Last Weekend Beat the Streets Trenton, in correlation with the Princeton chapter of the Wrestlers in Business Network, held a free wrestling clinic featuring Olympic gold medalist Kyle Snyder and Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan.
Saturday night featured several exhibition matchups between wrestlers from the BTS Trenton and Philadelphia programs. The featured exhibition of the evening was former BTSP assistant mentoring director and current George Mason assistant Canaan Bethea and former NCAA finalist and Princeton Regional Training Center wrestler Nick Heflin. Heflin won the bout by decision, but those in attendance appreciated the effort from both wrestlers. Following the matches, Snyder and Ryan both gave speeches on the importance of hard work and surrounding yourself with the right people. Jose Rodriguez, owner of JPROD DJs & Event Evolutions, generously provided MC services for the evening, and kept the event moving nicely.
Sunday morning Snyder ran the clinic which was attended by over 75 youth wrestlers. The Olympic gold medalist focused primarily on showing his signature “low single”, which he used to clinch his 2015 World gold medal. BTSP wrestler Ousmane Diarra wrestled in the Saturday night exhibition and attended the Sunday clinic where he worked one on one with Snyder perfecting his shots.
“In my match I tried ankle pics many times but was unsuccessful. The next day, in the clinic, Snyder dedicated the whole day to ankle pics and low singles. He personally talked to me and showed me what I was doing wrong. To me, it was incredible because this was an Olympic champion who was giving his time to me by watching and taking notes on my match. Not only that, but Snyder also gave good advice on matters off the mat. He gave a very inspiring speech about his own personal struggle and how wrestling helped him surmount the impediments in his way. Perhaps the most important thing I saw was that Snyder was still hungry even though he was already the best in the world. For an Olympic champ, he was very humble and thankful. He sincerely cared about making a difference and you could tell that everything he said was coming straight from the heart.”
This event wouldn’t have been possible without the efforts of Alex Bethea, head of the Trenton Youth Wrestling Club, and Mark McLaughlin, president of the Princeton chapter of the Wrestlers in Business Network, as well as the many other volunteers who contributed their time and effort.
Author: BTSPhilly
BTSP Wishes Canaan Good Luck
Beat the Streets wants to wish Canaan Bethea a huge congratulations on landing an assistant coaching job at George Mason University. Canaan has been working with Beat the Streets for almost 3 years now. What started as just volunteering to move mats for a tournament turned into much more. Before he left, he was serving as the Assistant Director of the Mentoring Program. Canaan was also instrumental in getting a Beat the Streets program up and running in his home town of Trenton. As a youth growing up in Trenton, Canaan and his brothers had to trek down to Princeton for practice which is what inspired him to start a program in the city.
“I think every inner city area could use a Beat the Streets program. What made me want to bring one to Trenton was the lack of opportunity for kids to get involved in wrestling. I was lucky that I had someone to drive me to Princeton when I was younger, but a lot of kids don’t have that support. Bringing Beat the Streets to Trenton was big because it exposed a lot of kids to the sport and gave them opportunities they wouldn’t normally get.”
In addition to his work with Beat the Streets, Canaan was also a resident athlete at the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center. He competes in the 86-kilogram freestyle weight class, and plans on continuing to train while coaching at George Mason.
Canaan is one of 9 children, and one of 5 brothers to wrestle for the University of Pennsylvania. During his career he was a 2 time NCAA qualifier, falling one match short of All American status his senior year. He was also an EIWA runner-up. He graduated with a degree in Psychology and was part of the African American Arts Alliance, the Black Men United Organization, and was a peer counselor in the Upward Bound program.
Canaan’s older brother Jaaziah wrestled at George Mason, so he was familiar with the coaches and the program and felt that it was a natural choice for him.
“I’ve known the program for a while, and I came to matches when my brother was here. To have coaches that have so much experience that’s all you can ask for and I’m excited to do what I can to help the program.”
Canaan plans on pursuing a master’s degree in psychological counseling which he wants to use to help others.
