Middle School Travel Team Update

As the 2014-15 regular wrestling season came to an end, The BTS-Philly Middle School Travel Team attended their final event at Paulsboro High School. The MS Travel Team consists mostly of student-athletes who participate in BTS-Philly’s Mentoring Program, along with other participants from across our various BTS-Philly sponsored wrestling programs who have demonstrated the highest level of commitment and consistency throughout the year. The Travel Team was assembled to participate in additional competitions outside of Philadelphia in order to reward those who have been selected for their hard work and expose these student-athletes to a higher level of competition. Each year the Travel Team competes in 4-5 events outside of their respective teams regular schedules, some of which have included prestigious events such as the VAC National Duals in Virginia and the Wildwood Duals. During the 2014-15 season, BTS-Philly’s Travel Team competed in the Malvern Duals, The North Penn Duals, The ICWL Duals, and the Paulsboro Duals. We believe that the Travel Team is a very important aspect of developing the sport of wrestling in Philadelphia overall. We focus on selecting the hardest workers for this team rather than the best wrestlers, though it is no surprise that often times the wrestlers who work the hardest are the ones have the most success, just as in school and in life. Furthermore, we are looking for student-athletes that are willing to put extra time not only to developing skills on the mat but those who are willing to go the extra mile academically, which is why preference for positions on the Travel Team goes to student athletes who participate in the BTS-Philly Mentoring Program. By rewarding the individuals who work hard both on and off the mat and taking this group to highly competitive events, the goal is to develop these individuals into leaders of their respective programs and build BTS-Philly’s wrestling culture to model these dedicated student-athletes. Though this team has taken their lumps through the years, we have observed a steady improvement at each and every event they attend – a testament to their hard work and dedication and the overall progress of each BTS-Philly program. This years’ season culminated with a third place finish at the Paulsboro Duals last weekend, where our student-athletes were finally rewarded with some hardware to take home!