John Bowne Senior Brandon Nunez claimed the 99lb Championship at the Sal DiFazio Holiday Tournament at Half Hollow Hills East to lead the PSAL wrestling contingent during winter break competition. Nunez received a bye in the opening round before recording pins in the preliminary, quarter, and semifinal rounds. In the finals Nunez dominated on his feet, recording a 12-5 decision over Riverhead’s Mark Matyka.  

Read more: Nunez leads PSAL Wrestling Contingent at the...

Joseph Roy (right) at a NYC Mayor's Cup tournament.

Beat the Streets has produced a number of college wrestlers in the training rooms and tournaments at New York City. Joseph Roy, who currently attends Johnson and Wales in Providence, is one such student-athlete who got his wrestling start in the city.

Read more: Hard Work Pays: BTS Alumnus Joseph Roy Wrestles...

On Sunday, December 11, Beat the Streets partnered with the Jefferson Awards Foundation for their “Students In Action” program. The Jefferson Awards Foundation provided a Fall installment of this program that was exclusive to a cohort of 40 BTS Junior League Wrestlers.

Read more: BTS Junior League Wrestlers Begin “Students In...

On Saturday, December 3, Beat the Streets launched the first installment of the College Clinic Series. Held at the Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn, the clinic was preceded by a dual meet between the Hunter College and New York University wrestling teams. BTS student-athletes watched on as NYU won 46-12.

Read more: BTS Launches College Clinic Series with NYU vs...

On Sunday, December 4, around 40 Beat the Streets kids took to the Long Beach Gladiator Youth Tournament. Not only did BTS student-athletes compete in this co-ed event, but they medaled in almost every weight class in which they wrestled.

“When wrestling out of the city, some of our kids can get a little phased or overwhelmed since they are usually wrestling more experienced kids that have already been wrestling for years by now,” said BTS coach Penn Gottfried.

Read more: BTS Wrestlers Saluted at Long Beach Gladiator...

Save the date: Beat the Streets’ 4th annual Gotham City Girls Open, sponsored by Cliff Keen, will be taking place on April 22-23, 2017. Expect a high level of competition and thrilling matches that will pit NYC student-athletes against some of their top contenders from around the world.

Over the past four years, the Open has grown to become a premier event, featuring ever-growing numbers, national and international competitors, and has served as the birthplace for opportunities for some of our country’s National, Pan Am, and World Team Champions and All-Americans. Cliff Keen, one of the nation’s top producers of wrestling gear, has chosen to sponsor the event.

Read more: Gotham City Girls Open Returns to NYC, April 22-23

On Saturday and Sunday December 3rd-4th, the Bryant Winter Dual Classic will take place at W.C. Bryant High School in Queens. Wrestlers will be coming from as far as Oklahoma to take part in this exciting event.

The tournament will be broadcast on NFHS Network. Matches begin at 9:00 AM both days, with J.V. competitions taking place between Varsity matches.

Read more: Bryant Winter Dual Classic Promises Excitement,...

Jaden Olivier is a top student in the fifth grade at Excellence Boys Charter School in Brooklyn, serving as the accountant for his school and wrestling his way to good tournament results. Olivier is proof that a student-athlete can be a leader on and off the mat.

Olivier first got involved in wrestled when he was in the 4th grade, training for 5th grade in the Excellence Boys wrestling program.

Read more: Jaden Olivier: Wrestling and Leading at an...

Photo credit Justin Hoch (jhoch.com)

On Sunday, November 27, Beat the Streets sent qualified middle school wrestlers to compete the Grapple at the Garden Youth Championships. 70 BTS kids participated in the tournament at one of the world’s greatest and most historic stadiums, Madison Square Garden. College, high school, and middle school wrestlers affiliated with BTS participated at every level.

Read more: BTS Rocks the World's Most Famous Arena at...

On Saturday, November 19, 45 NYC kids and 5 coaches attended the Princeton/Rutgers Dual, an outdoor event witnessed by thousands. The competition took place on the football field at Rutgers University in New Jersey and was billed as the Battle at the Birthplace.

The event showed, according to BTS coach Penn Gottfried, “how popular and exciting wrestling can be. [Our kids] are used to a couple hundred people in a gym, but to see how big the sport and fan base is was special.”

Read more: NYC Kids Witness Top College Wrestling at...

