Beat the Streets - Baltimore

Friday, August 24, 2012 Volume 1, Issue 1

A Metamorphosis on the Wrestling Mat

by Gbenga Akinnagbe
it, but I didnt want to stick out, so I just followed their lead until the coach, Paul Hassler, called everyone to attention and introduced the new teammates. That first day of practice, my life changed. I had never even seen a wrestling match, but I immediately starting dominating my opponents at 171 pounds. I didnt have any skill, but I was pound for pound the strongest athlete on the team. Wrestling seemed instinctive to me. I also learned quickly. Wrestling is one of the worlds oldest sports, practiced by the ancient Nubian, Greek and Indian cultures, among others. All it requires is two people with the slightest bit of survival instinct. For seven minutes, the opponents use every muscle and every bone to dismantle each other. Strength counts, but most matches are won on leverage and will. Wrestlers try to take control in different ways, and are awarded points each time they put an opponent at risk of being pinned. They are taught that the legs and arms are pillars and, without punching or kicking, the goal is take out those pillars and control the opponents body and mind. Wrestlers push and pull to get past the opponents arms so they can attack the hips and bring the center of mass to the mat. Where the hips go, the body follows. Wrestling, like life, almost always rewards calculated risk. And acting is just that, a calculated risk. It is a profession in which it can be difficult to make a living.

Wrestling saved my life. That may be an overstatement, but only a slight one. It also helped me learn to be an actor. Mission BTS-Baltimore will endeavor to display the values of Honor, Pride, Dignity, Discipline, Selfless-service, and Perseverance in our daily practice and strive to impart these values on our BTS studentathletes and associates. With the support of family, community, and sponsorship, we hope to create a system that teaches positive life values through positive life lessons I grew up angry, living in a volatile home in Gaithersburg, Md. By the time I was 15, I had spent most of my school years in programs for troubled youth and I was fast on my way to becoming a thug. I wanted to return to a normal school, and I had failed on two earlier chances. In 1994, during my junior year, I spent two periods at Mark Twain, a school for troubled youth, and two periods at Magruder High School in Rockville, Md. Though I was glad to be at Magruder, many of my classmates did not make it easy. Mark Twain had a reputation for harboring future criminals, and students around Montgomery County called us Twainiacs. I wanted to get involved in sports at Magruder, but I was intimidated by the prospect of going out for football or basketball. The popular students played on those teams, and many had known and played with one another since kindergarten. I had never been properly socialized and I felt like an outsider. It didnt help that some called me a Twainiac behind my back. I dont know how I first heard about the wrestling team, but I remember being anxious all day before going to my first practice, with no clue what to expect. I waited in an upstairs classroom after the school day ended at 2:10 p.m. to avoid getting into trouble before practice. At 3 p.m., I walked in to a big square room with blue mats on the walls and the floor. Other wrestlers were trickling in to stretch and jog. I wasnt sure why they were doing

About us The Beat the Streets Wrestling Program of Baltimore a 501 (c)(3) organization. We are committed to providing a positive environment that nurtures physical and mental development through wrestling, mentoring, and tutoring program. Our goal is to develop a network of BTS programs throughout the Greater Baltimore areas schools and communities. Board of Directors
Lydell Henry, President Hermondoz Thomspon, Vice President Micheal Faust, Secretary Gbenga Akinnagbe, Board Member Tara Barnes, Board Member Lakia Bourne, Board Member Gerard Harrison, Board Member Byron Tucker, Board Member

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Beat the Streets - Baltimore

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A Metamorphosis on the Wrestling Mat

The training to become a wrestler sharpened and honed the internal chaos I felt so I could use it constructively. It gave me a special physical awareness of the world. And it helped me find my center, which is the key for any actor. To create authentic characters, actors have to strip away layers of themselves so audiences can empathize with the characters. A week after I joined the team, I won a wrestle-off for a starting position. After a month, although I was ignorant of most of the sports intricacies, I overpowered opponents in my first tournament, pinning two of them. I had never felt a rush like that. Students and teachers in the hallways would congratulate me on victories. The thrill that gave me rivaled the way I felt on the mat. Only after I started wrestling did I first experience people smiling at me when I entered a room. I think all change in life is painful, but nowhere was that more true than in the practice room at Magruder. I sweated pounds away, bled, broke a finger, taped it and continued. Actors endure a lot of rejection, but it is nothing compared with the pain of wrestling in a state championship tournament with a hand swollen to the size of a melon because you and your coach have an unspoken agreement that the X-ray can wait till Monday. After joining the team, my grades improved. I started to open up to others and I made friends. Wrestling taught me discipline and how to control my anger. Most important, it taught me that I was master of my own destiny. Bad things did and would continue

to happen to me, but I no longer had to be a victim. Wrestling also opened the door to college, and I was eventually recruited by Bucknell in Lewisburg, Pa. But those doors seem to be closing for others. In 2001, the year after I graduated, Bucknell discontinued wrestling as a varsity sport, part of the fallout from Title IX, the federal law that requires gender proportionality in sports. Varsity programs at Syracuse, Arizona and Auburn are among those that have been dropped as the number of Division I wrestling teams fell to 80 in the 2010-11 academic year, according to the latest N.C.A.A. figures. Fortunately for Bucknell, its program was reinstated in 2005 after a donation from a former team captain, Bill Graham, to support wrestling and a variety of womens sports so the university could continue to comply with Title IX. Although it drives my manager and my agent crazy, I still wrestle when I can. My last tournament was in 2007. I could not move the next day, but I won the 177-pound weight class. It felt great. Gbenga Akinnagbe, who works with youthfocused nonprofit groups, has recurring roles in The Good Wife and Damages.

