Daishawn Tilghman began wrestling in 6th grade at Belmont Charter School and was first accepted in the Mentoring Center in 7th grade. However, he did not come on a regular basis and missed more mentoring sessions than he attended. As an 8th grader, Daishawn realized that education was a key component to living a successful life. He began coming into the mentoring center on a weekly basis looking to improve his grades and receive guidance with his impending high school decision. Daishawn applied to schools with strong academic programs across the city and was accepted into Mastery Charter School.
The gap from middle school to high school is a large one, especially from an academic standpoint. The amount of homework increases, tests become harder, and teachers give students less leeway when they fall behind. This can seem daunting to many incoming freshman, and it often takes them a while to adjust to the new standards. Daishawn, however hit the ground running. During his first semester of high school, he was constantly at the mentoring center staying on top of his homework and studying. He managed to maintain high grades, while still competing in wrestling. This season Daishawn is 17-6 and ranked 5th in the district at 220 lbs., a weight class typically dominated by upperclassmen.
While Daishawn’s wrestling accomplishments are certainly impressive, his academic achievements are even more admirable. Daishawn was named to the Mastery honor roll for the first quarter of the school year. Daishawn’s accomplishments in the classroom have earned him the honor of being named the first ever Mentee of the Month.
Author: BTSPhilly
Central Takes League Title Over Northeast: Spotlight on Youth Postseason
Last Wednesday, two Philadelphia high school wrestling powerhouses met again in the finals of the Philadelphia Public League Duals. Central High School and Northeast High School went head to head in the league championship for the 6th year in a row. Northeast lead the series 3-2, but Central was looking to tie it up by winning back to back league championships. While relatively new rivals on the wrestling mat, Central and Northeast hold the oldest public school football rivalry dating back to 1892. When these teams compete, there is no love lost.
The dual started at heavyweight, and after a decision and a pin, Central jumped out to a 9-0 lead. After a forfeit at 113, Northeast rattled off 3 decisions in a row to retake the lead. 15-9. However, those would be Northeast’s last wins of the night. Central senior team captain Ousmane Diarra won a 14-2 major decision at 138 pounds to got the ball rolling. However, the turning point of the match came at 145 pounds where former BTS youth wrestler, Lucien Anderson, pinned Hassan Ali, avenging his 3 losses to him last season. Central ran with that momentum, and closed out the dual winning the following final 6 matches.
While Central could have been considered the favorite on paper, no one would have predicted the lopsided 49-15 score. The Lancers won the matches they were expected to win, and with some strategic lineup juggling, were able to steal some matches that Northeast looked to be favored in. Northeast has been a model of consistency making the Public League finals each of the past 9 seasons, and will look to rebound strong at the individual Public League Championships February 17th and 18th.
In addition to the high school wrestling action coming up, the Beat the Streets Youth League is having their year end tournament on February 19th at South Philadelphia High School. This is a great event where young BTS wrestlers have the opportunity to gage their improvement over the course of the season by competing head to head against other wrestlers in a tournament setting. This will be the first official tournament for many of the wrestlers participating in the novice division. The novice tournament begins at 9 while the advanced tournament starts at 12.
Many of our advanced wrestlers will be looking to qualify for the Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling Youth and Jr High State Championships. This is the premier youth wrestling tournament in the state, and Beat the Streets has had numerous qualifiers and placers in the past. Jr. High wrestlers will have to enter the Marple Newtown High School qualifying tournament on Sunday, February 5th. The top three placers at each weight class will advance to the State Tournament on Match 4th and 5th at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena in Johnstown, PA. The youth qualifier will be at Malvern Prep on March 18th, and their State tournament will be on March 24th and 25th at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre.
The budding Philadelphia youth wrestling scene has already had a significant impact on District 12 high school wrestling, and will continue to do so in the future. These upcoming tournaments are a great chance to see future high schools in action.
