Author: Dan Altomare

9 BTSP Wrestlers Qualify for Fargo National Championships

Posted on by Dan Altomare

Over the past few years, Beat the Streets Philadelphia wrestlers have increasingly found success in Freestyle/Greco-Roman wrestling and this year was no different. After an exciting spring season of regional qualifiers, dual tournaments, weekend clinics, & practices, BTSP was able to take a team of 28 wrestlers to Central Mountain High School in Mill Hall, PA to compete in the Wrestling State Championships.
At the state tournament, the top three finishers at each high school weight class qualify for the USAW Freestyle/Greco-Roman National Championships in Fargo, North Dakota! All of the kids wrestled incredibly well & as a result, a record-high 9 BTSP wrestlers qualified for the Fargo National Championships this July! A summary of results is listed below:
Cadet

  1. Shermuhammed Navruzov (3rd GR) @ 132
  2. Reynaldo Garcia (2nd FS / 3rd GR) @138
  3. John Colburne (3rd FS / 2nd GR) @ 182

Junior

  1. Tatyana Ortiz (1st FS / 2nd GR) @ 106
  2. Steven Foster (2nd FS / 1st GR) @ 106
  3. Grigol Khochishivili (2nd FS / 2nd GR) @ 152
  4. Angel Garcia (1st FS / 1st GR) @ 170
  5. Jameel Coles (1st FS / 1st GR) @ 195
  6. Daishawn Tilghman (2nd GR) @ 220

Additionally, BTSP wrestlers had great success at the youth & middle school level. Below are the results for our young wrestlers:
Bantam

  1. Sanaa Rahming (3rd FS / 1st GR) @ 49

Novice

  1. Mark Effendian (2nd FS / 2nd GR) @ 135

Schoolboy

  1. Leo Petroski (3rd FS / 3rd GR) @ 125
  2. Bekhruz Navruzov (1st FS / 1st GR) @ 136
  3. Patrick Daly (3rd GR) @ 149

Lastly, Beat the Streets would like to thank all of the coaches who helped make this weekend possible! David James, JP Rosney, Mike Rahming, Tony Tolbert, Saviddin Navruzov, Khasha Mahdavi, & Ed Schneider. Also, we would like to thank coach Asror Mukhitdinov of Uzbekistan. Coach Asror is an internationally recognized wrestler & won this years’ Dave Schultz Classic!
Thank you to everyone who worked so hard all season long to provide kids with high-level wrestling experiences and a fun team environment to be a part of! In coming weeks, we’ll plan to do a ‘spotlight’ on each individual heading to Fargo this July so stay tuned!
Final results can be found below:
Freestyle
https://www.trackwrestling.com/opentournaments/MainFrame.jsp?newSession=false&TIM=1558630311961&pageName=
 
Greco
https://www.trackwrestling.com/opentournaments/MainFrame.jsp?newSession=false&TIM=1558629823999&pageName=

Fargo Preview

Posted on by Dan Altomare

PA team camp is officially underway and we’re now just a week away from the biggest wrestling event of the summer. In a few short days, wrestlers from across the nation will converge on Fargo, ND to compete for national titles in freestyle and greco-roman!
This year, BTSP is proud to sponsor a record-high 6 student-athletes who’ve shown tremendous commitment to the sport of wrestling this season. Below is just a short snippet with what you should know about each of our wrestlers
 
