LVHN and Collegiate Wrestlers From Across the Nation Host Youth Wrestling Clinic

Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute’s sports medicine team, along with several collegiate wrestlers from across the nation, hosted a free wrestling clinic on Sunday, Sept. 25. The camp, held at Executive Education Academy Charter School, was free of charge and open to youth wrestlers in fourth through eighth grades.

During the two-hour event, prominent collegiate wrestlers, including Penn State University’s Roman Bravo-Young, Nebraska University’s Mike Labriola, Ohio State University’s Sammy Sasso, Princeton University’s Quincy Monday, and Lehigh University’s Michael Beard and Josh Humphreys, as well as the Orthopedic Institute team, led the students in a variety of drills designed to help them improve their wrestling skills.

The wrestling clinic is part of Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN)’s Impact Athlete program. The program features athletes who were molded by their community to become successful collegiate athletes. Steve Hultgren, Director, Sports Performance Initiatives, Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute, says the goal of the Impact Athlete program is to provide regional youth athletes with strong inspirational role models who encourage them to pursue their goals. 

Other LVHN Impact Athletes include Jahan Dotson, who is a wide receiver for the Washington Commanders and University of Florida track and field star and 2022 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Champion (400 meters) Talitha Diggs.

According to Hultgren, providing area youth with role models who went on to wrestle at a collegiate level was important. “Wrestling is a popular sport in our area, and we’ve had several local wrestlers go on to achieve success at the college level. These wrestlers can show youth wrestlers that hard work and dedication can lead to success and a higher level of competition,” Hultgren says.