What an amazing year. Throughout 2022, Beat the Streets and New York City roared back to life after the COVID-19 pandemic. Our student-athletes hit the wrestling mats, learned important life lessons, competed at the highest levels and toured college campuses.
The start of the 2022 school year marked the return of in-person Academy sessions. In this program, middle school and high school student-athletes participated in wrestling sessions with featured clinicians, life skills and college readiness workshops, went on college visits, traveled to competitions, and attended social events. Off the mat, high school student-athletes also served as mentors to middle school student-athletes in the Academy, providing them with insight into academics and wrestling.
Two major wrestling events returned for our student-athletes to compete in: the New York City Mayor’s Cup and the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Wrestling Championships. We proudly hosted the Mayor’s Cup tournament at Chelsea Piers, where the best wrestlers in the city were crowned.
For the first time since 2019, we returned to the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden to host our Annual Benefit. We made history by hosting half of USA Wrestling’s World Team Trials event, Final X, where 14 wrestlers qualified to wrestle for Team USA at the 2022 Senior World Championships.
In the coming pages, you will find more news about our progress, and we will share some amazing success stories of our student-athletes – on and off the wrestling mat. The growth and achievements highlighted in this report showcase the determination and resiliency of Beat the Streets.
Thank you for your continued support of Beat the Streets and for standing alongside our studentathletes, parents, families, coaches and the New York City wrestling community. We are excited to continue moving forward and empower more NYC youth through the sport of wrestling, so they can achieve their potential and goals on and off the wrestling mat.
With Gratitude,
Brendan Buckley Executive DirectorBeat the Streets Wrestling, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to develop the full human and athletic potential of the urban youth and strengthen New York City’s wrestling culture.
We aim to make a lifelong impact through the lessons learned on the wrestling mat — discipline, perseverance, self-reliance, humility and a strong work ethic.
Since being founded in 2005, Beat the Streets has pioneered a movement that includes 150 individual wrestling programs, a youth league and the first-ever girls high school league.
Beat the Streets is an accredited member of Beat the Streets National, which includes 10 chapters in cities across the United States.
81% Student-Athletes of color
There are a lot of things I like about Beat the Streets. It’s very fun and I get to meet other people. I also get to learn new wrestling moves. It’s fun because I get to hang out with people who have the same interests as me.
Beat the Streets has helped me form bonds with the wrestling community in ways I never would have thought possible. Wrestling is so much more enjoyable when you feel truly encouraged and supported.
Beat the Streets has been very influential in my life. From introducing me to the sport of wrestling to allowing me to help coach and mentor. As an athlete, I was able to receive countless opportunities to wrestle and develop as a person and student-athlete.
Beat the Streets provides free-of-cost school-based and community-based programs through the sport of wrestling for New York City student-athletes.
The Junior League is New York City’s only elementary and middle school wrestling league. In partnership with New York City’s Department of Education, it provides after-school programming with weekly practice and competition opportunities focused on teaching basics of wrestling in a safe and fun environment.
The Public Schools Athletic League promotes NYC public schools and Beat the Streets supports the PSAL through the sport of wrestling. Beat the Streets supplies tournament kits, travel competitions, camps and clinics, coaching education, mentorship opportunities and academic support for NYC high school student-athletes.
The Training Center offers wrestling coaching, competition prep and support for NYC student-athletes at all levels of experience. As a hub of the NYC scholastic wrestling community, the Training Center gives student-athletes the unique ability to train with those from across different schools across the city’s five boroughs.
The Academy returned to in-person programming for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. This life-changing program featured 10 full-day leadership workshops, featuring group activities, discussions and guest speakers as well as wrestling clinics led by college athletes and coaches. Academy student-athletes also received SAT prep and one-on-one tutoring services.
Beat the Streets measures the SEL growth of its student-athletes and has seen improvement in several core competencies.
+78% Academic Self-Efficacy
Motivation and confidence in their academic performance
Social Skills
+78%
Ability to take others’ perspectives into consideration, as well as express care and empathy
+76%
Internal sense of positive self-worth and self-efficacy as they explore who they are
+100%
Students reported an increase in at least one SEL category
Social-emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships and make responsible decisions.
