BYW Executive Summary

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Boston Youth Wrestl ing

Executive Summary (FY 2012)

Prepared by: Jos Valenzuela, Executive Director

March 4, 2012

Revised: May 19, 2012

Boston Youth Wrestling PO Box 300264 Boston, MA 02130 T (617) 297-8079 E [email protected] www.bostonwrestling.org
http://www.bostonwrestling.org/http://www.bostonwrestling.org/


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Table of Contents

Executive Summary 1Objective

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Mission 1Why wrestling? 1Youth development and youth sports in the United States 2Our partnerships 3What People Are Already Saying About Boston Youth Wrestling 4

Student-Athlete Profiles 4What People Are Already Saying About Boston Youth Wrestling, cont. 5

Volunteer Coaches Profiles 5Budget 6

Supporting the future of youth wrestling in Boston 6Program Schedule 2012 7Contact Information 8

Boston Youth Wrestling | Executive Summary and Plan FY 2012 i


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Executive Summary

Objective

The purpose of this report is to explain the need for expanded youth wrestling opportunities in the City of Boston, as part

of a greater need for overall development of our citys youth towards improved academic skills, greater self-esteem,

improved health and nutrition, and the kind of goal-setting that leads to college preparedness and a successful career.

Mission

Founded in January 2012, the mission of Boston Youth Wrestling is to promote youth development in inner-city Boston

by inspiring personal, academic, and athletic success through the sport of wrestling. Our work will include: direct support

of youth wrestling teams in coaches in middle schools and high schools throughout the City of Boston; off-season

wrestling clinics during the Spring, Summer and Fall; training and support of coaches to expand the number of wrestling

programs in the Boston Public Schools; a training facility centrally located in Boston for wrestlers to train year-round, and

to receive academic and college support; mentorship opportunities for at-risk youth; scholarships for wrestlers entering

two and four-year universities and colleges.

Why wrestling?The purpose of youth sports is to provide experiences for future life activities by introducing the concepts and skills of a

myriad of sports available in the United States, and wrestling, the oldest sport, is no different. Young people are attracted

to wrestling because they have been practicing the skills of the sport from an early age. Our most at-risk youth (11-15

years old, especially) find wrestling engaging and fun, at a time in their lives when they begin to disengage from school.

Keeping these kids engaged in these activities eventually lead these students to understand the benefits the sport brings

off the mat, as well. The skil ls learned in wrestling are easily transferrable to the classroom, and college-preparedness is a

major focus of the sport, and not pipeline dreams, like professional sports. Young people are ready for more

programmatic interventions in Boston, and wrestling provides a tremendous opportunity for our citys youth.

Parents are attracted to wrestling because it is one of the safest sports with fewer serious injuries than football,

basketball or soccer. Thanks to the use of thick, foam rubber mats, a sole referee for every two wrestlers during

competition (to ensure safety), and rules that are written with the safety of wrestlers in mind (no punching, body slams, or

other dangerous, illegal moves), over 95% of injuries are limited to minor muscle pulls. Parents are equally attracted to

the sports egalitarian qualities wrestling is truly a sport for all. Sons and daughters are given an equal opportunity to

participate, regardless of size or shape all competitors are matched up based on weight, and often times at the youth-

level, based on experience and ability, as well. Parents can take pride in the success that their children enjoy.

Boston Youth Wrestling | Executive Summary and Plan FY 2012 1


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School administrators are attracted to the high levels of participation that wrestling offers to middle schools and high

schools. While sports like basketball often must cut players and can only serve 15 players at a time, wrestling has no

limit to the number of participants that can join a team in a given season. Varsity teams with more than 30 wrestlers are

not uncommon in high schools across the state. This all comes at a significantly reduced cost from most other sports,

with fewer equipment needs. Equally, school administrators appreciate the way that the sport helps to develop discipline,

fitness, and confidence in a way that is unique to almost any other sport. Wrestling targets, and is sought out by, our

most troubled youth, and serves a great need for schools seeking to create opportunities for these students.

Lastly, high school athletes in Boston, by and large, have been ignored by college recruiters for some time now. While

basketball and football players are competing with each other for ever diminishing roster spots and (the occasional)

scholarship, wrestling is a sport that is looking for determined athletes to prove their toughness on the mat and in the

classroom. Wrestling is one of the few sports from which Boston is not at a major competitive disadvantage when

compared to the suburban school districts. Investing in middle and high school wrestling in the Boston Public Schools

will bring respectability, pride and enthusiasm to Boston scholastic athletics once again.

Youth development and youth sports in the United States

According to a recent study on youth sports in the United States released by New York-based Up2Us, overall support for

youth sports activities and programs is in decline.1 However, the need for these same programs, especially those serving

youth in socio-economically disadvantaged communities, could not be higher. While certainly the economic climate

means that budget cuts are a necessary sacrifice that all must share, it is shortsighted to eliminate or reduce sports

opportunities for youth. Sports programs are cost-effective - while these programs only make up to 1 to 3 percent ofschool budgets, they engage up to 70 percent of students. Sports are a fundamental compliment to public education -

enriching and impacting health, educational, and behavioral benefits on youth.