Mikaela Estepp: December's Wrestler of the Month
Coming into the season Franklin Towne Charter’s new coach, Brian Swift, had some questions about his team. In particular, which wrestlers were going to step into leadership positions. Mikaela Estepp quickly answered that question. A senior, but only a second year wrestler, Estepp’s drive and work ethic made her an obvious choice for team captain. Swift said it was apparent from the very beginning that she was going to be a huge positive influence on the team.
“She brings an energy to the wrestling room. When we are doing conditioning she will literally grab a freshman and say “keep up with me”. She pushes those around her to push themselves and improve as well.”
Mikaela sets an example in the classroom as well as the mats. She is a member of the National Honor Society and was recently admitted into Penn State main campus. She balances her academic success while being a 3-sport athlete, also competing in lacrosse and earning All-City honors in field hockey.
This year she also spearheaded a fundraising effort to raise money for the program. After several hours of collecting donations in buckets on Aramingo Avenue, the team raised over $1000.
Franklin Towne Charter is off to one of their best starts in school history with a 10-2 dual record. Coach Swift credits Mikaela as being the “glue” that holds the team together.
“She’s an extremely moldable wrestler, when I’m showing moves, she’s always looking at the little details and trying to mirror them. She’s like a sponge absorbing the information, and she always puts 100% into everything she does. I wish I could put her heart and drive into every wrestler.”
Despite wrestling for a predominantly male team and league, Mikaela was still able to earn the starting spot at 145. This is a weight class above where she would normally wrestle, but she made the commitment for the betterment of the team. Franklin Towne Charter has 3 other girls on their roster, and with wrestlers like Mikaela leading the way, could very well see that number increase in the future.
Due to her leadership and work ethic, Mikaela is December’s Wrestler of the Month.
PPL High School Dual Meets Kick Off!
The Philadelphia Public League kicks off their first dual meets of the season today! Many BTSP programs will be going head to head across the city, and even more will be wrestling in tournaments this weekend.
BTSP is excited to see the progression of our middle school wrestlers to the high school level. Many of these individuals have been with Beat the Streets for years, and will hit the ground running with the skills they learned at their youth clubs.
We are also looking forward to watching our seniors enter the final season of their high school careers. Many of them have goals of making runs deep into the postseason, ultimately culminating with a spot on the podium at the state tournament in Hershey. Beat the Streets has come 1 match away from having a wrestler place at the states, but this year there are several wrestlers with goals of becoming the first. One of whom, Miles Lee, was a state qualifier last season.
There were several coaching changes this offseason, most notably former Edison coach, Fred Bachman, taking the reins at Lincoln. Bachman won a Public League Championship with Edison in 2010, and it will be interesting to see if his new team will be able to compete with the perennial powers of Central, Northeast, Mariana Bracetti, and Martin Luther King. Bachman will be assisted by Kesha Mahdavi, a former Iranian wrestler, and Greco roman and freestyle specialist.
Taking over at Franklin Town Charter is former Neshaminy coach, Brian Swift.
This will undoubtable be an exciting season, so be sure to follow along with us on our social media pages.
Thomas Jennings: November Wrestler of the Month
It’s rare to see someone with as much drive as Thomas Jennings, especially at such a young age. Thomas, only 11, started wrestling last season and was soon hooked. Many wrestlers, especially ones new to the sport, take the summers off, but that idea never crossed Thomas’s mind. 2 or 3 times every week he travelled to Penn Charter or George Washington to practice. While others were relaxing, he was developing new skills and honing previously learned ones. His coaches rave about his attention to detail and his determination to master moves. If Thomas doesn’t understand a move, he’ll try it again, and again, and again, until he can confidently execute it with no problems.
Thomas’s drive on the wrestling mat is fueled by a much bigger goal, getting a college education. His older sister plays soccer on scholarship at Kutztown University. Growing up in a competitive family, he uses that to motivate himself to get better at wrestling, realizing that someday he could use the sport to offset the cost of his own college education. While college is still a long way off for the 6th grader, he is already setting himself on track to achieve his goals. At any given practice this offseason, the coaches knew that Thomas would be there, putting in the extra hours to improve his skills. Thomas has already improved leaps and bounds from where he was last year, and his progression will only continue with the hard work and dedication he invests in the sport. He cannot wait to get on the mats and wrestle some matches this season to show the progress he has made.