“Growing up with 9 children in a homeschool environment, I always had a brother there 24-7. There was always a mentality of supporting one another and helping each other as much as we could. I think that’s always stuck with me.”
Canaan is unsure if he will remain a wrestling coach after finishing his degree, but he knows he will always remain close to the sport in some capacity.
Fall Practice Schedule
Beat the Streets has a variety of times and locations for those wrestlers looking to fine tune their skills this preseason. The times and locations are as follows:
Belmont Charter School- 4030 Brown Street
Monday and Wednesday 6-8
Philadelphia Athletic League- 2524 East Clearfield Street
Tuesday and Thursday 7-9
Penn Charter- 3000 Schoolhouse Ln (In wrestling Room)
Wednesday and Friday 6-8
We are currently working on getting a 4th site somewhere in the Northeast, updates will follow.
BTSP Welcomes Juan Ramos as New Director of Wrestling Operations
Beat the Streets is proud to announce the hiring of Juan Ramos as our new Director of Wrestling Operations. Juan comes to us from North Carolina where he was running Killer Bee Wrestling Club as well as helping coach the North Carolina National Wrestling Team. He is a 20-year veteran of the United States Marine Corps.
Juan began wrestling his freshman year at Monterey High School in California. The son of a single mother in the Army, Juan moved around a lot growing up, and this was his first opportunity to get involved with organized sports.
“I think I gravitated towards it naturally because it meshed well with my personality. I really liked the idea of wrestling being an individual sport inside of a team sport. Your team could lose, but you could win, and and vice versa.”
By the time he was a senior, Juan was a California state tournament qualifier, a particularly noteworthy feat because despite being the largest state in the country population wise, California only has a single division tournament. However, Juan still felt unfulfilled because he didn’t accomplish all his goals in the sport. After high school Juan enrolled in the marines, and was eventually accepted into their exclusive “MECEP” program. The Marines paid for him to go to college while still retaining his active duty status. Juan chose to attend the University of Oklahoma where he joined the wrestling program under head coach Jack Spates. During his time in the room, Oklahoma won two Big 12 Titles and had a slew of All-Americans including several national champions.
“One of the requirements I had when I was looking at colleges was that they had to have a wrestling team. After high school I knew I wanted to continue wrestling, and I wanted to go somewhere I could walk on. I decided to push myself and went to a division 1 program. I picked Oklahoma because it was a great program with a lot of history.”
Now in Philadelphia, Juan can’t wait to get started in his new role.
“I’m looking forward to getting involved in the wrestling season, I want to be able to meet and interact with the kids and see where they are, and really witness the impact Beat the Streets is having on them. I’m looking forward to seeing the progress that can be made over the course of this season and long-term as well. I was the son of a single mom, and we grew up in the city. I feel like I can identify with the kids we are reaching out to for this program, and that I can be a personal example of overcoming the circumstances that you are put in at an early age. That is part of the reason I am so excited about this job, it resonates with me at a personal level.”
Pennsylvania has always been known as the toughest wrestling state in the country, however, Philadelphia has never been a hotbed for wrestling. Juan believes Beat the Streets will change that.
“Any time you get a dense population like a city there are going to be a lot of good athletes there. If Pennsylvania wrestling has been this good historically without really tapping into the population of athletes living in the city, imagine, how much better it can become once you start getting those kids wrestling. We want to build a culture where city kids are expected to win matches, and that’s a huge psychological advantage. Outside the city I hear people being dismissive of city wrestling, and I don’t think that will be the case much longer. In a couple years people are going to be saying, wow watch out for those Philadelphia wrestlers.
Juan is excited to move to the Philadelphia area with his wife, Tamara, and his 8-year-old daughter, Sofia. He also has a son, Juan, who currently wrestles at Iowa Lakes College.
“It’s exciting to be able to build something and to watch it progress over the years. I am very excited to be be part of the continued success of Beat the Streets and to push the organization further along on it’s path.”