Money awarded in scholarships
8,000 Hours of participation
2,000
$7,500 4
Hours of volunteerism College campus visits
80 Hours of SAT prep and tutoring
As a first-generation Peruvian-American and only child, Aaron Custodio felt a responsibility for completing his parents’ American dream.
Custodio placed a high value on education and strived to attend college. As a Beat the Streets Academy senior student-athlete, he received free access to UPchieve for one-on-one tutoring to help him with admission essays and applications, and college counseling.
“There were so many essays and supplementary applications with deadlines,” Custodio said. “I started getting anxious and panicking, but thankfully Beat the Streets recommended Upchieve to me. Getting one-on-one support usually costs hundreds upon thousands of dollars. I’m extremely fortunate I got it for free otherwise my family wouldn’t be able to afford something like this.”
63 Sessions completed with Upchieve
30 Hours of free college conseling
19 Colleges accepted into
Custodio was accepted into 19 colleges, including Ivy League institutions: Brown University, Columbia University and Yale University. He decided on Yale and will major in political science
“I have big goals of one day being an immigration lawyer and running policies that help solve problems in my community,” he said. “Thanks to UPchieve, I am one step closer to making a difference by giving back to my city.”
Beat the Streets Academy rising senior student-athletes and Junior League alumni Alessandra Elliott and Sulayman Bah earned a spot on the podium at national tournaments to claim All-American honors.
Bah won five matches to take sixth place at the National High School Coaches Association Nationals in April in Virginia Beach, Va. In 2020, he also picked up All-American status with a sixth-place finish at the tournament.
Elliott had five victories to claim All-American honors for a second straight year by taking fifth place in junior freestyle at the USA Wrestling National Championships in July in Fargo, N.D. Elliott won a 2021 national title in the under-16 division.
In 2022, Beat the Streets student-athletes earned spots on the podium time and time again. Eleven (seven boys, four girls) Academy members won Public Schools Athletic League city championships in folkstyle. Of the six boys, Isaias Torres and Christian Solano placed
in the top eight at the New York High School Athletic Association Boys State Wrestling Championships. At the New York Girls Folkstyle Invitational, the unofficial girls state tournament, three PSAL student-athletes - all part of the Academy - placed in the top three.
Isaias Torres, Evin Gursoy, Christian Solano
Nine total Beat the Streets Academy place-winners in the top six
11 total Beat the Streets Academy place-winners in the top three
After a one-year hiatus, Beat the Streets and the Public Schools Athletic League brought back the New York City Mayor’s Cup Wrestling Championships with 13 student-athletes claiming the title of “Best in the City” in January at Chelsea Piers.
Ten PSAL student-athletes captured titles, including four BTSNY Academy members. BTSNY Academy member Alexis Elson made history by becoming the first female finalist in the boys division. BTSNY alumna Kerry Ghanie also became the first woman to officiate the tournament’s final matches.
Botensky Bauzile
Isaias Torres
Carlos Guzman
Christian Solano
Beat the Streets raised more than $950,000 for its programs with its first in-person Annual Benefit since 2019 in front of more than 3,000 fans at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden.
For the first time, Beat the Streets hosted USA Wrestling’s World Team Trials event, Final X New York
Fourteen wrestlers (five each in men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman, and four in women’s freestyle) won a best-of-three series to qualify to wrestle for Team USA at the 2022 Senior World Championships.
The event also featured three Beat the Streets student-athletes competing against their Beat the Streets New England peers.
Britton Holmes
Skylar Grote
Evan Henderson
Alan Vera
Hayden Zillmer
Alejandro Sancho
Felicity Taylor
Dalton Roberts
G’Angelo Hancock
Sarah Hildebrandt
Kyle Dake
Helen Maroulis
Jordan Burroughs
David Taylor
vs. vs. vs. vs. vs. vs. vs. vs. vs. vs. vs. vs. vs. vs.
