Author: BTSPhilly

Davon Clark was a student at Northeast High School that regularly participated in offseason training opportunities sponsored by BTS Philly.  There was rarely an event or practice that he missed and he was willing to go to great lengths to achieve his goals on the mat.  Our staff became very familiar with his goals both on the mat and in the classroom and it was evident that Davon was a bright individual that had a bright future ahead of him.
Davon had his sights set on attending a number of highly regarded universities in hopes of obtaining a degree in Education so that he would have the chance to give back to the community where he lived.  He was a perfect candidate for our mentoring program and we successfully connected him with someone that was capable of assisting with preparations for his SAT’s.  Davon would regularly meet with his mentor multiple times per week to work on applications, prepare for tests and generally discuss his overall plans.  After a significant number of hours in these sessions, Davon boosted his scores by over 200 points and put himself in a position to be offered a number of scholarships to make his dreams possible.  Ultimately he chose to attend Penn State University- State College on a full academic scholarship.
Davon also excelled on the mat where he qualified for the regional championships and led his team to the Section championship as the captain.  Despite getting a relatively late start in the sport, he used his exceptional work ethic to put himself in a position to achieve his goals on the mat.  He is currently competing at the club level at Penn State and believes that wrestling provides the structure to be successful in the classroom.  Davon will be successful and we believe our support provided tools so that allowed him to leverage his work ethic into achievement of his goals.

On Sunday February 8th, Beat the Streets Philadelphia sponsored programs from the PAL Wrestling Club and Central Elementary(Allentown) had a chance to compete in an exhibition at Lehigh University. Prior to the Mountain Hawks’ pair of afternoon Duals against Harvard University and Brown University, wrestlers of both PAL and Central experienced college wrestling in its’ finest form.
Both programs were well-represented and showed great levels of support for their respective teams. Matches proved to be competitive throughout the event, with much support coming from teammates and parents alike. When asked about an event like this benefits PAL Wrestling Club, Head Coach Jim Mangan had this to say:
“Central Elementary, Coached by 3x NCAA All-American, Jon Trenge, helped create a perfect environment for everyone involved. The sportsmanship and camaraderie between a club that has just started (Central Elementary), and a club with 33 years of history (PAL Wrestling CLUB) was outstanding. Both teams had the additional opportunity to stay in Grace Hall to watch Lehigh compete against Harvard and Brown. These prestigious Ivy League schools helped to connect the BTS mission statement and commitment to the Student Athlete dynamic. Parents, Coaches and Wrestlers proved that this sport is about much more than just wrestling!”
In addition to competing in the famed Grace Hall, the kids were also encouraged to stay and root on the Lehigh as they competed against their Ivy League opponents. In addition to watching some of the most competitive college wrestling in the nation, the match between these programs also served as an opportunity to show the kids what it means to be a ‘student-athlete.’ By exposing these kids to such well-rounded individuals and introducing them to programs that truly value providing education in tandem with competition, this was an experience that truly embodies the mission of Beat the Streets Philadelphia.

“Altering life’s trajectory” is the vision of Beat the Streets, Philadelphia. This is accomplished by addressing student needs, not just athletically but also academically and socially.  This past weekend our wrestlers were able to participate in an All-Star event at Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania that encompassed all facets of this vision.
Friday evening thirty-seven BTS wrestlers participated in a National Wrestling Coaches Association Youth All-Star Dual Meet at Drexel University.  After wrestling on Friday, 140 BTS Philadelphia wrestlers were invited to participate in an All-Star clinic at the Palestra at the University of Pennsylvania.  In addition to the 140 BTS Philadelphia students, there were also 80 BTS wrestlers representing Baltimore, Washington D.C., and New York City.  The coaches who ran this all day clinic are all highly successful wrestling coaches at the collegiate and Olympic level. Allowing our students the opportunity to attend this clinic and to work with these coaches will help them this year as they prepare for the season to begin.
Another great component to the weekend was a campus tour around the University of Pennsylvania. Andrew Lenzi and Geoffery Bostany, both University of Pennsylvania wrestlers, graciously took time to escort the BTS wrestlers around campus and to get them excited about the prospect of college.  Many students involved in the program have never stepped foot on a college campus (even though some may live only blocks away).  When the goal is to alter students’ life trajectories, it becomes mandatory that we provide them with every opportunity to see and experience a wide array of universities, to encourage and foster thoughts that will challenge our wrestlers to succeed in the classroom and on the mat, and propel them forward in to college.
Finally, our students were able to sit on the sidelines together and cheer as they watched an All-Star match between two of the best current college level wrestlers.  While, watching excellent wrestlers is important and exciting, building relationships with each other is equally as important. Providing a space for our diverse community of wrestlers to build meaningful and impactful relationships with each other, will challenge and push them to work hard on the mat and in school on the path to college.
Many thanks go to the NWCA, the Wrestlers in Business Network and Brute for making the entire weekend possible for our students and for providing gear for each of them at the event.
If you are interested in getting involved in Beat the Streets Philadelphia or donating to our cause please visit our website at www.btpshilly.org/donate.