Progression by Ousmane Diarra
Progression the fundamental need of all humans. Even from the beginning of time all we ever wanted to do was get better. From technological developments in our everyday lives to the creation of new vaccines, we s humans only want to improve. The desire for improvement also extends to the ameliorating personal skills. With the help of Beat the Streets facilitating my skills in wrestling and academics has been a lot easier.
I’ve always been studious, but when it comes to school I struggle with standardized tests. Beat the Streets has made it their goal to make me comfortable in a test taking setting. I’ve been getting help with ACT Prep and I can see how much I’ve improved day by day. This also applies to wrestling, I want to be great and finally realized the only way to achieve that is to create a foundation. BTS has given me that foundation. Wrestling is one of best sports because improvement is easily measured, Every match I’ve had I have only gotten better. With the help I’ve received this summer I know I can make it to states this year.
Foundation by Lucien Anderson
Foundation, the most important part of any sport. Before you can become great, or even good, you need a foundation. This is the biggest thing I’ve learned from the MLK youth program. The basics I learned made me the wrestler I am today. The wrestler who made varsity as a freshman at one of the best wrestling high schools in Philadelphia. The wrestler who will only get better because of his foundation.
I remember my first day at King, being told to get in referee’s position and being completely confused. At this point I knew nothing about wrestling. But after that day I had a stance, a beginners shot, and even a pinning move. Even know I still had so much to learn, I walked out of that practice feeling like I could have walked into a match. That feeling was only build on the things I had learned that day, my foundations.
Improve yourself this offseason! BTSP practices 4 times a week!
Beat the Streets Philadelphia is running offseason practices at several Philadelphia area high schools this summer leading up to the school year. Practice is held at Belmont Charter School 3:30-5:30 Monday and Wednesday and George Washington high school 11:00-1:00 Tuesday and Thursday. The practices are open to anyone who wants to come and improve themselves for the season. This is an excellent opportunity to train with division 1 college wrestlers, and even elite post collegiate wrestlers training at the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center. Practice is free to attend, and anyone who can make it is encouraged to come. Remember, champions are made in the off season!
Miles to Go
“I’m happy but not satisfied”, Miles Lee says as he reclines back in the the office chair across from me. It’s been a week since his stellar Fargo performance. Wrestling against the toughest grapplers in the country, Miles battled his way to double All American honors, earning third in Greco Roman, and Sixth in Freestyle. Most wrestlers would be thrilled with their success, but Miles felt that he could have done more. “It feels ok. I didn’t achieve the goals I set for myself, but I still had a good performance, which I’m happy about.” For the past 6 months, Miles has had two goals written down in a note on his phone: win Fargo, and win states. He would look at them throughout the day for motivation. It would give him the push to trek up to Port Richmond to get in his second practice of the day at the police athletic league, or to challenge some of the toughest post collegiate wrestlers in the country at his daily practices at the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center. These wrestlers are more skilled than him, they’ve been wrestling since before he was born. He still takes his licks, but everyday he is working and improving at an incredible rate. Miles is only a second year wrestler, and his skill level is mind boggling already. It is a testament to his incredible dedication and work ethic as a student of the sport. Most people would say a second year wrestler has no shot at placing at Fargo, let alone, winning it. However, Miles isn’t like most people, and he knew after falling two matches short of All American status in 2015, that he would make the podium in 2016. Just like he knows in 2017, he will be standing at the top. However, before Fargo rolls around again Miles has some new goals to add to his list.
“Next up is Super 32, which I want to win. Then hopefully I’ll get to go to Beast of the East. After that, I’ve got Escape the Rock, and then I’m gonna win states. After I graduate, I want to make the Junior World team, and then I want to win Fargo. After that I want to wrestle in college”. Many high school wrestlers heading into their senior season would claim to have such lofty goals without truly believing that they would achieve them. Miles believes with every fiber of his being that his goals will come to fruition. He also knows that the responsibility to achieve these goals falls squarely on his shoulders. It’s why when other wrestlers are taking breaks during the summer, he starts doing two a day practices the day after he comes home from Fargo. He believes that everyday he is not improving, he is regressing, something that he finds unacceptable.