Kamal Bey
Amit Elor
Yianni Diakomihalis
Timothy Young
Nick Gwiazdowski
Alston Nutter
Dominique Parrish
Ildar Hafizov
Braxton Amos
Alyssa Lampe
Jason Nolf
Alexandra Hedrick
Chance Marsteller
Zahid Valencia
Beat the Streets student-athletes, traveled halfway across the country to compete in the inaugural Beat the Streets National Duals in June in Chicago. Prior to the duals, the more than 30 BTSNY student-athletes sharpened their wrestling skills with technique sessions led by former United States Olympic and World team members and NCAA champions.
They also engaged in life skill workshops and formed friendships with their peers from BTS chapters from across the country. The BTSNY boys and girls teams each took fourth place in the duals competition. BTSNY student-athletes also participated in a one-day wrestling clinic at Ohio State University and visited Pennsylvania State University during their trip.
The work Beat the Streets does would not be possible without the generosity of our foundational, corporate, and individual donors, who support our mission to empower New York City youth through amateur wrestling. Listed below are the names of those who gave from Sept. 1, 2021 to Aug. 31, 2022
$50,000+
Barry L. Kasoff
Corey Wright
Richard Tavoso
$25,000 - $49,999
Cliff Keen Athletic
Daniel Hyman
Dave and Kyra Barry
James & Amy Bennett Foundation
New York Community Trust
Pinkerton Foundation
RBC Foundation
$10,000 - $24,999
Andrew Barth Arena Club
Blavatnik Family Foundation
Brad Beutter
Christopher Lindsey
David Walker
Edward McBride
Gary Sagui
Heidecorn Family Foundation, Inc.
Joe Tansey
Laureus Sport for Good Foundation USA
Moonpay
RBC Capital Markets, LLC
Shawn Rubin
The Giannuzzi Group, LLP
The Hyde and Watson Foundation
The Moon Family Foundation
The Patrina Foundation
The Vranos Family Foundation
Tim Reusing USA Wrestling
Youth Inc.
$5,000 - $9,999
A&E TV Networks, LLC
Alex McLennan
Brandon Rolnick
Bryan Zeamer
Chris Hildebrandt
Curt Futch
David DeStefano
Derek Capanna
DLA Piper
Eric Knight
Frank Ryan
James Ritman
Jamie Brodsky
Jennifer Rogers
John Ripley
Matthew McMahon
Michael and Regina Shaffer
Natalia Tovar
Neil Chriss
Otterbourg P.C.
Robert Gilman
Sara Hinzman
Scott Schundler
Scott Smith
Stephen Capoferri
Steven Hoffman
Steven Shoemate
The Eisner Foundation
The One Group LLC
Thomas Tuttle
Under Armour
United Parcel Service
William Hunter
$2,000 - $4,999
Adrian Rrapo
Alberto Ebanks
Anthony Rinella
Brendan Poff
Brendon Stiles
Chris Champeau
Cyrus Capital Partners, L.P.
David Carmel
David Pustylnik
Decisive Point
Dorothy Ruderman
Duane Morris LLP
Emilio Collins
Eric Amstutz
Eric Ogden
Henry E. Niles Foundation Inc
Hooman Tavakolian
Jed Stiller
Jennifer Mascarenhas
Jesse Bader
John McPheters
Jonathan Tush
Josh Golder
Jude Arena
Kelly Jacoutout
Kenneth Lane
Kevin Cofsky
L Catterton
Laura B. Volger Foundation, Inc.