Recent research reflects these benefits. Sports can be an effective strategy to curbing childhood obesity - students who

play sports are eight times more likely to remain active later in life, while non-athletes are 60 percent more likely to be

overweight than athletes. Meanwhile, in education, youth who play sports feel more connected to their schools, attend

school more regularly, and have higher educational aspirations - all positive attributes for fighting back against high

dropout rates. And finally, in behavior, we see equal benefits - youth that have a relationship with a mentor, like a coach,

are 46 percent less likely to start using drugs and 27 percent less likely to start drinking alcohol. These are just a small

example of the numerous ways in which youth sports improves and strengthens our communities.

Boston faces similar challenges to other urban communities around the United States, like budget cuts to sports

programs, and growing inequities for inner city youth attempting to participate in sports. In Boston, Up2Us looked at the

landscape of youth sports opportunities for Boston Public School students. In its report, it identified only three wrestling

programs - in the entire city. Wrestling is a cost-effective sport for reaching high numbers of participants - all whom

receive positive benefits and results in their health, education, and behavior. In this tough budget climate, i t is about time

that the City of Boston pay attention to the sport of wrestling for our youth.


1 Going going gone. Up2Us. 2011.


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Our partnerships

In order for Boston Youth Wrestling to succeed in its mission of expanding wrestling opportunities to the students of

Boston Public Schools and providing critical academic, mentorship, health, and other youth development services, a

multitude of partnerships have been worked out to support our work, with more partnerships being sought.

Current Partnerships

Beat the Streets

(USA Wrestling)

The mission of the Beat the Streets USA Wrestling Program is to expandwrestling in Americas urban centers by helping at-risk kids through

discipline, structure, while developing wrestling from the youth through

the Olympic level in these cities. The goal is to provide opportunities forboys and girls in the activity of wrestling, building lifelong skills.

Boston Center for Youth

and Families

BCYF offers a range of affordable programs including preschool, school-

aged &adult education, family literacy, youth employment, violenceprevention & intervention, senioractivities,recreation and enrichment.

BCYFs 35 facilities are located throughout Boston.

Boston Public Schools

As the birthplace of public education in this nation, the Boston Public

Schools is committed to transforming the lives of all children through

exemplary teaching in a world-class system of innovative, welcoming

schools. We partner with the community, families, and students to

develop in every learner the knowledge, skill, and character to excel in

college, career, and life.

Citizens Schools

Citizen Schools partners with middle schools to expand the learning day

for children in low-income communities across the country. By drawing

thousands more citizens into schools each year, were promoting

student achievement, transforming schools, and re-imagining education

in America.

Future artnerships Being Discussed

Boston Scholar Athlete

Program

The mission of the Boston Scholar Athlete Program (BSA) is to improveacademic achievement through athletics in the Boston Public HighSchools.This focus is based on the proven link between athletic

participation and positive academic performance. On the field, we striveto improve the scholar-athlete experience through equipment anduniform upgrades, and skills training, and conditioning.We provideregular instruction to the coaching staff to ensure they are properly

trained both in their sport and more importantly in the philosophy that acoach is a mentor. In the classroom, we strive to improve academic

performance and personal growth through mentoring, tutoring, summerjob placement assistance, and our College Readiness Initiative.These

collaborative efforts build skills, confidence, shape character, andenhance opportunities for success.



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Future artnerships Being Discussed

Boston Police Athletic

League

The Boston Police Athletic League, Inc. is an independent non-profitorganization dedicated to the positive development of the youth of

Boston. Through PAL, police officers and young people participate inathletic, social, and educational activities to learn more about each

other and their communities. PAL's youth programs help young peopledevelop self-esteem, leadership skills, and a sense of belonging, as wellas improve school performance, resolve conflicts, and occupy their out-

of-school time productively.

What People Are Already Saying About Boston Youth Wrestling

Student-Athlete Profiles

To better understand our programming and philosophy, just ask our student-athletes!

Name: Clayton Rodrigues School: Lilla G. Frederick Middle School, Dorchester, MA Grade: 6th Favorite Subject(s): Humanities Favorite Athlete: Lionel Messi (Striker, FC Barcelona) What Wrestling Taught Me: Teamwork. My team taught me to respect others and work as a team. In practice we had to work as a team to get things done.Respect: if you respect others they will respect you back.The meaning of winning and losing. Winning is a good thing but it can also be bad. If you win all the time you can't learn from the mistakes you make. If you lose, you can learn from your mistakes for next time.

Name: Javaughn White School: TechBoston Academy, Dorchester, MA Grade: 9th Favorite Subject(s): Math, English and History Favorite Athlete:Vince Wilfork (Defensive Tackle, New England Patriots) What Wrestling Taught Me: Wrestling has taught me a lot. Wrestling has taught me there are other ways to express myself and my feelings. Wrestling taught me how to control my anger into a way that I can express it. Wrestling taught me a lot that I thought I couldn't do until I tried.



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What People Are Already Saying About Boston Youth Wrestling, cont.

