Beat the Streets LA at the Coach the Dream: Changing Sport for Girls summit

Posted: December 4, 2024

In October, Beat the Streets LA San Pedro coaches Silvia Calleja and Roman Hernandez went above and beyond, traveling to Tokyo to represent Beat the Streets LA at the Coach the Dream: Changing Sport for Girls summit. The multi-day event, co-hosted by Laureus Sport and Nike, included a five-year celebration of Play Academy with Naomi Osaka, which BTSLA has been a grantee partner.

The summit also featured coach trainings, expert panels, and a day of play for 40 girls around the Tokyo community, with surprise visits from Naomi Osaka and Olympic legend Missy Franklin. We’re so proud to be part of this global mission to change girls’ lives through play and sport.

Roman Hernandez is one of the longest serving coaches with BTSLA. Roman has been coaching for Beat the Streets LA for over 10 years and is passionate about helping young athletes develop long lasting values through wrestling.

Silvia Calleja began wrestling in middle school when she was introduced to the sport for the first time. She participated in Beat the Streets LA as a student-athlete in the San Pedro program until graduation when she became one of the program’s lead coaches alongside head coach Roman Hernandez.

Our coaches are honored to have had the opportunity to join the conversation on how to grow girl’s participation in sports globally, to connect with other organizations from around the world united by a common mission and to share the impact their work at Beat the Streets LA has had on their community.

“Being able to go to the Coach The Dream summit was truly life changing and a great experience. Changing the sport for girls is a common goal across the world and it was inspiring to see all these organizations come together and make a difference for all girls. Not only that but I was able to inspire others by speaking about what Beat the Streets LA is all about. Hearing other girls’ testimonies motivated me to get out of my comfort zone and test myself to conquer that stage fright and I’m thankful for my support system of amazing coaches. I learned that advocating for girls wrestling is a passion of mine and I want to make a difference in the world where girls can be in sports without a problem.” Calleja said about the experience.

Thank you again to our partner Play Academy with Naomi Osaka for giving our coaches this invaluable opportunity to learn, travel and become part of an international community. We’re so proud to be part of this global mission to change girls’ lives through play and sport.