Akinnagbe, far right, played Lorenzo in the 2010 film Lottery Ticket.

Ben Funky Askren visits Beat the Streets - Baltimore

On Sunday, November 20, 2011, Ben Askren visited Baltimore to for a Beat the Streets wrestling clinic. Ben is one of the most decorated amateur wrestlers in the history of the sport. His list of accomplishments includes current Bellator Welterweight Champion, 2008 Olympian, and 2x University of Missouri NCAA Champion.

Positive life values from positive life lessons

True or False: Anything boys can do girls can do better.

True! Madison is a 1st year wrestler and she loves it. Great season, Madison Woodard. Here she is receiving her award at McKim Knights Center Banquet.

BTS Newsletter
2012 Baltimore City Championship

Beat the Streets - Baltimore

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We are excited to announce our partnership with Baltimore City Public Schools. The following schools will start new programs in the Fall 2012: 1. Booker T. Washington Elementary/Middle School 2. George Washington Elementary School 3. Westside Elementary School 4. Cherry Hill Elementary/Middle School 5. Paul Laurence Dunbar High School 6. Citysprings Elementary/Middle School 7. Franklin Square Elementary/Middle School (tentative) 8. Maritime Academy High School We are excited about the new 2012-2013 school year. We are looking forward to developing our mentoring and tutoring programs. Our goal is help springboard BCPS student-athletes to college and productive lives by providing and extensive mentoring program, SAT Prep classes, camps and wrestling opportunities. This year we will support Paul Laurence Dunbar High School and Maritime Academy High School in developing new wrestling program. Baltimore City Public Schools loved the idea of youth wrestling. We will start the children in an organized wrestling program coupled with a mentoring and a tutoring program. The primary goal of Beat the Streets Baltimore is to alter the life trajectory of its student athletes. While Beat the Streets Baltimore does not profess to have all the Caption describing answers, we believe that we can help shape the future of our student athletes by providing picture or graphic. them an avenue to further develop the innate character traits. Wrestling instills young grapplers with values and tools that prove essential to succeeding both on and off the mat. The discipline, focus, self-esteem, hard work, and respect that each student-athlete develops on the mat will prove vital in overcoming the challenges they encounter off-the mat. These core values will prove crucial to their success in the classroom, their future career and in their family and personal relationships. 2102 Adam Frey Classic Lehigh University

On June 24, 2012, several participants from various Beat the Streets Baltimore programs were proud participants of the 2012 Adam Frey Classic held at Lehigh University. The Classic is an annual event run by the Adam Frey Foundation which was founded by Adam Frey who tragically passed away on December 26, 2009 following a battle with cancer. The event raises much needed funds for the foundation in an effort to give comfort and provide joy to those receiving treatment for cancer. This year Adam Frey Foundation Executive Director, Josh Liebman, put together a fantastic all-star lineup including several notable high school, college and post-collegiate wrestlers. The organization graciously allowed student-athletes participating in programs sponsored by Beat the Streets Baltimore along with participants from Beat the Streets Philadelphia and Beat the Streets New York to wrestle in exhibitions prior to the Classic. The experience was extremely memorable for all of our student-athletes. Not only did they have a chance to wrestle in historic Grace Hall, but they toured Lehighs beautiful campus, witnessed some of the top wrestlers in the country and learned about the legacy that Adam created with his foundation. FloWrestling was on hand to record the action and you can find videos from the event by going to the following link: http://www.flowrestling.org/coverage/249468-Adam-Frey-Classic-GOhioCasts

Tajaun Juannie Gray is 9 years old and in the 3rd grade at Dallas S. Nicholas Elementary School. Tajuan competed in some of the most prestigious tournaments in the country. After placing in the MDWAY and MJWL State Championship, Tajuan continued training to accomplish his goal of becoming a state champion. He wrestled in exhibition matches at the Ohio Tournament of Champions, Beat the Streets Gala, Times Square, NY, NHSCA National Duals, Virginia Beach, VA, and the Dapper Dan Classic, Pittsburgh, PA. Tajuan is an emerging student-athlete and he wants to be a firefighter.

On June 7, 2012, Beat the Streets Baltimore traveled to Time Square, New York, NY to compete in exhibition matches at the annual Beat the Street fundraiser.. The Beat the Streets organization has grown to 15 large cities across the country. This happened to be the biggest even on Time Square outside of New Years Eve. The main event featured the United States Olympic Team versus Russia.
How to get involved with Beat the Streets Baltimore? Donate There are several ways to get involved. The first and probably most critical assistance can come in the form of a tax-deductible donation to the organization. Its only through the generosity of our donors that we have the chance to have a positive impact on underprivileged youth. To learn how to donate please visit, http://www.btsbaltimore.org Volunteer Beat the Streets Baltimore is looking for qualified coaches, tutors and mentors. We have thorough policy in place regarding background checks for all volunteers. For more information, contact our office at (443) 765-6748.

Beat the Streets - Baltimore 1327 North Calhoun Street Baltimore, MD 21217

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