News

During the final day of the Beat The Streets National Duals, CBS News ran a story sharing the mission of Beat The Streets Chicago. 

Two of our athletes, Devontae Givens & Giancarla Gardiño, got interviewed on how their BTS Chicago has made a positive impact on their lives. Huge thank you to Jamaica Ponder from CBS News for taking interest in our organization and sharing the stories of our athletes. 

The story can be found here

Last week from, June 26th-29th, Beat The Streets Chicago hosted the second annual Beat The Streets National Camp and Duals where over 300 wrestlers and 100 coaches from 11 different BTS cities traveled from all over the country to the Windy City. 

This event served as a great opportunity and experience for these wrestlers to make new friends, learn new life skills, get better at wrestling, and venture out of their comfort zone. Aside from wrestling everyday, the athletes got to partake in several excursions across Chicago, including a trip to Wrigley Field to watch a Chicago Cubs baseball game. 

During the final day of the event, all 11 BTS cities battled in a dual tournament to which for the second year in a row our men were crowned the BTS National Duals Champions.

Our women found similar success finishing third, with their only loss coming to a very tough BTS LA squad. 

The festivities concluded with a dinner cruise off Navy Pier, where every wrestler was able to relax and enjoy the best view of the Chicago skyline. 

For more details on the event check out our instagram page: @btschicago.org

With her new position as Enrichment Coordinator, Leila Cleofe will oversee off the mat activities and programs that sharpen our athlete’s ability to succeed in the classroom & in the workforce. 

Leila joins the team after teaching at Gunsaulus Scholastic Academy & Heritage Middle school, both of which are schools in the Chicago-land area. Prior to that, Cleofe attended Pacific University and was a member of their women’s wrestling team. After studying abroad, Cleofe earned a degree in science journalism from Columbia College in Chicago before attaining her Masters of Arts & Teaching from National Lewis University. 

A native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Cleofe developed her love for wrestling at a young age. Born into a wrestling family, Cleofe would tag along to her brother’s practice before falling in love with the sport herself. Cleofe’s wrestling journey continued after moving to Florida for high school, in which she became a State Champion & 3x All-American. 

Cleofe’s main focus will be on our after-school programs, the Life-Champions Academy, & our summer enrichment camps. All of which add much needed structure to our wrestler’s lives. She will look to expose our youth to new ideas and give them experiences they might otherwise miss out on. Her enthusiasm for learning helped her grow to become an innovative educator that encourages students to drive their own learning. 

The ability to combine both of her passions, wrestling & teaching, is what pulled Cleofe towards this role. One of her achievements she is most proud of is the relationships she has built with students and the confidence they walk away with, on and off the mat.

Cleofe’s presence will undoubtedly make a positive impact the lives of Chicago youth & we are looking forward to having Cleofe on board to help further our mission. 

For questions, contact lcleofe@btschicago.org

Do you want to help impact the lives of Chicago youth?

As Beat The Streets Chicago continues to grow, so does our need for more people! Beat the Streets Chicago is looking to hire 4-5 men’s & women’s coaches for the Fall, Winter, & Spring seasons. There are many different positions available!

Positions are a year long commitment & coaches will be expected to work with youth wrestlers of all ages. Following with the mission of Beat The Streets Chicago, coaches will also be expected to implement our core values in pursuit of building Life Champions on and off the mat. 

Compensation is based on the total number of hours committed. The hours are based on a weekly average and do not have to be hit every week. The various time commitment options include: 

Full time – 1700 hours 
3/4 time – 1200 hours 
1/2 time – 900 hours
1/4 time – 450 hours

Coaching is a great way to stay connected to wrestling as well as feel fulfilled in helping young wrestlers achieve their goals. Come help empower Chicago youth through wrestling!

If interested, please email your resume to Patrick Martinez at pmartinez@btschicago.org

Beat the Streets Chicago is pleased to host the second annual Beat the Streets National Duals and Camp presented by Asics here in Chicago June 26 – 29.

This four day event will encompass high-level technique, leadership panels, cultural excursions and community building activities. This trip is one of the few opportunities to travel across state lines for many of the youth attending. In total, 350 wrestlers (75 from from Chicago) & 100 coaches from 11 different Beat The Streets cities across the country will once again meet and form life changing memories. 

The event will consist of a three day camp hosting a variety of high-level male & female clinicians. During the camp each wrestler will be strongly encouraged to train with wrestlers from different Beat The Streets cities. 

A tournament will be hosted on the final day of the event in which each Beat The Streets city will compete head-to-head to earn the coveted BTS Nationals Duals Trophy & a year’s worth of bragging rights. 

The event will be held at the Wintrust Sports Complex. Every night, the wrestlers will get to explore different parts of Chicago.

