Mike Powell: Why Hooking 'A Couple Of Thousand Mo's' Into Wrestling Is Our Goal

Inspiration!One night this past weekend, I drove into the heart of the Austin neighborhood in Chicago to pick up Mo, a ninth grader at west side school, for the inaugural BTS Mentor kickoff dinner. I changed his name for privacy purposes.After knocking on the half-open front door of the two flat, I heard a bellowing “Who is it?!?” come from the second floor. It was Mo’s deepest, most macho voice. “I’m looking for Mo,” I replied. In a completely different, friendly tone, Mo said, “Coach Powell! I’ll be right down.” He spoke throughout the entire ride to Lou Malnati’s, providing the details of his football and school experiences. He explained why he was ineligible for this week’s football game, and his plan for how he was going to improve his grades. He expressed his excitement to meet his new mentor, Cory Lester. When I explained Lester was leading the mentoring program, Mo asked, “So he’s like the captain, right?” Beat the Streets is more than a wrestling organization. Our goal is to serve the entire child, supporting them in all facets of life -- academically, athletically, emotionally. Lester is the head of our mentoring program and will also serve as Mo’s mentor throughout high school and beyond. We had a great dinner. It didn’t take long for the mentors and mentees to start robust conversations about all things BTS, school, training -- and even current football seasons. Lester directed the conversation to wrestling, its many attributes, and then the important role the mentors will play in helping the wrestlers focus those attributes into a plan for the future: life beyond high school and after wrestling.It was powerful stuff.

We are going hook them into the wrestling, the world’s greatest vehicle for self-improvement.

At one point, we went around the table and everyone introduced themselves. Mo was one of the last people to speak. Without prompting, Mo breezed through his personally story and then expressed his sincere gratitude for the opportunity to be part of the mentoring program and BTS. He’s spoke of five meaningful years with the BTS Screaming Eagles club and his affinity and appreciation for Coach Dan Verr. He said that he knows that if he going to be a successful person, he will need ample support. A ninth grader! We had a great ride home. Again, Mo did most of the talking, his excitement and optimism was palpable. It was contagious- Mo had me fired up! I woke up this morning with the resolve to do right by Mo. He’s the reason why so many folks are getting excited about BTS Chicago. We are goingto find a couple of thousand Mo’s in Austin, Lawndale, Englewood, Bronzeville, and across Chicago. We are going hook them into the wrestling, the world’s greatest vehicle for self-improvement.