This week the Beat the Streets (BTS) Philadelphia coaches began their own training in preparation for the 2014-2015 wrestling season!  As wrestling season is quickly approaching, we wanted to take this time to present both a quick history of the organization and a brief overview of what is going to be happening for all of our BTS participants this year.
This year BTS will sponsor 20 different programs in Philadelphia and the surrounding area working with about 1,100 students’ total!  BTS is excited to begin a new program in Allentown this season at Central Elementary School that will be for 3^rd– 5^th graders.  Of the 1,100 students involved in the program, 75 have been chosen to participate in the BTS mentoring program where they receive extra academic support to enable and equip them as they begin the arduous process of applying for high school and college (to find out more about the mentoring program click here).
Another exciting change this season involves the Girls Wrestling Team.  This year there will be four sites where a female coach will be working directly with girls on the wrestling team, the sites are Mariana Bracetti Academy, Belmont Charter School, Wissahickon Charter School, and George Washington Eagle Youth Wrestling Club.  These four sites will host an alongside practice where they will only wrestle other girls.  These young ladies will also be given the opportunity to attend all-girl wrestling matches in the early part of 2015.
This season our students will participate in almost 90 different wrestling tournaments in the tri-state area.  This exposure is beneficial to them on an athletic level but also on a social level as they interact with their peers and work to develop their own sportsmanlike conduct. The vision of BTS is to alter the life’s trajectory for our wrestlers and the coaches and staff are committed to seeing that change happen both on and off the mat.  This year many of our students will begin the process of applying for high school and college and they will do it more equipped and prepared because of the lessons that they have learned from wrestling and their coaches at BTS.
Beat the Streets success is directly correlated to the generosity of its amazing Board of Directors and other generous donors.  If you are interested in donating money to BTS please click here.    Don’t forget to check back often for updates about how the season is progressing and interviews with the coaches and wrestlers.

On August 6, the Summer Scholars program took their student-athletes on a trip to the Franklin Institute, with the newly opened “Your Brain” attraction as our focus. Tying in the Mindfulness lessons of consciously thinking in the present in order to be more at one with yourself and the rest of the world, a visit through the interesting exhibit helped turn a Psychology lesson into a fun afternoon.

The students learned about the millions of connections throughout the brain. Finding out how rehearsal helps to strengthen neural pathways gave more meaning to practicing things over and over, both on and off the mat, and realizing how we react helped to shed some light on the different ways to deal with adversity in our daily lives. One of the rooms in the exhibit even gave kids the chance to climb through netted pathways that simulated how neural pathways worked!

The mind wasn’t the only concern during the trip. Our chaperones took the students throughout the whole Institute for a day of educational fun. From learning some shocking facts in the Electricity Department to imagining themselves in the Sports Challenge’s Legends gallery, there wasn’t a single moment of boredom. Check out the pictures below to see how the day went.












 

BTS-Philly prepares to wrap up our 2014 off-season training with the send-off to wrestling camp at Lock Haven University and our Fargo qualifiers’ departure to the national team training camp. The progress made by student-athletes who consistently practiced and competed during the freestyle wrestling season is a true testament to the value of year-round training.  While everybody can work hard during the regular season, those who continue to train through the spring and summer months make invaluable gains on their competitors who choose to take that time off. 

With that theme in mind, BTS-Philly recognizes the student-athletes within the Mentoring Program who will be utilizing their summer vacation from school to take part in our inaugural Summer Scholar courses.  These committed individuals realize the power of year-round training of both mind and body, and will be spending their free time this summer to get ahead in their academic careers as well.
The BTS-Philly Mentoring Center has partnered with teachers from School Lane Charter, Council Rock School District, and Mariana Bracetti Academy to run a 6-week summer course for 7^th-9^th graders.  The middle school summer course curriculum is designed to develop skills in both Math and Language Arts that will be conducive to success at the high school level, as well as enhancing performance on standardized tests such as the PSSA and SSAT.
The Mentoring Center has also partnered with an organization called Tomorrow’s Genius in developing a course for high school students. Tomorrow’s Genius operates remotely out of New York City, and creates a virtual classroom environment tailored to the academic abilities and specific learning styles for each of the students enrolled. By building skills in Math and Language Arts, the course promotes improved performance in high school classes, standardized tests such as the SATs/ACTs, and prepares students for college. You can learn more about Tomorrow’s Genius by visiting their website at www.tomorrowsgenius.com
Both the MS and HS courses will operate in a small group setting of 6-10 students per class.  A licensed educator and three teacher’s aides will run each class, creating an extremely focused learning environment with a high instructor-to-student ratio.  The teacher’s aides were selected from University of Pennsylvania applicants who have experience working as BTS-Philly near-peer mentors, and recently graduated BTS-Philly student-athletes.
Each class also includes a unit on mindfulness, a discipline revolving around mental awareness/preparation. These exercises promote the ability to focus and on both academic and athletic tasks such as “the big test” or “the big match.” The Summer Scholars program will also include a number of cultural experiences – fun and educational field trips to local establishments such as the Philadelphia Art Museum, The Franklin Institute, and more!