Billy Watterson recognized that there was a need in Providence, Rhode Island. A need to provide young students with something that would get them passionate about school and passionate about life in general. Wrestling was the answer.
“We brought young adults into our kids’ lives, building mentor relationships with them,” Watterson reflected. “That [relationship] also transforms the lives of the young adults, creates more leaders in the community, and builds a community of wrestlers.”
As a sophomore at Brown University, Billy founded Beat the Streets Providence to cultivate an even stronger community in Rhode Island and give student-athletes a meaningful way to grow, seek new opportunities, and believe in themselves through wrestling!
Today, BTSNE-Providence routinely serves nearly 700 kids annually and works directly with six different schools, including Nathanael Greene, Gilbert Stuart, Del Sesto, ESEK Hopkins, West Broadway, and Nathan Bishop. And just as Billy envisioned, the Providence wrestling community is growing and thriving with BTSNE-Providence leading the charge.
“I’m so excited of everything we have accomplished over the past 10 years,” Watterson said. “And I’m even more excited to see where we will go and what we can achieve over the next 10 years as well. It’s very exciting to think about.”