Steven Foster-106* (Greco-Roman Only)
This season, Steven has stayed busy. He’s placed 1st at the Germantown & Downingtown Regional Qualifiers, 4th at Northeast Regionals in East Stroudsburg, and 5th at the PAWF State Tournament in a very tough bracket. Steven has some really impressive wins against tough competition; it’s going to be fun to see how he stacks up in his first competition of this size.
The most impressive part about Steven?…It’s only his 1st season in the sport of wrestling! Steven has boxed at a high-level since his childhood and just decided to take up wrestling this season at PAL Wrestling Club. He’s caught on to the sport very quickly and improved markedly in a surprisingly short period of time.
Tatyana Ortiz-106
To anyone following BTSP, Tatyana Ortiz’s name should be practically a household name. Taty, as her friends and coaches call her, has been a staple of the Marianna Bracetti Wrestling team for 3 years now where she has had great success in folkstyle wrestling.
Taty is no stranger to national-level competition. This spring/summer alone, she’s competed in NY, MA, OK, TX, & VA at national tournaments. If she wrestles how we all know Tatyana is capable, there’s no doubt she can come home with some hardware!
For anyone looking to follow Tatyana, she’ll be competing in greco (yes, that’s against men & women) as well as women’s freestyle!
Zimir Rice-132* (Greco-Roman Only)
After placing 1st at regional qualifiers & 2nd at the PAWF State Tournament in greco, Zimir Rice a young man with a ton of potential. Not only has he competed a lot, he’s taken advantage of every single training opportunity offered to him and it’s no surprise that thing are working out for him.
It’s been so much fun to watch Zimir grow this season. After competing in the UWW Pan-Am Trials (East Stroudsburg, PA) & UWW World Team Trials (Akron, OH), this kid is just starting to realize how good he really is.
Angel Garcia-160
Angel is a returning All-American in Greco (3rd) and a tough loss in the blood round in freestyle last season was the only thing that kept him from becoming a double AA. This year’s different. He’s back for more; and he’s hungry.
In 2018, Angel has torn it up. He’s climbed the podium at the UWW Cadet Pan-Am Trials (GR-1st), UWW World Team Trials (GR-3rd), & PAWF State Tournament (FS-3rd/GR-1st). Needless to say, he’s among the nation’s elite in the weight class.
Angel is a real title contender in both styles and to anyone who has to step on the line opposite him, all I can say is….good luck.
Luis Morales-170
Luis has wrestled tough all season and it’s no surprise to see him as a part of this group. After suffering a hand injury near the end of his folkstyle season, Luis was unable to compete in the postseason or the beginning of freestyle/greco season; despite being one of the top guys at 152 in the NE Region.
So far this spring, Luis has placed in multiple regional qualifiers and wrestled very tough out at the PAWF State Tournament. Finally back and healthy, Luis is feeling confident and we certainly like his chances.
Daishawn Tilghman-220
Wrestling aside for a moment, we are incredibly proud of Daishawn. After suffering a significant knee injury during the 1st practice of the spring, Daishawn has spent the last few months getting healthy and he has yet to compete in freestyle or greco this spring. After a successful appeal to PAWF, however, Daishawn has been accepted onto the freestyle & greco teams!
Where many kids would have hung up their shoes for the summer and given up, Daishawn didn’t. His goal was to qualify for Fargo, and he wasn’t going to let difficult circumstances stop him from achieving his goal. He diligently rehabbed, worked out as best he could each day, and made it back on the mat just a few weeks ago. Since then, he’s been active at practice, the PRTC, & camps/clinics.
Daishawn qualified for Fargo last season, but was unable to attend. After seeing the jump he made in folkstyle this season, (he recently became the 1st Overbrook wrestler in school history to win a District Title) he can definitely make some noise out in Fargo.
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While we love having the opportunity to create experiences like these for our student-athletes that have worked so hard, the reality is that high-level competitions like these are extremely costly. This year alone transportation, entry fees, food, & lodging will come to nearly $10,000.
Without the generosity of donors and community partners, these kids would not have the opportunity to compete in an event like this. If you’d like to learn more about supporting our cause, you can visit our Donation Page.
To follow all the action live, visit FloWrestling

In Their Shoes – Tatyana

Posted on by Dan Altomare

My name is Tatyana Ortiz, and I am a Beat the Streets female wrestler competing at 106 lbs for Mariana Bracetti Academy.

“ It is foolish to fear what we have yet to see and know. “ – Itachi Uchiha

Before I get to telling you about myself, I want to brag a bit about the people that inspire me most in life; my siblings. One of five kids, I have two brothers and two sisters. Julio is 13, Julissa is 10, Julius is 9, & Taylinn is 6. Aside from Taylinn, the youngest, we are all wrestlers. After seeing them follow in my footsteps and become wrestlers, I realize that I am a role model to them. Knowing this,  I’ve always done as much as possible to be the role model they deserve. I’ve witnessed my siblings grow up and overcome all the hardships of coming from a broken family and being bounced around in the foster care system. They always stayed positive during the rough transitions of moving around with different families, and I really admire that. My siblings mean the world to me; they give me the strength to face life’s worst hardships,  and they inspire me every day to be the best person I can possibly be.

Unfortunately life has been far from easy for my siblings and I. From the time I was a little kid up until I was 16 my life was a wreck; and I didn’t know what to do. Our home was an unstable living environment to put it lightly. Neglect, drugs, and abuse were prevalent in my home, and we were pressured to keep it a secret so that we wouldn’t end up in the foster care system. I constantly feared for the safety of my siblings, and that fear outweighed anything else.

When case workers came to look at our home a few years ago, they took us away right then and there. Finding someone to stay with was very difficult. Seemingly everyone either didn’t have space for us, or didn’t even answer the phone. The ‘resolution’ DHS came up with was barely a  resolution at all. Julius & Julissa were sent to my friend John’s house, Taylinn stayed with her father (we don’t have the same father), and I went with Julio to a strangers house. I sat there and cried with my siblings that night because all we wanted was to be together and live happily. I had felt depression before, but at this point I felt it worse than ever.

You might be wondering what the silver lining is in all of this? For me, wrestling in Beat the Streets has been the only thing that has helped me through these tough times, and gave me something positive to focus on. At practice, I could finally feel happy and be worry free of all my actual problems. Along with that, wrestling made me feel normal because I was able to interact with people who had similar interests and make friends. Wrestling has truly been an incredible outlet. It has taught me so many things such as discipline, self confidence, self accountability and trusting in my teammates (just to name a few). Believing and trusting in others was very important to me because I’ve never had people I could trust before I started wrestling. Above all else, wrestling has taught me fearlessness.

With my senior year still ahead of me, I’ve already become the 1st ever female wrestler to qualify for the District XII Tournament & Northeast Regional Tournament. I am extremely focused on achievement both on the mat and in the classroom so that my siblings can see how chase their own goals and dreams. I plan on wrestling in college, studying art, and pursuing a career in art and theatre. I apply all of the lessons I’ve learned in the sport in accomplishing every one of my goals. While the individual challenges I face may differ, the motive stays the same; to be the best role model I can be for my siblings and to show them that no matter what hardships life throws your way, you can rise up.

When life is painful, it helps me  to remember how to be grateful. I am grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to compete all over the country and to meet amazing people. I am grateful for the support I have received from Beat the Streets in achieving my athletic and academic goals. I’m grateful for my school, Mariana Bracetti Academy for helping us put our home back together. I am grateful for my coach Matt McConnell for understanding what I went through and has always been there as someone to talk to. I am grateful for my very caring mentor, Marya Robinson, who has been like an older sister to me ever since she has entered my life.  I am grateful for everyone that has helped me get through my difficult journey. Lastly, I am grateful to everyone reading this, for giving me this opportunity to share my story. Without everyone I’ve met through the sport, through school, and through BTSP, I do not know where I would be in life.

Wrestling in Beat the Streets is something that will forever be in my heart. I will forever love the sport and the sport will forever love me.

May Program Update

Posted on by Dan Altomare

The past few weeks have been eventful here at Beat the Streets; to say the least. This past month alone, wrestlers traveled to New York City to wrestle in the Rumble on the River (hosted by BTS NY), to Chambersburg, PA to compete in the PAWF State Tournament, and participated in 2 freestyle/greco clinics hosted by BTSP! Below are just a few key highlights from each of these events!
The Rumble on the River was an absolutely incredible experience for the kids. Each year BTSNY wrestles a lineup against all other BTS programs in an exhibition format. This year, 3 BTSP wrestlers were selected to compete: Zimire Rice, Zaire Crawford, and Angel Garcia. Zimir and Zaire both won matches by TF, while Angel lost a close match to a tough opponent in Terrance Parks. Following the exhibition matches, the kids were invited to stay for the main event as Team USA took on Team Cuba! We were all very thankful to have had out kids included in the days events and want to congratulate Beat the Streets New York on running yet another fantastic event!
The following morning, 23 wrestlers traveled from Philadelphia to Chambersburg to compete in the PAWF Freestyle/Greco State Championships. At this arduous 3-day affair, the goal was simple; survive and advance. A top 3 finish at this tournament qualifies athletes for the Fargo National Championships, while a top 4 finish qualifies athletes for the PRTC. Everyone wrestled extremely tough and should be proud of their efforts this weekend. For many of our kids, this was their 1st season of freestyle/greco and it was very rewarding to see them grow. There’s so much young talent here, it’s going to be fun to watch the kids compete. For the 1st time in BTSP history, 5 members of Team PA will be members of our organization! With that said, we would like to congratulate & recognize the individuals who performanced exceptionally well this weekend:
2018 Fargo Qualifiers

  • Angel Garcia; 3rd FR, 1st GR
  • Tatyana Ortiz; 1st FR(W), 3rd GR
  • Zimir Rice; 2nd GR
  • Grigol Kochsivielli; 3rd GR
  • Steven Foster; *UWW NE Regional place winner

PRTC Qualifiers

  • Luis Morales; 4th GR
  • Jordan Tarlton; 4th GR
  • Jihad Phillips; 4th GR

2018 Youth Wrestling Medalists

  • Julie Ortiz; 3rd FR
  • Mark Effendian; 3rd FR, 2nd GR

In large part, what made the success at the state tournament possible was the support of the local wrestling community. On May 5th & 12th, BTSP hosted freestyle/greco clinics open to all at the PAL Center in Port Richmond. Wrestlers from the surrounding area were welcomed in to train with BTSP and learn from high-level clinicians. Chase Pami (PRTC), Garrett Hammond (DREX), & Coach Savi (CRS), were all very generous in giving up their time to show some great technique and help to prepare the kids to face elite competition. Not only are these individuals amazingly talented wrestlers, they’re fantastic role models for the kids to look up to.
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While all of this sounds like a lot of programming, there is still much more ahead of us. In just a few short weeks, BTSP will be preparing to send our 5 wrestlers to Fargo & a few others to wrestling camps. In order to support our kids in reaching their goals, we need your help.
This year, we’ve created a Summer Programming fund to support the programming our kids take part in over the next few months. If you have the capacity to give, your support will help kids travel to North Dakota and compete for a National Championship, travel to day camps sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania, and more.

Spring Programming

Posted on by Dan Altomare

Freestyle season is underway in Philadelphia! Wrestling continues with BTSP as kids all across the city will continue to compete in Olympic-style wrestling; freestyle & greco-roman.
This spring, BTSP will be sponsoring (3) training sites at Central High School, Belmont High School, & the Rizzo PAL Center.
Practice Schedules, Contact Information, and directions can be found on the The Teams Page.
 