Not medaling at last year’s Fargo was a turning point for Miles. “What really broke me was coming back from Fargo with nothing but my singlet and a gear bag. I looked around at all the PA guys riding the bus back with me that medaled, and I said I could do that. I didn’t want to feel that way every again, that I could have did something, but I didn’t”.
This year’s Fargo was another turning point for Miles. His combined Greco and Freestyle record was 11-4, and on his way to a third place Greco medal he rattled off three shut out tech falls in a row. “My mindset was totally different this year. I came here with a purpose and I knew I was gonna get a stop sign. I’m most proud of knowing that I can hang with anybody in the country. I wasn’t quite there last time I went to Fargo, but now I’m there, and I’m gonna keep working to improve.” Miles knocked off numerous state champs and nationally ranked wrestlers throughout the tournament and even caught the attention of Flowrestling, who ranked his run as the 4th biggest breakout of the tournament.
Miles had some help in Fargo, mostly coming from BTSP coach, Josh Dziewa who cornered him throughout the tournament “Having Josh in my corner, was an extra source of motivation for me. Late in matches I would hear him yelling, and that would keep me on my game.” Dziewa coached all the wrestlers on team PA, but made sure he was there for Miles and was in his corner during all 15 of his matches. “I’m really appreciative for Josh, and all of the Team PA coaches that helped me. I also want to thank all the BTSP coaches and just everybody that has been there, and supported me throughout my career.”
When I asked Miles how he reached such a high level of wrestling so quickly he told me, “Stay positive, pray, train hard, listen to your coaches and parents, and stay around positive people”. Super 32 in October is the next big tournament that Miles will be competing in, and he’s thinking about dropping from 195 to 182 pounds, although that remains to be seen. “This is only the beginning; I’m going to be doing big things this year.” When Miles says he is going to do something, he does it, and I have no doubt, that he will be doing very big things.
Fargo Roundup
The Beat the Streets crew recently returned from the National Freestyle and Greco Championships in Fargo, North Dakota. Tatyana Ortiz, Kyla Arroyo, and Miles Lee represented Philly proudly, as they wrestled their way through the grueling week long tournament. Tatyana went 0-2 in Women’s Cadet, but decided to bump up an age group and wrestle Women’s Juniors as well where she went 1-2. This was Tatyana’s first trip to Fargo, and the offseason experience will surely benefit her during the high school season. Kyla went 0-2 in women’s juniors in two hard fought losses. Kyla is one of the hardest working, most dedicated wrestlers in the mentoring program, and this experience will only fuel her fire and push her to achieve her goals. Next year she wants take top 4 in the public league, and win girl’s folk style states. She is looking forward to competing in at Fargo again next year, where she wants to take top 8 and make the podium. Miles Lee had the best performance to date from any BTSP wrestler. He competed in both the Jr. Greco and Freestyle divisions, where he took 3rd and 6th respectively. With a combined record of 11-4, Miles torched most of his competition, beating numerous state champions, and even a nationally ranked wrestler along the way. Although he didn’t reach his ultimate goal of being a national champion in both styles, Miles stellar performance earned him the honor of being selected as the #4 biggest winner in Fargo according to Flowrestling. With one year of junior eligibility remaining, Miles will have another shot at achieving his ultimate Fargo goals. With his work ethic, and steep learning curve, don’t be surprised to see him on top of the podium next summer.
BTSP and PRTC Say Goodbye to Coach Dan Mitcheff
After nearly a year of training, at the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center, former All-American, Dan Mitcheff, is heading back home to Ohio to take an assistant coaching position at his alma mater, Kent State University. Although the RTC wasn’t his first training spot, it will be his last, as Mitcheff has decided to hang up his shoes, and focus on coaching full time.
