Wrestling Changes Lives.
Wrestling to Beat the Streets DC (BTS DC) is a nonprofit organization that partners with local schools based in our Nation’s capital to teach the sport of wrestling.
Research from the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data shows “Juvenile violence peaks in the after-school hours on school days and in the evenings on non-school days. Only 18% of DC adolescence are involved in after school programs.”
BTS DC programs change the lives and future of youth by helping them avoid becoming a statistic and teaching the values of focus, discipline, and accountability. These traits can help set them up for future success and to not become a statistic.
We invite you to partner with BTS DC and ensure DC youth have the opportunity to reach their fullest potential through the power of wrestling and help set them up for future success.
—
Geary FitzPatrick
President, Executive Director
Why Wrestling?
Youth sports, like wrestling introduce the concepts and skills that develop character, build self-esteem, and establish physical and mental fortitude.
What makes wrestling different?
It is inclusive in every way imaginable. The best wrestlers are often castaways in the sports that require you to be big, tall, a man, or privileged with access to unique or expensive equipment. The sport of wrestling transcends race, gender, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic background, and physicality. The only thing wrestling requires are precisely the values that it teaches: consistency, discipline, and heart.
Why Washington, DC?
Wrestling is the world’s oldest sport. But it has virtually no presence in our Nation’s capital. We are driven to change that. We want to provide a city devoid of wrestling access to the sport that has the ability to change lives.
“Even if we change one life….it’s worth it.”
-Max Meltzer, Chairman of the Board