East Boston, MA – On April 29th and May 13th, Boston Youth Wrestling and its partner Excel Academy Charter Schools hosted two wildly successful Boston Open Tournaments. With over 100 participants, the tournaments were a showcase for Boston’s newest high school program at the sparkling, brand new Excel Academy Charter High School facility in East Boston. Wrestlers came from as far as New Bedford, MA and Providence, RI to participate in the action.

Tournament Director and Excel Academy Head Coach Brad Lewis said, “Our first wrestling season has been a tremendous success. From our first announcement of adding wrestling as a sport, kids have been energized and excited to compete. It was amazing to have over 50 kids at tryouts our first week, especially when considering that there are only about 280 kids at the whole school. While we wound up carrying a roster closer to 30 by the end of the season, it was a group of hardworking, incredibly dedicated athletes who I was incredibly proud to have as members of the team.”

The tournament raised over $3,000 from registration fees and concessions. All funds raised from the tournament will be directed to future equipment purchases at the Excel Academy Charter Schools middle and high school wrestling programs. A huge thank you is due to our hosts (Excel Academy), our volunteers, and of course the parental and peer support for the wrestlers as they put their heart and soul on the mats.

BYW was also pleased to host the brand new “Hay Mac” Wrestling Program, an initiative started by Boston Public School graduate Joe Bordieri at the Hayden Mcfadden Elementary School at the New Bedford Public Schools. The program which started this spring, has received some technical support from BYW, and we all look forward to watching its continued growth in the City of New Bedford.