Maclain Nelson
Michael Piccirillo
Mitchell Schamroth
NBA
Nina Collins
Patrick DicCerbo
Paul Major
Richard Gilston
Ronnie and Karen Lott
Scott Feinstein
Stephen Kurz
Steven Ruthen
Sue Ballard
Tyler Grimaldi
William Quigley
Yoshi Nakamura
$1,000-$1,999
Alan Portnoi
Alfredo Matos
Andrew Dempsey
Andrew Komery
Andrew Shannahan
Anthony Abenante
Anthony Mack
Brian Buckley
Ceci Cleary
Christopher Garrison
Clifford Chapman
David Crisanti
David Hagel
David Rios
Dean Colucci
Edward Rufrano
Empire BlueCross BlueShield HealthPlus
Gerardo Gerardi
Guy Talarico
Jaime Gray
Jamel Jackson
James Dinan
James Inks
James Masserio
Jason Foy
Jason Schwartz
Jesse Jantzen
Joe Bialous
Joe and Amy Perella
Joey Jackson Law PLLC
John Critelli
John Egan
John Karabelas
John Sabat
John Vincent
Jon A. Beck
Jonathan Duskin
Julian Harper
Justin Gilston
Katerina Shchipakina
Kendra Kennedy
Kevin Collins
KPMG Foundation
Marc J. Santone
Matt Deehan
Michael Jaffe
Michael Moyer
Mitchell Regenstreif
Nathan Hamilton
Nicholas Tiller
Patrick Hogan
Peter Cheston
Peter Maragos
Peter Seccia
Raul Negron
Razzy Ghomeshi
Ricardo Salmon
Richard Ledee
Rob Bovo
Robert Grogan
Ronald Damiano
Samuel Holo
Trey Aslanian
UJA Federation of NY
William & Melissa Belleville
William Brasser
$500-$999
Andrew Leonard
Andrew Taub
Anson Beard
Bruch Family
Charity Golf International
Ellen Kealy
Henry Gucker
Howard Steyn
Jay Takefman
Jayson Bowlsby
Jed Berger
John Orr
John Valladares
Karen Gordon
Logan Lowe
Mark Foresi
Michael Epstein
National Philanthropic Trust
Paul Santoro
Pete Denema
Peter Farnsworth
Peter W. Smith
Olaolu Aganga
Queller, Fisher, Washor, Fuchs & Kool
Richard Shiu
Ross Sullivan
Stephen Lovelette
Stephen Pred
Thomas Bonney
WP Carey Foundation
Zachary Bader
Ray Barczak
United Parcel Service
BTS Chairman
Jesse Jantzen
Skylar James Capital
BTS Vice Chairman
Dean Colucci
Duane Morris LLP
BTS Secretary
Corey Wright
Cahill Gordon & Reindell LLP
BTS Treasurer
Sue Ballard
Wells Fargo
Ken Bigley
Public Schools Athletic League
Kevin Beinhacker
United Parcel Service
Jayson Bowlsby
Apollo Global Management LLC
Emilio Collins
Excel Sports Management
Alberto Ebanks
Ebanks Law Firm
Scott Feinstein
42West
David Heidecorn
L Catterton
Kelly Jacoutot
Douglas Elliman Real Estate
Chris Henrich
RBC Capital Markets
Chris Lindsey
Jane Street
Yoshi Nakamura
NAKA Capital Partners
Matt Palmer
BNP Paribas
Frank Ryan
DLA Piper
Brendan Buckley
Executive Director
John Rollins
Senior Director of Operations and Finance
Penn Gottfried
Director of Youth Programming
Kevin Collins
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Rick Gilston Gilston Electric
Tyler Grimaldi Citi
Michael Piccirillo Citi
Anthony Rinella
Morgan Stanley
David Rios
Columbia University
Dorothy Ruderman
Similarweb
Kerry Doyle
Fund Development Manager
Barry Hart Head Boys Coach
Becka Leathers
Head Girls Coach
Brandon Cain
Communications Coordinator
Our volunteers are the unsung heroes at Beat the Streets
You will provide New York City youth with the resources and tools they need to succeed - on and off the wrestling mat.
Want to help Beat the Streets student-athletes achieve their dreams? Provide them with the opportunity to compete at the USA Wrestling 16U and Junior National Championships in Fargo, N.D.
We will work with you to determine the best opportunity for your company, whether it is hosting a workshop, sponsoring one of our events or Training Center facility, being a mentor or providing an internship opportunity.
We’re on Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram and Twitter. @beatthestreets. You will be the first to receive updates on the incredible work Beat the Streets does.