When asked what he enjoyed about the sport, Thomas replied that he had great coaches that made him feel comfortable and confident on the mats. Thomas loves going to practice and being able to receive instruction from knowledgeable coaches that genuinely care about him.
Thomas’s drive and dedication have made him November’s Wrestler of the Month.
Being Thankful by Daishawn Tilghman
I am thankful for my loving mom. She helps me overcome challenges in my life. In seventh grade, when I was failing multiple classes, she helped me stay out of trouble and improve my grades. In seventh and eighth grade, she would sit with me down every night and help with my homework until it was completed. My mom is my backbone and holds me up when I’m ready to quit. When I was ready to quit wrestling several years ago, she was the one who had my back and told me to stick to what I believe in and tough it out rather than give up.
She is the person that constantly tells me the truth and will always steer me in the right direction when she feels like I am messing up. My mom will come to my rescue when I need her to. She will push me to my limits and beyond. I am not scared to talk to her about any issue I am having with the wrestling season or school and just about life. Therefore, I will always respect her. When I graduate college, I will get a good job and show her the world and give her what she deserves. My mom is a strong woman and I will always love and treasure her. Every time I think about my mom, I realize that I have a lot to be thankful for.
BTSP Receives the 2016 GSK Impact Award
Beat the Streets Philadelphia is honored to have been included as a recipient of the highly competitive and respected 2016 GSK Impact Award. This very meaningful award provides a grant of $40,000 in recognition of the awardees outstanding contributions to a healthier Philadelphia region. This gift has a very real impact on our programs and will allow us to alter the life trajectory of even more youth throughout the region.
You can view the full GSK press release below that includes information about the award along with the amazing work GSK helps make possible across the world through their philanthropic efforts.
GSK celebrates 20 years of a healthy and happy Philadelphia
Ten nonprofits will receive $40,000 to support youth sports, safety, housing, and other pressing community health needs
GSK [LSE/NYSE: GSK] today announced the GSK IMPACT Award Winners in a ceremony at GSK’s Navy Yard site. Ten local nonprofits were awarded $40,000 each in recognition of their outstanding contributions to a healthier Philadelphia region. This is the 20th anniversary of GSK’s awards program, which has honored and supported hundreds of nonprofits that improve the lives of Philadelphians every day.
“For two decades, we have recognized outstanding nonprofits in our local communities that build the foundation for healthy lives,” said Jack Bailey, President, US Pharmaceuticals, GSK. “This year’s GSK IMPACT Award Winners are delivering innovative solutions to real health challenges faced by our neighbors across the Philadelphia area, and we are proud to support their inspiring work.”
The winners are:
• Beat the Streets Philadelphia, https://btsphilly.org/ @BTSPhilly
• CeaseFire Pennsylvania Education Fund http://www.ceasefirepa.org/ @CeaseFirePA
• Domestic Abuse Project of Delaware County http://www.dapdc.org/ @DAPDelco
• Legal Clinic for the Disabled, Inc., http://www.lcdphila.org/ @lcdphila
• Philadelphia VIP, https://www.phillyvip.org/ @Philly_VIP
• Philadelphia Wooden Boat Factory, http://woodenboatfactory.org/ @pwbf
• SquashSmarts, Inc., http://www.squashsmarts.org/ @SquashSmarts
• Support Center for Child Advocates, http://sccalaw.org/ @PhillyAdvoKid
• Women’s Community Revitalization Project, http://www.wcrpphila.org/ @wcrpphl
• YWCA Tri-County Area, http://www.ywcatricountyarea.org/ @YW3CA
The GSK IMPACT Awards are one of several programs GSK offers as part of a commitment to building healthier communities across the US. The winners were selected by a panel of local and national community leaders through a competitive process. The nonprofits needed to demonstrate innovative and sustainable approaches to addressing at least one of the following health factors and measures: 1) Diet and exercise, 2) Education, 3) Housing and transit, 4) Employment, 5) Family and social support, and 6) Community safety.