March Program Highlights

Posted on by Dan Altomare

NHSCA Nationals (March 22nd-24th)

After winter reared its’ ugly head (hopefully for the final time) here in Philadelphia, 14 BTSP wrestlers were more than excited to make the trip south to Virginia Beach for NHSCA Nationals. Congratulations are in order for all 14 wrestlers selected to attend; as decisions were made based on, commitment to academics, wrestling success, and recommendations from coaches:

  • Tatyana Ortiz-JR (106)
  • Jayshawn Copeland-FR (120)
  • Tyler Mangan-MS (120)
  • Aboubakare Diaby-FR (126)
  • Zamire Rice-SO (126)
  • Reynaldo Garcia (126)
  • Mike Rubino-SR (138)
  • Jarrod Johnson-JR (138)
  • Naseen Pennington-SO (145)
  • Lucien Anderson-JR(152)
  • Xavier Rivera-JR(152)
  • Angel Garcia-SR(160)
  • Daishawn Tilghman-SO (195)

From great wrestling, to late afternoons on the beach, and quality time with teammates/friends, this was a memorable weekend for sure! From a wrestling standpoint, particularly nice performances were had by Tatyana Ortiz, Angel Garcia, Naseen Pennington who each had some impressive wins throughout the weekend. While ultimately our kids fell short of the podium, the opportunity to wrestle on one of the biggest stages in the sport was an invaluable experience! Heading into freestyle season, we are all very optimistic about the wrestling that lies ahead.
Lastly, BTSP would like to thank the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) and Beat the Streets-National for playing an instrumental role in making this experience possible for our kids. Opportunities like this keep our kids motivated, focused, and open their eyes to the world of wrestling outside of Philadelphia. Final brackets can be found on FLOARENA.
 
USMC Leadership Academy (March 24th)
This past Saturday, nearly 100 Philadelphia-area high school wrestlers came out to South Philadelphia High School for a day of wrestling and instruction from the United States Marine Corps! Beat the Streets has worked in partnership with the Marine Corps for a couple of years now in an effort to educate our kids and help to prepare them for life beyond wrestling.
PRTC Head Coach Brandon Slay, PRTC athletes, & the Bethea brothers led the wrestling technique clinic, while the Marine Corps educated wrestlers on leadership and the career opportunities presented by the Marines.
Overall, this was an awesome experience for our kids and we look forward to continuing to partner with the USMC in the future! To learn more about the Marine Corps, and the opportunities they have available, visit their website here.
 
Girls Folkstyle National Championships (March 24th)

In our final recap of March programming, BTSP would send a BIG congratulations to Jasintai Malliqui (Novice-75lbs) for her 3rd place finish over the weekend as the Girls National Championships!
Jasintai (or “T” as her coaches call her) made us all especially proud after losing a tight 5-3 match to the eventual champion, Zoey Utterback, and then rattling off 4 STRAIGHT WINS to take 3rd place! It’s never easy to wrestle back at any level, but to do it in her 1st experience in the national spotlight is downright incredible. T and her family should be very proud of a great end to a fantastic season!
Final results for the Girls National Championships can be found on FLOARENA.

NE Regional Tournament Preview

Posted on by Dan Altomare

Thus far, the 2017-18 season has been a year of tremendous growth for the Philadelphia Public League! A record-high 29 PPL wrestlers will make the trip this weekend to Bethlehem Liberty High School to compete in the PIAA Northeast Regional Tournament. Congratulations to all PPL qualifiers; you continue to make us proud!
Below are just a few of the most interesting storylines headed into the weekend:
 
106lbs–Tatiyana Ortiz (MBA)

