Pasco County kids who can't afford a traditional wrestling camp are getting mat time alongside University of South Florida college wrestlers during a free program at Fivay High School in Hudson that was underway the week of July 21.

Beat the Streets Tampa Bay, a chapter of the national nonprofit that has served more than 14,000 young people nationwide since 2006, partnered with USF's wrestling program to run the camp. Executive Director Patrick Spano doubles as a coach on the mat and a driver off it, picking up kids who lack transportation so they can make it to practice.

"I picked three of them up this morning, and I'll be dropping them all off on the way home," Spano told Tampa Bay 28 on Monday. "If you've worked in an inner-city school like that, you know a lot of times kids are walking home, or they don't have rides, and that's a big barrier to entry for them, just getting there."

The camp pairs beginners with experienced athletes and USF wrestlers under head coach James Lawless, who said he wanted to create a camp for kids of all talent levels, including those who can't afford camps elsewhere in the state. Lawless told Fox 13 the program gives participants a chance to learn from people outside their own community.

Camper Diquan Hibbert, who picked up wrestling about a year ago, said the difficulty is the draw. The challenge on the mat, he explained, makes everything outside the gym feel easier to handle.

Fellow camper Leonny Concepcion said coaches push participants beyond technique, encouraging them academically and steering them toward college. Spano described the organization as a small network of clubs that introduces wrestling to underserved communities where kids otherwise wouldn't encounter the sport until high school.

Beat the Streets Tampa Bay launched in early 2025 and is one of more than a dozen chapters nationwide. The national organization has delivered more than 150 wrestling programs in underserved communities and logged more than 50,000 hours of on-the-mat programming in its most recent reporting year, according to its website.

The local chapter relies entirely on donations and says it is in dire need of funding. Residents interested in supporting the program or enrolling youth can find more information at btstampabay.org.