byw executive summary
TRANSCRIPT
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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
1
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
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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.
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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.
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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
www.bostonwrestling.org
Federal Tax ID Number: 44-4450102
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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]