Two years ago, Ortiz broke through barriers in the sport of wrestling by becoming the first female district qualifier in PPL history. In 2015, her qualification forced the Philadelphia Catholic League to change rules that barred Catholic school wrestlers from competing against females. Since that point, girls wrestling in the city of Philadelphia has grown tremendously; a large part of that is to her credit.
Fast-forward to this season and Ortiz is continuing to have a substantial impact on the sport. This weekend, Ortiz will become the first female wrestler to compete in the PIAA NE Regional Tournament as she is slated to face off against Matt Mayer of Bethlehem Catholic in the prelims. It will be interesting to see if the Archdiocese of Allentown follows suit with Philadelphia. A change to this ruling could be yet another step in the right direction for women’s wrestling!
126lbs–Reynaldo Garcia (MBA) & Zamire Rice (OVB)
126 is a LOADED weight class in the NE Region; with 5 guys ranked inside the top #15 by PA Power Wrestling. Within the weight class, however are two underrated wrestlers from the Public League with a lot of talent. Garcia & Rice have gone back and forth this season and given each other some great matches. This postseason, in fact, Rice’s only 2 losses have come at the hands of Garcia. It will surely be a lot of fun to see these two young guns put their aggressive styles to the test.
138lbs–Mike Rubino (NE)
At the beginning of the season, Mike won an appeal for a 5th year of eligibility with the PIAA. In his final season of high school wrestling Mike has shined with a 33-6 record. After a 3rd place finish at the District XII Tournament, it will be interesting to see if Rubino can continue to make the most of his senior season.
152lbs–Lucien Anderson (CEN)
A regional qualifier in 2017, Anderson hopes to make his first trip to Hershey this season. He has cruised to league and district titles thus far, and we are now anxiously awaiting this weekend to see if he can get over the hump.
 
 
160lbs–Angel Garcia (MBA)
Angel finished 5th in the region last year, only one win away from qualifying for the state tournament. This offseason, Garcia has worked as hard as anyone to improve his skills; highlighted by a 3rd place finish in Greco-Roman at the Fargo National Championships. While Garcia has seldom been challenged in a match this season, this weekend will truly show where he stands amongst the elite in this weight class.
 
195lbs–Daishawn Tilghman (OVB)
As a freshman Tilghman made the most of his 5th seed at the regional tournament and went 2-2 at regionals. After qualifying for Fargo this summer and truly dedicating himself to the sport, things feel different this season. After winning the 1st district title in Overbrook history in absolutely dominating fashion, Tilghman is primed for another deep run. A trip to Hershey is undoubtedly within reach.
220lbs–Jameel Coles (NE)
Jameel has been nothing short of spectacular this season and his record speaks for itself. With an unblemished 37-0 record, he won league and district titles with seemingly relative ease. Coles will look to continue that dominance this weekend, against a far tougher field of opponents. How high can Coles climb on the podium? Only time will tell.
 
Once again, congratulations to all PPL regional qualifiers and congratulations to all PCL qualifiers as well. Let’s go District XII!
To follow this weekend’s action, brackets/updates can be found here.

Philadelphia Public League Championships 2017-18

Posted on by Dan Altomare

Anyone in attendance at South Philadelphia High School this past weekend for the Philadelphia Public League Championships could see it clearly; this a league that’s on the rise. This years’ championships featured 136 athletes (the highest number in almost two decades) and the crop of talent is vastly improved.
        At these championships, the greatest excitement was at the 126lb. final between Reynaldo Garcia (MBA) and James Clacks (GW). It was a nail biting 9-8 UTB victory for Garcia that won him the outstanding wrestler of the tournament. These two wrestlers absolutely put on a show and deservedly received a standing ovation from everyone in the audience.
Other notable champions included John Santiago (MBA), Daishawn Tilghman (OVB), Michael Rubino (NE), and Sami Kakar (NE); each of whom improved from their 3rd place finishes in 2017 to 1st place finished this year. Wrestling is a tough sport; you get out what you put in. These four wrestlers put in the work necessary get better this season and it will be fun to watch them this coming weekend!
The league not only celebrates athletic excellence, but outstanding service as well. Prior to the parade of champions, public league chairman Barry Strube took some time to recognize a few outstanding individuals. Larry Arata (GW) was awarded Coach of the Year title for making his athletes better wrestlers and better people. Christopher Mullins (FKD) received the Bud Lindholm award for his service and dedication to improving wrestling in Philadelphia.
And finally, an emotional Stephen Lebron (PLB) accepted the Larry Imgrund Award. A senior at 145lbs, Stephen is an extremely deserving recipient of this recognition. On the mat, Stephen is likely to graduate at the most decorated wrestler in Palumbo history. He is a 4x sectional place winner and 3x district place winner (2x finalist). His coaches tell us he is a clear leader to his teammates and someone underclassmen can look to for guidance. Off the mat, he is even more impressive. Stephen’s cross-country coach reached out last week to tell us about how Stephen helped a teammate with severe autism complete a cross-country course and compete in an event this past fall. His coach tells us that without Stephens’ help, the student he helped would’ve been unable to participate. This is just one of the many magnificent examples of the type of person Stephen is. After humbly accepting the award, Stephen went on to take home the title at 145lbs!
Congratulations to all those who competed this past weekend and thank you to everyone who helped to make it happen! This coming Saturday, the District XII Championships will take place at Archbishop Ryan High School.
To follow the action online or to view bracket information, click here.
More photos from the Public League Championships can be found here.

BTS Fall Update

Posted on by Dan Altomare

October is here, and at Beat the Streets Philadelphia that means…ONLY 43 DAYS UNTIL WRESTLING SEASON! The PIAA wrestling season is nearly upon us and we couldn’t be more excited! With a new season comes a clean slate for everyone stepping on the mat. Last year’s successes and shortcomings are now well in the rearview mirror, and opportunity is all that lies ahead. With that said, here are a few updates on the opportunities available to our community; the opening of our Mentoring Center, pre-season training opportunities at PAL, and our Coach Development Clinic on 10/21!

Before we get to wrestling, we would like to announce that the Beat the Streets Philadelphia Mentoring Center will officially be open this Monday, October 9th! Mon-Thurs (3-7p), wrestlers enrolled in the Mentoring Menter will have the opportunity to work 1-on-1 with an academic mentor on a day of the week that works for them. At BTSP, we help student-athletes manage their studies, help them however we can, and prepare them for future success. Never been to the BTSP Mentoring Center before? No Problem! Contact Mentoring Director Ben Reiter (breiter@btsphilly.org) or call our office at 215-454-2255 to schedule an appointment and get started today!

On the mat, BTSP is already offering training opportunities through club wrestling at the Rizzo PAL Center in Port Richmond. Practices run Tues/Thurs (7-8:30p) and the room is already filled with wrestlers of all ages. For directions, and regular updates on the PAL Wrestling Club, check follow their Facebook Page.

Lastly, we have a PSA for all Beat the Streets Coaches. On Saturday, October 21st PRTC Head Coach and Olympic Gold Medalist Brandon Slay will be hosting a Coach Development Clinic at the University of Pennsylvania; FREE to all BTSP Coaches. To provide the best coaching possible to all of our student-athletes, we urge you to take advantage of this opportunity to hone your abilities as a coach and continue to improve. To sign up, Wrestling Director Juan Ramos (jramos@btsphilly.org) or call our office at 215-454-2255
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What’s been particularly impressive to this point in the year has been the excitement of our wrestlers. Since day one of the school year, our office has had many kids who are staying on top of their studies at our Mentoring Center and actively seeking out training opportunities wherever they can find them. These kids know that doing the right things in November leads to success in March; and that’s inspiring. It’s going to be a great season and we can’t wait to get things officially going!

In Their Shoes – Angel Garcia

Posted on by Dan Altomare

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. (1 Corinthians 13:11)

I was born in Fajardo; a large town in eastern Puerto Rico. When I was 2 years old, my parents picked up everything we had and moved to the United States. They did this because they wanted a better life for me and my 6 siblings (3 brothers & 3 sisters; I’m the middle child). Looking 14 years ahead, I now live in North Philadelphia and go to Marianna Bracetti Charter School as I’m getting ready to enter my sophomore year….but there’s much more to me than that. I’m Angel Garcia, and this is my story.
Growing up in my neighborhood has been anything but easy. Anyone who knows the area at all knows North Philadelphia is a rough part of town. Violence and drugs are almost a part of daily life and at every turn it seems there are people trying to drag you down. When I was younger, I was at risk of giving in to a negative lifestyle. At a pretty young age ‘friends’ (I use that term lightly) often tried to pressure me into making bad choices and every time I backed away they would call me names just because I wasn’t following their lead. Even though I made the right decisions, hanging around these types of people put my parents in a tough situation. My mom and dad would worry about me coming home late and being out in a rough neighborhood at night. Back then, I didn’t really care about hurting my parents. I remember coming home one night close to 1:00am and my mother yelling at me,

“Angel Damian Garcia, where were you all night!? I’ve been calling you, looking for you, and worrying about you. I thought you were dead!”

Instead of apologizing, I told her it was none of her business. Somehow, those words didn’t even affect me at the time. All I cared about was being tough and I thought I could do anything I wanted, whenever I wanted. That was before I found wrestling.
Wrestling changed my life and it all began in 7th grade. I was walking down the hall and arguing with another student and all of a sudden I lost control. The next thing I knew I picked this kid up and slammed him into the ground just as the teachers pulled us apart. One of those teachers was my P.E. teacher Mr. Greer. After telling me that what I did was wrong, he suggested that I think about putting my anger to good use by wrestling. Where a lot of teachers just saw a kid with a bad temper, Coach Greer saw potential. Later that week I went to my first practice and it turned out I was pretty good! I went to practice everyday and tried to get a little better each day.
I remember my first match like it was yesterday. On a Saturday morning at Drexel University I was matched up against a kid I called ‘Superman’ (I called him that because he wore a headgear with a superman logo on the side). I could tell right away he was more experienced and he was bigger than me, but I stayed tough and battled him all the way through the 3rd period. After a big thrown late in the match, I ended up winning the match by 6 points! In just my first match, I learned a really important lesson about wrestling; don’t ever let the way your opponent looks scare you, just wrestle. The rest of my 7th grade year I accomplished a lot. I competed on dual teams, won a few tournaments, and even took 11th at Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling States! My hard work and success continued throughout middle school and into my high school career.
My freshman season at MBA Charter was a success, but I’ve got my sights set way higher. As a starter at 152, I placed in some tough regular season tournaments, came within one match of qualifying for the PIAA State Tournament, and took 3rd at the Fargo National Championships in greco-roman. Entering this season, I want more. This season, I sat down with BTSP and wrote out my 3 goals for the season:

1 – Finish Top 3 at the PIAA State Tournament

2 – Double All-American at the Fargo National Championships

3 – Improve in close matches by being more offensive

Accomplishing these short term goals is great, but ultimately I’m looking toward my larger goal of competing for a Division 1 wrestling program; and it’s all a possibility because of Beat the Streets.
Despite living in a community filled with negative influences, wrestling gave me a positive outlet. The sport has taught me hard work which has driven me to focus on my studies, taught me discipline to help me make better decisions, and given me the perspective to set the educational goal of becoming a lawyer. Most importantly, since wrestling, I’ve grown closer with my family. I still can’t believe there was a time when I didn’t care about how my actions affect the people who care about me, but that is now way behind me. Today, we all share a bond that cannot be broken. I thank God that I was able to leave the old me behind and become the brother, son, friend, and teammate that I am today.
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Angel has been a part of Beat the Streets for four years now and it has been incredibly rewarding to watch this kid grow. We are all so proud of the progress he has made as a wrestler and person in such a short time. All of us here at BTSP have no doubt this kid is headed for greatness.
With that said, there are many kids like Angel who have the potential for greatness, but haven’t yet been challenged. We know there are kids out there we can help, but we need your support. If this story was compelling to you, please consider contributing to our cause. If you are unable to make a financial commitment, but would still like to help us in ‘Positively Altering Life’s Trajectory’ then please consider volunteering as a coach or mentor today.