Takedown Report

Lessons Learned on the Mat

Washington and Lee University Wrestling has teamed up with a nonprofit called Beat the Streets to educate and empower young men and women through the sport of wrestling.
When Washington and Lee Head Wrestling Coach Nathan Shearer first attended the Beat the Streets gala in New York’s Times Square in 2012, he had no idea how personal his involvement with the organization would become. The gala serves as a celebration of wrestling and is a primary fundraiser for what would later become one of the top community outreach programs within wrestling circles. The Beat the Streets organization began in 2005 when a small group of passionate wrestlers had a vision centered around the idea that if the lessons learned on the wrestling mat— a strong work ethic, grit, perseverance, self-reliance, humility— are applied to other areas of life, then so much more can be achieved in a lifetime.

Beat the Streets gives underprivileged young men and women access to not only top coaching and wrestling programming, but also life opportunities like SAT preparation, job internships and college visitation programs. Shearer enjoyed his first experience at the Beat the Streets gala, and he so believed in the organization’s mission that he turned the annual gala into a gathering for W&L wrestling alumni as a way to give back. It also helped draw his program closer to the nonprofit organization and its goals. “I really want Washington and Lee wrestling to be aligned with this organization,” said Shearer. “They really are one of the top organizations providing outreach for young men and women interested in wrestling. Education is such a large part of what they are trying to impart, and I want W&L wrestling to be a part of that process for these young men and women.” When Shearer pondered what else he could do to help support Beat the Streets’ mission, it hit him: Why not include Beat the Streets in his Generals Wrestling Camp, a gathering that brings in his top prospects from around the country and introduces them to the opportunities available for wrestlers at Washington and Lee? Rest of the story and pictures at
https://columns.wlu.edu/lessons-learned-on-the-mat/?mc_cid=652fd4c019&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

August 25, 2019 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized