In a city that has produced many a fine basketball player, that's not an unusual scene.
But this boy wore wrestling shoes, and he stood on two new wrestling mats that covered almost every square inch of the hardwood floor. Atop the trophy was a metallic-gold man hoisting another man.
Sharif Royal, the proud recipient of the trophy, is one of many success stories from the recently formed Centreville Simbas, Camden's first thriving wrestling program in decades.
"It's fun," is all the 10-year-old could muster, as his teammates marveled at the prize he won for a recent first-place finish in a youth tournament.
In Camden, one of the nation's poorest and most dangerous cities, sports are always a little bit more than fun - they're often vital. That's why one ordinary man who knew nothing about wrestling decided to give the sport a shot when he heard about Camden High School's long-suffering but dedicated wrestling team.
"Someone had told me that Camden High lost 80 straight meets," said Bill Wallace, 45, the Simbas' president. "I called their coach and he told me that almost all of the kids who wrestle at Camden High School have no prior experience. He can't compete. He never has a full team."
Wallace, a coach with the Simbas football organization, started wrestling practice last summer in the building on Broadway that houses the Camden County Council on Economic Opportunity cramming about 20 kids on a single, battered 10-by-10-foot gymnastics mat. In an official match, two wrestlers compete on a mat that's about 38-by-38.
The Simbas compete in the Grapevine League, a 36-team municipal league in South Jersey. League wrestlers range in age from about 4 to 13.
Going to the mat for the kids
As word trickled out through the wrestling community that a youth team was struggling to get on its feet in Camden, a veritable all-star team of former high-school and collegiate champions pitched in time and helped raise funds.
At one recent practice, former New Jersey State champions Micah Khan and Clinton Hicks taught the children techniques as Andrew Matter, a two-time NCAA national champion from Penn State, watched.
Matter's two sons, Brett and Clint, along with two of their former Delran High School teammates, helped orchestrate a reduced price and then bought the two full-size mats on which the team now practices.
Brett Matter, an NCAA national champion who compiled 128 wins at Penn, said pitching in to help the squad was an easy sell once he spoke with Wallace.
"You can just tell they're good people," said Matter, 31, head trader with a New York City financial firm. "They just want to give their kids a chance - not just in wrestling, but in life."
The program in Camden has spurred the Matter brothers into looking at developing more inner-city programs, such as Beat the Street in New York City, where they both now live.
"We've been discussing the possibility of setting that up in Philadelphia," said Clint, also a standout wrestler at Penn.
Brett said he had heard of Camden's program from Johnnie Johnson, an All-American at the former Trenton State College who now runs his own wrestling clinic.
Johnson, who began collecting used gear for the team last summer, said wrestling could change the lives of every kid in the room if they stuck with it.
"Wrestling is without a doubt the hardest sport there is," he said. "A wrestler's background makes him a natural leader, and it's applicable to everything they touch in life."
Most of the kids rolling around on the mats are children or relatives of former Camden High School wrestlers who remained enamored with the sport but were unable to find an outlet.
"I'll tell you, this is a beautiful thing," said John Royal, 38, Sharif's father. "This is just another opportunity to rebuild this city from the youth up."
Happy coach at Camden HighIf one man might be happier than all the others at the Centreville Simbas' wrestling practice, it's Hedley Thame, Camden High's wrestling coach since 1977 and the reason the school continues to have a squad.
"I'm definitely going to hang in there for a couple more years now," said Thame, with a laugh. "If I start getting some kids that can compete, that's all I can ask for."
Thame, science-department chairman at Camden High, said his last competitive wrestler had to quit the team.
"He had to get a job," Thame said.
New kids trickle in at almost every practice, and Wallace said he plans on coaching through the summer until football starts. He's looking for his own building in Camden that the team can permanently call home.
"Would you believe me if I told you that we're kicking butt?" the former Marine said.
Sharif Royal's trophy, and his undeniable pride in holding it, provided proof.
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