St. Luke’s University Health Network’s Sports Medicine Department now offers free \u201cRising Star\u201d wrestling clinics featuring outstanding local collegiate wrestlers. During the clinics, the athletes, who serve as sports ambassadors, work with young wrestlers in groups and individually. Besides helping young athletes improve their skills, they motivate them by sharing personal stories, including their challenges and successes.<\/p>\n
“They’re spreading the good word of wrestling, and they’re giving back to the communities that otherwise might not get these opportunities for high-level skill development,” said Adam Glose, Sports Medicine Coordinator. The program has already provided eight clinics with an average attendance of about 50.<\/p>\n
The wrestlers were selected for the outreach program based on their wrestling success, personality and character.<\/p>\n
“They are great at teaching kids and have tremendous expertise,” said John F. Graham, Senior Network Administrator, Fitness & Sports Performance. “These athletes are very successful in wrestling. Also, their personalities are very well received by the coaches and the parents in attendance.”<\/p>\n
Graham said the clinics have been well attended and received positive reviews. For example, more than 100 wrestlers from nine different school districts participated in a recent clinic at Whitehall High School. The clinics are part of the Sports Medicine Department’s comprehensive Name Image Likeness (NIL) program, which aims to develop future leaders in our community. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) allows athletes to receive payment for using their name, image and likeness.<\/p>\n
Ryan Crookham, a local wrestling star, is among the participating wrestlers. He wrestled at Saucon Valley High School and is now majoring in finance and engineering.<\/p>\n
“It’s come full circle for me to be able to work with these local kids because I’m from the Lehigh Valley,” Crookham said. “I was built here, and my skills are due to the high-level wrestling in the Lehigh Valley. It means a lot to teach these kids. When I look at them, I see myself, and I think it would be great to see them go to my university.”<\/p>\n
Graham said one of the goals of the program is to encourage high school students to remain in the region and continue their wrestling career at local colleges.<\/p>\n
Wrestler Malyke Hines of Kissimmee, Florida, is far from home. “I’m very big on giving back to the community and giving back to the youth,” said Hines, who started when he was 13. “Wrestling has been a big part of my life and I like giving back to the sport. I thought it would be good to partner with St. Luke’s.”<\/p>\n
Wrestler Michael Beard, who began participating in the sport when he was six with a wrestling club in Malvern, near Philadelphia, agreed, \u201cIt’s a good way to give back to the local community, impact young athletes as much as we can through wrestling and be good role models for the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
The wrestlers said they have also gained from the experience. Hines, who is majoring in entrepreneurship and innovation and hopes to have his own streetwear brand, said that through the program he has made connections. At a recent event, he got to know a New York fashion designer.<\/p>\n
Beard, a political science major, hopes to enter sales. He plans to start an internship at Lutron in June. “I think the program has helped me have better communication skills overall because we go to clinics and have to show moves in front of everyone and make sure they understand what we’re saying.”<\/p>\n
Wrestling has been a big part of all the collegiate athletes’ lives. Beard said benefits of participating in the sport include bonding with his teammates and building social networks that will benefit him throughout his career and life. It has also taught him that he can reach his goals through hard work and discipline.<\/p>\n
Hines agreed, “Wrestling has helped me to be a better person, showing grit and staying disciplined. Discipline is everything. Being successful on the mat represents who you are off the mat, which is staying disciplined and consistent in life when it comes to sleeping, eating and being a good person. You can correlate that to a job or having a family.”<\/p>\n
Graham said the program has exceeded his expectations. \u201cThese guys are packing rooms with lots of kids,\u201d he said. \u201cThey spend quality time talking to the kids during and after the clinic. They’ve signed a lot of autographs over the short time they’ve been with us. They\u2019re regarded highly by the kids and the coaches.”<\/p>\n
St. Luke\u2019s has 16 other NIL athletes across various sports, such as football, field hockey, basketball, softball and soccer, Glose said.<\/p>\n
Photo caption: From left, Malyke Hines, Ryan Crookham and Michael Beard, elite wrestlers for a local university and St. Luke\u2019s Rising Stars, recently shared their knowledge and skills with the wrestling team at Northampton Senior High School, one of many clinics throughout the region sponsored by St. Luke\u2019s.<\/p>\n
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About St. Luke\u2019s<\/strong><\/p>\n Founded in 1872,\u00a0St. Luke\u2019s University Health Network<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network of more than 20,000 employees providing services at 15 campuses and 350+ outpatient sites.\u00a0 With annual net revenue of $3.4 billion, the Network\u2019s service area includes 11 counties in two states: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. St. Luke\u2019s hospitals operate the largest network of trauma centers in Pennsylvania, with the Bethlehem Campus being home to St. Luke\u2019s Children\u2019s Hospital.<\/p>\n Dedicated to advancing medical education, St. Luke\u2019s is the preeminent teaching hospital in central-eastern Pennsylvania.\u00a0 In partnership with Temple University, the Network established the Lehigh Valley\u2019s first and only four-year medical school campus.\u00a0 It also operates the nation\u2019s oldest School of Nursing, established in 1884, and 52 fully accredited graduate medical educational programs with more than 500 residents and fellows. In 2022, St. Luke\u2019s, a member of the Children\u2019s Hospital Association, opened the Lehigh Valley\u2019s first and only free-standing facility dedicated entirely to kids.<\/p>\n SLUHN is the only Lehigh Valley-based health care system to earn Medicare\u2019s\u00a0five-star<\/em>\u00a0ratings (the highest) for quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction.\u00a0 It is both a Leapfrog Group and Healthgrades\u00a0Top Hospital<\/em>\u00a0and a Newsweek World\u2019s\u00a0Best Hospital<\/em>.\u00a0 The Network\u2019s flagship University Hospital has earned the\u00a0100 Top Major Teaching Hospital<\/em>\u00a0designation from Fortune\/PINC AI 10 years in a row, including in 2023 when it was identified as THE #4 TEACHING HOSPITAL IN THE COUNTRY.\u00a0 In 2021, St. Luke\u2019s was identified as one of the\u00a015 Top Health Systems<\/em>\u00a0nationally.\u00a0 Utilizing the Epic electronic medical record (EMR) system for both inpatient and outpatient services, the Network is a multi-year recipient of the\u00a0Most Wired<\/em>\u00a0award recognizing the breadth of the SLUHN\u2019s information technology applications such as telehealth, online scheduling and online pricing information. \u00a0The Network is also recognized as one of the state\u2019s lowest-cost providers.<\/p>\n Information provided to TVL by: St. Luke’s University Health Network’s Sports Medicine Department now offers free \u201cRising Star\u201d wrestling clinics featuring outstanding local collegiate wrestlers. During the clinics, the athletes, who serve as sports ambassadors, … Continue reading St. Luke\u2019s Offers Schools and Clubs Free Clinics Featuring Local Elite Collegiate Wrestlers<\/span>
\nSam Kennedy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"