This past weekend, 15 Beat the Streets student-athletes attended the Spartan Edge program in Boston, MA. During the November 12-13 trip, which was funded by the Public School Athletic League, the student-athletes participated in a leadership course and a Spartan Race.

Read more: BTS Student-Athletes Push Through and Complete...

On Friday, November 11, 23 NYC kids gathered at the UPS Conference room in midtown Manhattan to learn about time management in the most recent Beat the Streets Life Skills course. The course was led by Kevin Boston-Hill, a certified trainer and speaker with over 20 years of experience in the educational field.

Read more: BTS Life Skills Class Teaches NYC Kids Time...

On Saturday, November 12, 30 girls and over 110 boys gathered at Truman High School for the Junior League City Championships. Top middle school wrestlers competed for the title of best in the city at this electrifying event.

The top girls teams by final point totals were Inwood Academy, WAX (M.S. 51), and Rocco Lorries (I.S. 72). The top boys teams were MSF Lions, EliteWA, and the Harlem Jets. 

Read more: Kids show competitive advances in Junior League...

Pictured above, from left to right: Timur, Anas, Mirzo, Damir, Ardasher, Asadbek, Mavlon, and Anusher of the Cunningham JHS team.

Wrestling culture is strong in Uzbekistan, and it’s just as strong among a small group of NYC kids with roots in the Central Asian nation.

Asadbek Alamov, Damir Shavkatov, Timur Yuldashev, Mavlon Ruziyev, and Mirzo Mirzavaliev are all Uzbek wrestlers on the team at Cunningham Junior High School in Brooklyn.

Read more: Uzbek Student-Athletes Stick Together at...

The Beat the Streets team is welcoming Jeff Marsh as Chapter Relations Coordinator. Marsh is set to provide consultation and outreach to BTS chapters and affiliates on management, governance, and organizational structure. His duties will include traveling to and communicating with the various BTS chapters across the country, serving as a liaison with the National Board to better develop collaboration and growth of the programs.

Read more: BTS Welcomes Jeff Marsh as Chapter Relations...

The following press release is distributed by The Friends of Long Island Wrestling.

Mo Tavakolian is universally recognized as an integral force on the international wrestling scene.  His global accomplishments, whether on behalf of seasoned Olympic wrestlers or young children experiencing our sport for the first time, serve as a world-wide commemoration to the great sport of wrestling.  Wrestling federations throughout the world attest to Mo’s impact in advancing our sport and enhancing opportunities for wrestling participants all over the globe.

Read more: BTS Board Member Hooman 'Mo' Tavakolian to be...

On Wednesday, October 12, BTS alumnus Ahmed Elsayed received his white coat from Brown University. The white coat is a symbol of commitment to medicine and patient care and represents a significant milestone on this wrestler’s path to becoming a doctor.

Elsayed started wrestling as a freshman at Wingate Campus. He was always into sports and initially looking to play football, but when Wingate didn’t have a team, he made the decision to become a part of the wrestling family.

Read more: The Wrestling Motto: Life Lessons from Wrestler...

BTS wrestlers, many attired for Halloween weekend.

On Sunday, October 30, 40 Beat the Streets kids participated at the Danbury Pre-Season Folkstyle Tournament in Danbury, Connecticut. This co-ed competition saw a number of NYC kids take first and second in their weight classes.

One unique aspect of the Danbury tournament was that some of the proceeds went to benefit Sacred Heart University wrestling. Because of this, the whole college team and coaching staff was there helping out with the tournament.

Read more: NYC Wrestlers Score Top Spots at Danbury...

Beat the Streets is pleased to announce that Jaime Gray has joined us as Boy’s Coach and Training Center Coordinator.

Gray studied Physical Education at Wartburg College, where he was on three NCAA Championship teams and four NWCA National Dual teams. After his time as an athlete, he coached for two years while the team won the NCAA National title and the National Duals title. He will be attending NYU for an MBA in Sports Business starting in January.

Read more: BTSNY Welcomes New Training Center Coordinator...

On Tuesday, October 25, Beat the Streets held its Life Skills: Nutrition class. 27 kids made the trip to hear Oliver Lopez, a registered dietitian and BTS alumnus, speak about making healthy eating decisions. The event was held at the UPS building in Manhattan and hosted by Kevin Beinhacker, a member of the BTS Leadership Council.

Read more: NYC Kids Learn about Nutrition at BTS Life...