The Bronx, who won both the Mayor’s Cup and the PSAL’s Sportsmanship award this year, while Coach of the Year Awards went to Jean Brutus of Brooklyn Tech (High School), Angel Mercado of Curtis (Assistant) and Tyrone Webb of I.S. 129 in The Bronx (Middle School).

In addition to the award winners, 12 boys and four girls, who hailed from all five boroughs and excelled in wrestling and academics, competed in a series of preliminary matches before the USA-Russia meet in Times Square. Faces in the crowd included no less than 13 Olympic gold medalists, from defending champion Henry Cejudo to legends like Bruce Baumgartner, John Smith, DanGable, Rulon Gardner and Kurt Angle to celebrity supporters like Matthew Modine,  Ashton Kutcher and defending UFC champion Rashad Evans………………………..

Chairman’s Report

The Beat the Streets USA National Program is finalizing a proposal with the Bolton-St. John lobbying firm located in Washington D.C and New York City.  The contract will begin June 1, 2011 until May 31, 2012.

The Firm will be representing the Beat the Streets USA Program with the agencies of the federal, state and city governments.

The Beat the Streets Program fits very well in securing grants in the areas of Health, Crime Prevention, School Retention and Physical Fitness.

The goal is to expand the movement throughout the United States targeting the large urban centers of America with its millions of boys and girls without access to wrestling.

It is a “win-win” for both wrestling and America. We need more kids wrestling and America needs wrestling…

13 of the 44 Presidents in the United States have wrestling in their recorded by historians in their backgrounds.

We are experiencing a lot of interest nationwide from coast to coast with Los Angeles, Washington DC, Miami, Connecticut and Boston forming organizations as the first step.

The raising of capital is the key…grants to these new cities will help speed up the growth process.

USA Wrestling and several individuals and companies are helping to fund the program and if anyone wants to help they can contact me at 631-598-2281. We need to continue the program for a minimum of 3 years.  There is a lot of competition for these grants as there are so many worthwhile programs nationwide.

Lastly, we have launched the website www.bts.gear.com selling licensed gear for the Beat the Streets USA and Living the Dream Medal Fund programs.

All profits will go towards these two programs.  The website will also help the new and future Beat the Streets City Programs as they come online.

We are now offering the USA vs. Russia Performance Shirts from the Battle on Broadway..the link is

http://btsgear.com/beat-the-streets-apparel.html

BEATtheSTREETS- St.Louis

A reorganization of the program due to the illness of Artie Walls.

PURLER Wrestling, Inc. Working with  Beat-The-Streets USAW / STL
STL BeatTheStreets Youth Charities, Inc

One of the Top Camps in  America

http://www.ncaa.com/news/wrestling/2011-03-15/beat-streets-event-help-youths
Roger Moore, NCAA.com

Beat the Streets event to help youths

The NCAA and the Philadelphia Local Organizing Committee will donate $25,000 to Beat the Streets Philadelphia this week at the Division I Wrestling Championships.

In 2007, the intersection of Kensington Avenue and Somerset Street in Philadelphia was listed as the top “recreational drug” area in the city.

Rocky Balboa, the character played by Sylvester Stallone in the Rocky movies, was from the same area, a part of the city where it isn’t always easy to make ends meet.

For a pair of teenagers from the same neighborhood, wrestling has given them some short-term – and even long-term – goals.

“I never even thought about maybe going to college,” said 16-year old Jon-Carlos Melendez. “I got plans. I want to make it to [the] state [meet], maybe go to college later on.”

Melendez works with one of eight youth inner-city programs within Beat the Streets Philadelphia. On Tuesday inside the Wells Fargo Center, site of the 2011 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, a group of approximately 240 young wrestlers will take part in a clinic sponsored by Beat the Streets and the NCAA.

Melendez is also part of a group which will get to watch some of the competition and take part in a check presentation on Friday night. The NCAA and the Philadelphia Local Organizing Committee will donate $25,000 to Beat the Streets Philadelphia.