Name: Joscard Lucas School: Dever-McCormack K-8 School, Dorchester, MA Grade: 6th Favorite Subject(s): English Other Sports: Soccer, Football, Basketball What Wrestling Taught Me: Each time we dont do stuff well they just take you and help you get it right step-by-step until you get it right. Wrestling is different from basketball and soccer and footballin football you tackle and in wrestling you kind of do that but you use other methods to take down people.

Volunteer Coaches Profiles

And this what our volunteer coaches have to say!

Name: Andrew Erlagen School: Dever-McCormack K-8 School, Dorchester, MA Hometown: Huntington, NY College: Wesleyan University (CT) Favorite Athlete: LeBron James (Forward, Miami Heat) Why I Became A Teacher: To make a positive impact in the lives of even the hardest to reach students. My Experience with BYW: Ive enjoyed every minute working with the young athletes in the [BYW] program. Its funny that the students who benefit from BYW the most are those that usually struggle with behavior within the classroom.[The coaches] offer these students a disciplined experience learning a sport that is not largely offered in Boston Public Schools. Our students will graduate from our ten week program with a thirst for more! Name: Justin Lawson School: Washington Irving Middle School, Roslindale, MA Hometown: Westford, MA and Dorchester, MA College: Favorite Athlete: Kevin Durant (Forward, Oklahoma City Thunder) Why I Became A Teacher: I went into teaching is because I wanted to connect with youth in hopes for them to believe education is the way for prosperity in their lives and a way to be a mentor for students in the inner-city. My Experience with BYW: It was a challenging process but an amazing feat at the end. I was blessed with the opportunity to teach younger students the importance of wrestling and instilling in them discipline that they can take with them for the rest of their lives. I learned that wrestling is a lot more than a sport its a way of life and you can take many things such as discipline and teamwork and apply it to your real life rituals.



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Budget

Supporting the future of youth wrestling in Boston

2012 is an important year for youth wrestling in Boston! The budget below would meet the organizations goal of

supporting two new youth wrestling programs for the winter season 2012-2013.

Description Quantity Unit Price Cost

Wrestling mats for new programs 2 $3,000.00 $6,000.00

Equipment for new programs: wrestling shoes 25 $25.00 $625.00

Equipment for new programs: wrestling head gears 25 $10.00 $250.00

Insurance for new programs with USA Wrestling 1 $50.00 $50.00

Membership fees for new wrestling programs in Massachusetts

Youth Wrestling Association

2 $70.00 $140.00

Cleaning supplies and other equipment for new programs 2 $100.00 $200.00

Transportation (bus costs per competition) 10 $300.00 $3,000.00

Coaching stipends 2 $1,000.00 $2,000.00

Subtotal $12,265.00

Total $12,265.00



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Program Schedule 2012

Date Task

January Boston Youth Wrestling is founded. Board of Directors meets with Executive Director to set

goals and programmatic needs for FY 2012.

February Winter season 2011-2012 ends with final competitions for MIAA (high school) and MYMA

(middle school) tournaments.

March Two new middle school programs in partnership with Citizen Schools Apprenticeship

Program begin at Dever-McCormack K-8 School (Dorchester) and Washington Irving

Middle School (Roslindale). Programs will run for 10 weeks, culminating in final competition

between both schools.

April BYW and Boston Center for Youth and Families collaborate to start BCYF Club (at

TechBoston Academy in Dorchester) - open to wrestlers city-wide, with opportunities to

wrestle with Boston-based travel team in off-season competitions in Boston, Springfield,

and beyond.May BYW hosts Citizen Schools final competition for Dever-McCormack K-8 and Irving Middle

School. In addition, BYW will start the Boston Saturday Wrestling Clinics series hosted at

several locations around the city, with different coaches and college wrestlers

demonstrating technique.

June BCYF Club and Saturday Wrestling Clinics series continue.

July BCYF Club competes in off-season competitions, including Bay State Games and other

tournaments in Massachusetts and New England.

August Preparations for fall season 2012 and winter season 2012-2013. Wrestlers participate in

off-season camps.

September-October Hyde Park PAL Club begins fall practices. Coaches at middle schools and high schools inBoston begin recruitment and academic supports (in collaboration with Boston Scholar

Athlete Fund) for wrestling participants.

November Winter season 2012-2013 begins at middle schools and high schools across Boston.

December Begin preparations for 2nd Annual City Middle School Championships and 1st Annual

Metro-City High School Duals.



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Contact Information

If you are interested in getting involved with Boston Youth Wrestling by volunteering your time or making a donation to the

organization, you can contact us directly.

Boston Youth Wrestling, Inc.

c/o Jos Valenzuela, Executive Director

PO Box 300264

Boston, MA 02130

T (617) 297-8079

E [email protected]

www.bostonwrestling.org

Federal Tax ID Number: 44-4450102

http://www.bostonwrestling.org/http://www.bostonwrestling.org/http://www.bostonwrestling.org/mailto:[email protected]://www.bostonwrestling.org/http://www.bostonwrestling.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]

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