Philly Wrestling

In this episode, we talk with 2x NCAA All-American Chad Walsh who is in his sixth year as a Division 1 assistant coach. Chad's a local athlete having grown up in the Philadelphia area while competing for the storied Camden Catholic wrestling program.

Barry Lynch and Brandon Bingham are from Amarillo, Texas. They are supporters of the PRTC and all that the organization stands for. This is the story of how they came to support an organization that's in a different city and in a different time zone.

CJ Composto is a student-athlete at the University of Pennsylvania. A native of New Jersey, he is a two time state place winner and a 2022 NCAA All-American. Currently on a gap year from school, CJ shares his thoughts about the Philly Wrestling ecosystem including his training with the PRTC and his experience with Beat the Streets.

Gina Perry, a mother of four children with PRTC Senior Athlete Richard Perry, is a writer and influential force in social media who has endless amounts of positive energy. Gina shares her behind the scenes story of what the Philadelphia wrestling community means to her. From her relationship with Rich and the PRTC to her involvement with Beat the Streets and the Overcomer Trainer Center, Gina provides a unique perspective of the sport that means so much to her family.

Will Schwartz had a less than 35% chance of survival after having been born three months premature. He weighed less than 900 grams and was about 12". The ventilator machine that helped him breathe was dialed to the highest setting. According to Will, his only chance was to adapt and survive. He has taken that approach his whole life including the time he spends on the mat. Will wrestles for the NCAA Division 3 Ursinus College Bears at 125lbs.

Mike Vespa produced the WIBN/PRTC Summit events in January and February of 2021. His world class productions brought a lot of energy to Philadelphia and the local wrestling community. He has teamed up with local real estate entrepreneur Zac Pierce to host a wrestling clinic this July featuring Olympic Gold Medalist and 2x UFC World Champion Henry Cejudo. Other clinicians will be NCAA Champions AJ Ferrari and Mark Hall, and Pan Champion Joey McKenna. Mike has been in the sport for twenty years and is passionate about providing quality content to wrestling fans.

In this episode, I talk with successful entrepreneur, Zac Pierce. Zac wrestled at Upper Darby High School where he was a Pennsylvania State Qualifier. Prominent in the local multi-family real estate sector, he has recently closed a transaction in Philadelphia worth $160 million which was the largest of its type in the history of the city. Zac mentors young people who have a passion for learning and gaining valuable life experience. 

In this episode we talk with Drexel University Head Wrestling Coach Matt Azevedo. Coach Azevedo is in his tenth year at the helm for the Dragons.

Joe Jamison was born and raised in the Philly Area. He graduated from Archbishop Wood High School and Kings College. Joe was a long time assistant coach under Chris Ayres at Princeton University. He recently took over the storied Ursinus College Wrestling Program. A high energy guy, Coach Jamison is eternally optimistic. We had planned to talk for about thirty minutes. Well, that turned into two hours of Joe sharing his story, his philosophies, and his hopes for the future. This is the first of two episodes with Coach Joe Jamison.

Here's a brief introduction to Philly Wrestling. Enjoy!