His international career started in 2010 right after graduating Kent State when he decided to immediately jump into the freestyle scene. Growing up he enjoyed both folkstyle and freestyle, but always gave a slight edge to freestyle. Mitcheff said, “I started freestyle in 8th grade and at first it was hard to make that transition because it was new, but for me I liked freestyle because the wrestling was based on your feet, and I was better on my feet… I liked freestyle a little more just because I like wrestling from neutral.”
Mitcheff made a splash early and placed 4th at the 2010 US open which qualified him for the world team trials. After graduation he was unsure if he wanted to continue his wrestling career, but his initial success convinced him to give it a go. However, he wasn’t sure exactly how to go about doing that. “Nowadays the sport is gaining more popularity and there are more RTCs and clubs that offer freestyle, especially I’d say within the past 5-6 seasons since I’ve been out of college. Colleges have more RTCs and training options now, but back then there weren’t as many, so basically I didn’t know exactly if I was going to continue with it or not.”
Dan spent another year, at Kent State, where he continued to attend school, help coach, and train. The following season he took a position as an assistant coach at Army. He assumed the position and continued to train for his international goals while there. However it was a tall order, “That was tough. You want to be a little selfish and work on yourself, but you also want to give back to the kids because that’s your job as a coach, and they’re your guys, and it’s tough to do both.” After simultaneously coaching and training for two years, he decided to go all in, and focus entirely on training.
“I didn’t have too many opportunities, but something came up at Cleveland State, and I’m from that area, so I trained there for 2 years did a little bit of coaching, but mainly focusing on training and lifting.” He finally had his opportunity to train full time, but he realized that he still needed to do one better to achieve the goals he set for himself.
“I mainly went with the Cleveland State guys, it was good they did a good job with what they had, but I knew that it wasn’t enough, and that’s what lead me to here, the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center, and it was a perfect situation, I had great partners, they had a lot more resources, they sent me different places, I trained at the Olympic training center and things like that. So that’s what lead me out here.” Mitcheff was in an environment where he got to wrestle with practice partners like former Iowa wrestler and Big 10 runner up, Josh Dziewa, and University of Pennsylvania’s 3 time NCAA qualifier Caleb Richardson. Tough wrestlers, whom would give him different stylistic matchups, and help him prepare for international tournaments.
Before Mitcheff, made the decision to come to the PRTC, he was already familiar with the Beat the Streets Program. “It drew me to the place that they were doing that here in Philadelphia. It was part of the package, the wrestling part and the resources they had were amazing, the other part was Beat the Streets which is awesome. It gave me a chance to be more than a coach, it gave me a chance to give back, I knew I wanted to do something like that”. Although familiar with the program, Mitcheff was unaware of the scope of BTSP.
“I had an idea of what it was, but I never knew how big the impact the program was having, lives are being changed, kids are getting opportunities to be involved in something, and learning, and growing. 18 schools are fully funded now, and that’s a lot of kids, and the impact that it’s having on the community is amazing.” He also thinks that the wrestling community should expect to see big strides in Philadelphia wrestling in the future, “I think the Philadelphia area is only going to get better, especially because the kids see the benefit of it. There are guys out there that are hungry and just want to keep getting better. You know even if you just have a few kids every year getting better, they’ve got the training center here, and they can get involved with that. I think it’s only a matter of time before they start reaching that next level.”
This year alone Philadelphia sent 2 wrestlers to the state tournament, both BTSP participants. While that number may not seem large, the Philadelphia public league schools have only sent 4 wrestlers total to the state tournament since joining the PIAA in 2007, and never 2 in the same year.
Although Mitcheff will have a lot on his plate next year as Kent State tries to fill the holes left by 2 graduating All-Americans, and balance a roster largely composed of underclassmen, you can guarantee that he won’t forget about his experience with Beat the Streets
“This experience has opened my eyes to wanting to give back more and being part of something bigger than myself, there’s a lot of people out there that just need a little help and little things can help change lives.”