These excursions include attending a Cubs game at Wrigley Field, taking a trip to Navy Pier & the lakefront, as well as a dinner cruise over Lake Michigan to conclude the event. 

Although the wrestling is important, this week mainly serves as another opportunity to empower not only Chicago youth, but youth from across all parts of the country while creating life champions in the process.  

Events like this are how we both build and strengthen communities. 

The 2023 Beat The Streets National Duals presented by Asics would not be possible without the help of local community as well as corporate sponsors including Kelloggs, Jewel-Osco, Alston Construction, Concrete Strategy, & Camp Out For Kids. We appreciate the support of these sponsors as well as the leaders of our sister cities, New York, Philadelphia, Detroit, Lancaster, Washington DC, Los Angeles, New England, Baltimore, Austin and Cleveland. 

Enjoy highlights from last year’s National Camp & Duals

We are so excited to bring Samantha Barrientos, “Coach Sammie,” onto our staff to further enhance the development of our women’s program on and off the mat. 

After finishing her athletic career at Mckendree University, Barrientos returned to her hometown in California and started the women’s wrestling program at her alma mater Hollister High School. However after two years, Barrientos moved to Colorado where she started another women’s wrestling program at Discovery Canyon High School in Colorado Springs. 

Under Barrientos’s leadership the Discovery Canyon Women’s Wrestling Team recorded the program’s first three individual state titles and finished in second place as a team after finishing 12th the year prior.

Barrientos loves the camaraderie aspect of Beat The Streets Chicago. She believes it is important for the younger girls to look up to the older girls and in the same regard, for the older girls to help the younger girls progress. 

Barrientos loves the message that wrestling instills into women and hopes that wrestling gives them the confidence to be passionate about everything they love in life. 

In the future, Barrientos hopes to get more and more girls involved in our women’s programs at every location, and continue to positively shape the way our athletes approach life challenges. 

On June 11th,  Beat The Streets Chicago honored 11 individuals with scholarships helping each of them climb the next step of their academic journeys. 

Our coaching staff chose the honorees based on their commitment to our program as well as on their ability to display our core values. Ron Garriques funded all the grade school, high school, and post-secondary scholarships awarded. The recipients include: 

The money donated by Garriques is meant to ensure these children obtain a great education allowing them to continue being upstanding models of the culture at Beat The Streets Chicago and in society. 

Sergio Calleros was awarded the Boyd Family Scholarship which assists an 8th grade student in attending a Catholic High School. Calleros is a stand-out wrestler as well as a straight A student and will be taking his talents to Marist High School this Fall. 

The Boyd Family Scholarship is funded by Phil Boyd, the brother of our Head Men’s Wrestling Coach, Mike Boyd. Calleros is the third winner of this scholarship since it’s creation in 2021. 

Our organization also awarded a scholarship to one of our coaches looking to pursue a professional degree.

The $100,000 Beat The Streets Chicago Educator in Residence Scholarship was awarded to Josh Contreras. Contreras is a recent graduate of the University of Illinois and plans get a masters in education from Aurora University. Contreras will continue to coach our programs while earning his degree. 

We are so proud of all these individuals and are looking forward to honoring more deserving individuals in years to come. 

As Wrestling Coordinator, Coach Martinez oversees everything wrestling-related in the organization. He seeks to improve the overall quality of wrestling at Beat The Streets Chicago while increasing the number of both wrestlers and coaches. 

Prior to joining the BTS Chicago staff, Martinez was a stand-out wrestler on both the collegiate and international scene. His accolades include:

• 3x U.S. Greco-Roman World Team Member 
• 2x U.S. Open Champion
• 2x Pan-American Bronze Medalist
• University World Team Member
• 2x NCAA DII All-American at the University of Nebraska-Kearney

Martinez cites our mission to empower youth through wrestling as his favorite part of working at BTS Chicago. He strongly believes in our core values (accountability, gratitude, grit, integrity and excellence) and believes these values need to be intertwined with coaching world-class technique in our youth programs.

The ability to set kids up for success in life resonated with Martinez and was a big factor in his decision to join our staff. 

Martinez has plans to grow our footprint, grow our programming, and put BTS Chicago on the map as the premiere wrestling club in the city, state, and eventually the country while staying focused on building Life Champions on and off the mat.

Check out an ABC News interview with Coach Martinez here

In honor of 100% of our senior wrestlers having a plan upon graduating high school, we are proud to present the addition of our “Level Up” wall to the Midway facility. Each pennant showcases the post secondary paths of our senior wrestlers. 

Whether it be achieving a higher education, entering a trade, or enlisting in the armed forces, we want to celebrate the next steps of our community. 

In the coming years we hope to fill this wall with more and more pennants as a well-earned honor to the athletes we serve!