In this episode with Jon Guevara, we discuss the upcoming Beat the Streets National Camp and Duals. Jon is the project manager for this event being held in Philadelphia for the first time. BTSP Executive Director Dan Altomare provides insight on what it means to host the event in the famous Palestra arena. A Beat the Streets Philadelphia reunion will be held during the Camp and Duals. Details can be found by emailing Dan at daltomare@btsphilly.org. Support the show

In this episode we talk with Dan Altomare. Dan is the new Executive Director of Beat The Streets Philadelphia. He succeeds James Mangan who has become the Executive Director of Beat The Streets National. Dan shares his background and involvement in the Philly Wrestling Ecosystem from his days living in the Philly Suburbs and attending Temple University to volunteering at the Police Athletic League. Dan has held multiple positions at Beat the Streets and he shares his experiences and vision fo...

Jimmy Lynch is deeply involved with athletics in the City of Philadelphia. As the Executive Director for the School District, he is responsible for overseeing all aspects of athletic programming from elementary through high school. Jimmy is also an Adjunct Professor at Drexel University and is the President of the Philadelphia Public League. He shares his experiences and thoughts about partnering with Beat the Streets. Support the show

Matt Valenti is currently the Associate Head Coach at the University of Pennsylvania. He will become the Head coach of Penn Wrestling beginning with the 2025-26 season. In this episode, Matt shares his experiences as a student-athlete, as a coach, and as an administrator at Penn. The programs he has helped develop are very similar to what Beat the Streets offers, but at a different level. Support the show

In this episode we talk with Reed Fullmer. Reed is currently a student-athlete at the University of Pennsylvania. He was also a Lead Mentor for Beat the Streets Philadelphia upon graduating high school. Reed grew up in the Philly area as resident of Radnor, Pa and a student at Malvern Prep.Reed shares the lessons he learned from his coaches and from his father. He discusses how he has used these lessons in his roles as a mentor and as a student-athlete.Support the show

In this episode, we talk with Beat the Streets Alumn Davian Waite. After wrestling for just two years in high school, Davian made the transition to college wrestling at Thaddeus Stevens School of Technology where he is studying HVAC.Davian shares his journey from Jamaica to Philadelphia where he attended George Washington High School. His story is an inspiration to anyone wanting to learn more about the impact of the Beat the Streets community.Support the show

Clinton Matter shares his thoughts about our organization from its inception until present day. Clinton is a co-founder of Beat the Streets and currently serves as the Chairman of our Executive Board. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania where he was a captain of the wrestling team. Clinton was recently interviewed by Ryan Warner on the Wrestling Changed My Life Podcast. That episode is #488 and can be found on most podcast hosting platforms.Support the show

Welcome to Season 3 and new co-host Kevin McGuigan. Kevin is the Director of Wrestling Operations at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also the General Manager of the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center and a Grants Coordinator with Beat the Streets Philly. In this episode, we introduce Kevin and welcome him to his new position as co-host with Executive Director James Mangan. Kevin has over 50 years experience in wrestling and shares part of his journey.Support the show

In this podcast episode, we get to speak with Kaya Sement, a Lead Mentor at BTS Philly. Kaya is a sophomore on the University of Pennsylvania wrestling team and brings tons of experience into the BTS room.Kaya first became involved in Beat the Streets as the Lifting Coach for the student-athletes. He soon realized that being a coach meant more than just teaching the student-athletes technique."One day, one of the kids came up to me and said, 'Can I ask you some advice?' And I was like, 'Yeah,...

In this episode of the podcast we are blessed to speak with Olympic and World Champion, Jordan Burroughs. Since moving to Philadelphia, Jordan has been instrumental in helping out around the BTS mentoring center and has been an excellent role model for our BTS youth. He brings years of experience at the highest levels of wrestling and inspires so many in our community. Jordan shares his motivations and impact with us on the show today, along with some amazing advice to wrestling parents. We a...

In this episode of the podcast, we have the chance to speak with Lender Vega, who works full-time at BTS Philly as the Wrestling Coordinator. Lender has a rich history with the Beat the Streets program.While we often talk about the intersection of academics and athletics, Lender’s story has an unusual twist. During a freshman year seminar, his teacher offered the students five extra points if they participated in a sport. Lender jumped at the opportunity and joined the wrestling team. Despite...

In this episode of the podcast, we get the chance to speak with Evan Barczak, a Drexel University wrestler who has been an instrumental member of the Beat the Streets Philadelphia community for the past four years. According to Executive Director James Mangan, “His role as a lead mentor really helped shape a lot of this programming over the last couple of years.”As a freshman at Drexel, Evan heard about the program from an older teammate and showed up to a pizza party event. He was immediatel...

In this episode, we speak with UPenn wrestler CJ Composto who achieved All-American status this March at the NCAA tournament. CJ is a regular at the mentoring center and speaks about how serving others lifts yourself up. It's impressive that he is able to balance Division 1 athletics and Ivy League Academics, while still finding time to help the student-athletes at Beat the Streets! Support the show

In this episode of the podcast we get the chance to speak with Regina Johnson who is not only a BTS parent, but she serves as the Athletic Director at Matin Luther King High School which is a BTS partner. Regina brings a fresh new perspective to the podcast and so many lessons from the BTS community. She has been an invaluable partner and we are so grateful for everything she does to serve the student-athletes of Philadelphia!Support the show

On this episode of the podcast, we get the chance to speak with Dan Altomare, the Director of Program Operations for BTS Philly. Dan has a deep and thorough knowledge of BTS programming from many different levels and is an invaluable member of the staff.Dan’s journey with BTS Philly began in 2015 when he was getting a degree in Sports and Recreation Management from Temple University. As part of his degree, he got an internship with BTS Philly. He thought it would just be a temporary assignmen...

In this episode of the podcast, we speak with BTSP alum Aboubakare Diaby about his experiences in wrestling, Beat the Streets, and mentorship. Aboubakare currently wrestles at Drexel University where he studies Mechanical Engineering. He talks about the importance of mentorship in achieving his goals and gives much credit to his mentor, former podcast guest Ousmane Diara. Aboubakare plays an important role in the BTS community and we are proud of everything he has accomplished on and off the ...

In this podcast episode, we speak with former Beat the Streets Philadelphia (BTSP) Executive Director Chris Hanlon. So much of the impact that BTSP can achieve today is due to his stewardship from a fledgling organization to a presence that currently serves 1,000 youth at 30 wrestling programs in the Greater Philadelphia area. Chris embodies the Beat the Streets spirit on so many levels. He is passionate about not only wrestling but positively altering life's trajectory.Support the show

Today we are joined by Ed Schneider who has helped influence thousands of young wrestlers over the years and helped positively alter life's trajectory. Ed was a coach of the Police Athletic Leave in Philadelphia, which in many ways sowed the seeds for the work that BTS continues today. And he has been involved in so many aspects of BTS from its very beginning!Support the show

Beat the Streets Philadelphia has some big news to announce.Our Director of Strategic Partnerships, Ben Reiter, will be moving on to a new role as the Executive Director of Beat the Streets National. While we are sad to see Ben go, we are immensely proud of everything he has accomplished and we know he will continue to do incredible things at the National level.“I just feel so grateful for my time with Beat the Streets Philly and I’m really excited about what the future holds for Beat the Str...

In this episode of the podcast we are joined by former Beat the Streets student-athlete Harold Anderson.Harold is currently a senior at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business where he is concentrating in Management. Harold has been able to leverage his degree to pursue the field of corporate social responsibility.Harold first discovered wrestling shortly after transferring to Belmont Charter in the middle of sixth grade. One day the wrestling coach approached him to join ...