In the Philadelphia region, the GSK IMPACT Awards are presented in partnership with United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey. (@PhillySJUnited)
“We are proud to partner with GSK to help administer the GSK IMPACT Awards because we believe that everyone in our community deserves access to the resources they need to live healthy lives,” said Jim Cawley, President and CEO, UWGPSNJ. “Partnerships like these are so valuable because together, we can do more for those in need than we ever could on our own.”
The awards ceremony will feature a keynote address from Dr. Donald F. Schwarz of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on the important connection between health and community. In honor of the 20th anniversary of the GSK IMPACT Awards, GSK employees will also vote for one of the winning organizations to receive an additional $10,000 and a trip to London to attend the UK GSK IMPACT Awards gala and a three-day skills-building workshop alongside the company’s UK/Ireland award winners.
The history of GSK IMPACT Awards:
• For 20 years, we have honored outstanding nonprofit programs that are improving access to health in and around our US corporate campuses in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with GSK IMPACT Awards.
• To date, exemplary US-based nonprofits have been honored with more than $9 million in GSK IMPACT Awards. Over the past 20 years, $6.6 million has been awarded to 165 local nonprofit organizations in the greater Philadelphia area.
About GSK:
GSK – one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies – is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. For company information visit: http://www.gsk.com.
About United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey:
United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey, serving communities in Pennsylvania’s Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties, and New Jersey’s Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May and Cumberland counties , is part of a national network of more than 1,300 locally governed organizations that work to create lasting positive changes in communities and in people’s lives. United Way engages the community to identify the underlying causes of the most significant local issues, develops strategies and pulls together financial and human resources to address them, and measures the results. United Way is advancing the common good in Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey by positively impacting the lives of people throughout the region in the areas of education, income, and health.
Join the conversation using @GSKUS and #GSKimpact.
Ousmane Diarra: October Wrestler of the Month
Ousmane Diarra is Beat the Streets Philadelphia’s October Wrestler of the Month. Although he didn’t start wrestling until his sophomore year, Ousmane’s skills developed quickly, a testament to his hard work and dedication in the practice room. As a sophomore, he spent time in and out of the lineup and finished the year with an 8-4 record. Just a year later Ousmane was the full time starter at 126 pounds compiling a 26-11 record finishing the season as the Section champion and a Regional qualifier.
Jeremey Julian, Ousmane’s coach at Central High School emphasized that it’s the work Ousmane puts in during the offseason that has allowed him to progress so quickly.
“I try to have all of my wrestlers doing stuff in the offseason, and that can be a real struggle. I know I never have to worry about that with Ousmane. In the middle of the summer he will be going to practice 4 or 5 times a week, putting work in every single day. His goal next year is to be a state qualifier, and he knows how hard that is. So he is doing everything in his power to get there. He even skipped a family vacation in order to keep up his training regiment. That takes real discipline. He’s a leader on the team and always does stuff the right way. When we run stairs he’s always one of the first ones done. After practice, he hops on the treadmill, and runs a couple miles to keep his weight down. Outside of wrestling he is a good student and never causes any problems. He does things the right way and never makes excuses.”
At Beat the Streets Trenton’s free clinic this past month, Ousmane won an exhibition match against one of the Trenton wrestlers. His skills caught the attention of BTSP’s Director of Wrestling Operations, Juan Ramos.
“For only being a second year wrestler, Ousmane has really good movement and activity levels. He doesn’t sit around and wait for his opponent to create action; he makes it happen. He wrestled really smart and stayed in positions where he had the advantage. He cleared ties really well and didn’t allow his opponent to control him with underhooks. He did a great job of scoring off his own opportunities as well as scoring off his opponent’s offense.”
Ousmane’s offseason dedication and skillful progression made him an obvious choice for October’s Wrestler of the Month.
Olympic Gold Medalist Kyle Snyder runs BTS clinic in Trenton
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.
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.