Metropolitan Wrestling Association

Fostering the sport of wrestling in the New York Metropolitan Area

WRESTLING ESTABLISHES BEACHHEAD IN MANHATTAN

date: 2005-08-25
by: Al Bevilacqua

The Metropolitan Wrestling Association’s “Beat the Streets” program has established its second “beachhead” in New York City in its mission of developing grass roots wrestling and grow participation in the largest city in the United States..

Shaundea Saunders and Louis

Bill Crum, Executive Director of the MWA “Beat the Streets” program and Director of Wrestling for the d’Silvestri Center at Monsignor Farrell HS in Staten Island has organized a Youth and modified program at Simon Baruch Middle School in lower Manhattan. .

Baruch at NYAC

Through the efforts and sponsorships of Rob Scheonberg and two private donors, we have gained approval by the Principal of the school and will join USA Wrestling Club Membership for boys and girls in grades 6-8.

All Wrestlers

On Thursday evening, meeting with the school PTA and well over two hundred parents, Al Bevilacqua, MWA Chairman of the Board was the guest speaker. Coach Bevilacqua was outlining the benefits of wrestling and spent the entire evening “selling” wrestling to the parents.

All Wrestlers and Mr. Setrak Agonian, President MWA

Chris Poli, Science teacher and a former LI wrestler and Mark Harman, Physical Education teacher at the school, will coach the Baruch Wrestling Club. Both young men are former wrestlers and are eager to begin the program. They have already contacted several private schools in Manhattan as well as Stuyvesant HS, the only PSAL high school in Manhattan with a wrestling program to ask for help in creating some low level activity. .

This is the first Middle School program in the 30-year history of the PSAL Wrestling. Currently, the PSAL has 23 high school programs out of 127 high schools and is the largest school district in the United States with 1.1 million students.

Sign-ups and registration will begin immediately and the program will begin the first Tuesday in January. The Baruch Wrestling Club will be a USA Wrestling Club and all members of the team will join as competitive members.