Wrestlers will be outfitted with gear and other equipment and given free mentoring and tutoring
TRENTON -- The Betheas are one of New Jersey's most decorated wrestling families.
The seven brothers combined to win 19 Mercer County championships, 13 district titles, five regional crowns and one state championship and five of them went on to the University of Pennsylvania. Now, the family of 11 wants to give that same opportunity to other Trenton youth who otherwise wouldn't have a chance.
Most players in Trenton don't pick up the sport until ninth grade, but that's too little, too late, says Councilman Alex Bethea, who knew that introducing his sons to organized wrestling at an early age would serve them well.
"By the time they get to district and regional levels, they're being taken out because those other kids started when they were 3 years old," he said. "We can get them started early so when they do get to high school, we can start producing state champs and these kids can get scholarships to go on to college."
MORE: With 7 brothers, Bethea family leaves lasting legacy on N.J. wrestling
The program has been in the works for two years, but came to fruition with the support of Beat the Streets Philadelphia, a nonprofit organization that provides wrestling and mentoring to underprivileged students, and Wrestlers in Business' Princeton chapter.
The after-school program will be offered at three schools: Grace Dunn Middle School, Hedgepath-Williams Middle School and Jefferson Elementary School. Wrestlers will be outfitted with gear and other equipment and given free mentoring and tutoring.
"You have to build two foundations: physical as well as the mental, emotional and academics," he said. "You don't get scholarships just because you're tough. We want to encourage them to go to class, do your homework, cut the TV off."
Bethea, who is vice principal at Paul Robeson Elementary School, said wrestling is an excellent way for kids to release energy and aggression, but the discipline, focus, work ethic and respect they develop will also help them excel off the mat.
"We've got a place where you have an outlet and an inlet," he said. "Academia coming in, some of that aggression, some of that hostility, put it on the mat."
The students will be paired by their age and weight.
"We'll teach you some skills on how to overcome each other and then when you meet a guy that you don't know, take him, win a district, win a regional, win a state championship, make your family proud of you, go to college, do well in college and come back," Bethea said.
The program kicks off 1 p.m. Sunday at Joyce Kilmer Middle School, 1300 Stuyvesant Ave., Trenton. A wrestling clinic with four-time NCAA champion Logan Stieber will be followed by an all-star match and a Wrestlers in Business meeting.
For more information, contact Canaan Bethea at cbethea@btsphilly.org.
Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.