Some of the youth wrestlers will also walk in Saturday’s annual Parade of Champions before the championship finals.

“I’ve never been to anything like this,” Melendez said. “I’m really looking forward to it.”

Beat the Streets Philadelphia Executive Director Chris Hanlon, a graduate and former wrestler at the University of Pennsylvania, has been full-time since last August.

“Wrestling has done so much for me,” Hanlon said. “Being able to give back to the community, especially through wrestling Š this is a dream job for me.

“Being able to give some of these kids some structure, some goals to shoot for, it means a lot. Most of the kids in the program come from some pretty rough neighborhoods.”

Melendez was one of those kids failing school and getting into trouble.

“I wasn’t doing so well and they told me I should try and wrestle,” Melendez said. “I didn’t like it at first because it’s hard. But I stuck with it and now I like it. And my grades are a lot better.”

Hanson has seen that change.

“(Jon-Carlos) has only missed six days of school this year. It’s been a complete turnaround,” Hanlon said. “You can see that positive change. For most of these kids consistency is the biggest thing missing from their lives. Sometimes the hardest thing is to get them to practice, to keep them there. A lot of them have a low level of parental involvement.”

Lender Vega, a 17-year old, is thinking about maybe wrestling at a junior college or a smaller division school.

“I played soccer and my coach told me I should try wrestling,” Vega said. “It was real hard at first. I didn’t like it that much. But I kept coming out and I think it is a fun sport.

“It’s helped me out a lot. It’s good for me.”

Vega has even done some recruiting.

“I tell some of the freshmen that they should stick with it,” he said. “Over the summer I told them to come back and a lot of them did. It’s fun because of my teammates.”

There is light at the end of the tunnel for those who stick with it.

Clarion redshirt-freshman 149 pounder Anthony White attended North Catholic High School in Philadelphia. He won 23 of 35 matches this season in college.

“There are so many ‘ifs’ with these kids,” Hanlon said. “Seeing somebody like Anthony White in college, that’s an inspiration. It shows these kids that it can be done. Taking them to see the NCAA Championships, a high-energy event with this type of atmosphere, that’s going to have 18,000 people there, that’s going to be something new for most of them. Maybe that will inspire somebody else?”

“I’m pretty excited about this week,” said Vega, who attended a Philadelphia Flyers hockey game once.

Former NCAA champion Matt Valenti, a graduate of Penn, and Olympian Brandon Slay, also former star for the Quakers, will participate in Tuesday’s clinic.

“The guys at Penn, coach Rob Eiter, (Matt) Valenti, all those guys, have been a big part of what we are trying to do,” Hanlon said. “I’m excited about the next two or three years and where this program could be.”

Also in attendance will be Dr. Dan Gould, Director of the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports. The well-known professor of Applied Sports Psychology will have an interactive session with the participants.

The 2011 NCAA Championships will be special for the nation’s wrestling fans. But for a handful of inner-city youths from the Philadelphia area it might just be extra special.

America Needs More Kids Wrestling

Beat the Streets-Chicago sets goals to expand feeder programs for inner city wrestling

By Gary Abbott USA Wrestling 02/18/2011

Wrestling leaders in Chicago have announced a re-launch of the Beat the Streets Chicago program with a focus on growth and expansion.

Beat the Streets-Chicago is dedicated to teaching the youth of Chicago the benefits of wrestling and how they apply to success in the classroom, community and personal growth.

The program was created in 1997 and now serves 12 clubs and 18 elementary schools with over 1.000 participants, representing some of Chicago’s most challenged neighborhoods.

Brian Giffin, a leader in the development of the Beat the Streets New York program, now serves as President and Executive Director of the Chicago program.

“Our mission is simple, to expand youth wrestling in the third largest metropolitan market in the USA, provide learning opportunities to the student-athletes in Chicago through a summer camp program and expand the coaching base via USA Wrestling’s coaches education program. We can’t accomplish this mission alone,” said Giffin.

Giffin said Beat the Streets-Chicago set a campaign goal is to deliver 60 elementary wrestling programs by 2016 in coordination with the Chicago Public School League as a feeder program to the existing Chicago Public High Schools.

Long term plans include student mentoring and summer camp programs, with ongoing involvement in USA Wrestling’s coaches education. For more information go www.btschicago.org

Bill Crum named Chief Operating Officer for Beat the Streets Wrestling, Inc.

NEW YORK, New York (January 7^th, 2011) – Mike Novogratz, Chairman of the Board of Beat the Streets Wrestling, Inc. (BTS), today announced changes in the organization’s management structure.

Bill Crum, one of the organization’s founders and Senior Advisor since its inception, has been named Chief Operating Officer.  He takes over program supervisory responsibilities from Brian Giffin who moved on to the Beat the Streets-Chicago.

Crum is the former Vice President of USA Wrestling where he was a board member for 20 years and a former Executive Director within the Boys and Girls Clubs of America movement.  Along with Board members Rich Ranalli and Al Bevilacqua, former Treasurer Rob Schoenberg, and others, Crum founded both the Beat the Streets movement and Beat the Streets Wrestling, Inc. beginning with a springtime club in 1999.  Novogratz joined the movement in 2003. Since that time the organization has added 35 new High School Programs and 60 Middle School programs in New York City.  Additionally, BTS sponsors several city-wide training centers in the off-season as well as a program that has sent over 2,000 city kids to summer wrestling programs over the last four years.

Beat the Streets-Milwaukee and City Kids organization announces their Freestyle and Greco-Roman Spring Program

Learn to Wrestle. For Real  Tournaments available

• March 7 to May 1
• Life Skills training at practice
• Riverside HS, 1620 E. Locust St:
• Monday & Wednesday: 6 – 8 pm

Five other CKWC youth coaches also qualified for the high school state championships – congratulations to these successful role models on a great season.

• Ferriez Johnson (112 pounds), Bradley Tech HS
• Luis Resendiz (119 pounds), Bradley Tech HS
• Brandin Thomas (135 pounds), Bradley Tech HS
• Russell Palmer (215 pounds), Custer HS
• John Jude (285 pounds), Custer HS

CK PROMO VIDEO

Click here to see what City Kids Wrestling is all about!

The event was held in the Dodge Fitness Center in the famed University Gym on the campus of Columbia University.  Each of the kids who travelled to New York City were able to compete in exhibitions prior to the University of Pennsylvania vs. Columbia University collegiate dual meet.  Although many of our wrestlers are new to the sport, they competed exceptionally well and, more importantly, came back with fond memories of the trip.  Following the completion of the youth exhibitions, the youth wrestlers and their parents were able to watch the Penn vs. Columbia collegiate dual meet, which included a number of very exciting matches.   The experience exposed the kids to another college campus and encouraged their continued participation in the sport.

Beat the Streets Philadelphia strives to use the sport of wrestling to provide youth with an opportunity to develop character traits that lead to success not only on the mat, but more importantly in the classroom and in life.  We would like to thank Mike Torriero from Beat the Streets New York for organizing their teams and for securing a wonderful venue for the exhibitions.  We would also like to thank Columbia University for hosting our kids.  It is our hope that we can make this an annual event with wrestlers from Beat the Streets New York coming to Philadelphia on the years that Columbia visits the University of Pennsylvania for the annual match-up between the two teams.

Beat the Streets Philadelphia travels to New York City for Exhibition against Beat the Streets New York

Beat the Streets Philadelphia was fortunate enough to be able to send 27 youth wrestlers from the Wissahickon Charter, Martin Luther King Youth and PAL Rizzo Wrestling programs to New York City for an exhibition against wrestlers from Beat the Streets New York sponsored teams.  For many of the kids that attended the trip this was their first time going to the “Big Apple.”  The trip was a collaborative effort between Beat the Streets Philadelphia and Beat the Streets New York and was aimed at providing an opportunity for our student-athletes not only to compete against wrestlers from another city, but also to have the chance to visit another college campus.