The Shop – The Original Schoolyard System is stepping up its game with its second annual wrestling camp to be held later this month at North Star High School.
Penn State’s two-time NCAA champion and three-time All-American Roman Bravo-Young, Rutgers All-American Greg Bulsak and two-time Shippensburg University All-American Tyshawn White will lead the camp with former local stars .
Bravo-Young went 182-0 at Sunnyside High School in Tuscon, Arizona. Bulsak, an alumnus of South Park High School, won two state championships and wrestled in the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic for the PA team, while White was a three-time Central Dauphin High School State Medalist.
Bulsak is not a flashy wrestler. However, the Scarlet Knights grad student went 16-4 and earned All-American status at 197 pounds.
“I want to show them what has worked for me throughout my wrestling career and how the basics can work anytime,” Bulsak said. “It’s not flashy all the time. The moves I used aren’t too advanced. Anyone can learn and become really good at it.”
Bulsak said he was good with the legs and could work well from above. He developed his ability to flip a switch from any position and manage to get out of a bad spot. Bulsak feels lucky to have this opportunity as a clinician.
“It feels good to give back to the camps,” Bulsak said. “I always went to camps as a kid, and now it’s great to be the one showing the kids’ moves and helping them achieve their goals.”
Meanwhile, White hopes to show his skills to young wrestlers to help them improve.
“I changed my style a bit,” the Raiders junior said. “The guys didn’t fight me here. They didn’t want me to catch them, so I wanted to show them how I use my hands. I also have a very simple but effective elbow pass that I want to show the kids. In high school, all I used was an underhand hook and a tilt, but I want to show that too.”
White likes to give back. As a clinician at camp, he will have the opportunity to do so.
“I always went to Messiah or Kutztown camps when I was younger,” he said. “At Central Dauphin, we had a camp and Jordan Oliver, who I admired the most growing up, was there. It wasn’t even about technique, it was more about talking to him. He taught me that I had all the abilities to beat anyone I’ve battled. Doing the right things in life, I love helping people. I still work with the Mechanicsburg kids and love to see their success. If you can help don’t even one child is an incredible thing.
ClinicalThe Shop will host a wrestling clinic; Gavin Teasdale, Te’Shan Campbell in the lead
The camp will take place from April 29 to May 1 with six sessions planned. Children from kindergarten to grade 12 can register for the camp.
When the Cahill family opened The Shop in 2020, the aim was to grow the culture of wrestling in Somerset County. They have trained wrestlers of all ages and skills since opening.
“The vision was clear once we started the business. We obviously strive for excellence in everything we do,” said The Shop co-owner Taylor Cahill. “My dad, (Steve Cahill) pushed us to make it a business.”
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When COVID-19 hit, wrestlers and fighters had no place to train as many facilities were closed. The store remained open and continued to grow.
The original facility from which The Shop operated was a 21 foot by 15 foot carpet room. It just wasn’t enough space. Therefore, they moved to a larger facility in Berlin last March.
“We have dedicated our lives to combat sports and wrestling,” Cahill said. “We had relationships to really develop zonal wrestling. Once Gavin (Teasdale) showed up and started training with us, it opened up even more possibilities for us. He was a teammate of Roman Bravo-Young.”
Teasdale, who will also be part of the camp, is one of 13 four-time PIAA wrestling champions. He is a two-time World Team USA member, a two-time Fargo National Champion, and a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Teasdale defeated Young at FloWrestling’s Who’s Number One.
Cahill and Teasdale are now fighting in the Legacy Fighting Alliance. Cahill, his brothers Tanner and Toby Cahill, Drew Doak and North Star wrestling coach Sal Lascari will also be part of the camp. It’s a list of who’s who names. Toby Cahill is a former Berlin State Champion and currently wrestles in Buffalo.
“You can learn something from everyone,” Cahill said. “There are successful people that you don’t even know about until an opportunity like this comes along. It’s right in our backyard. It’s so huge for us to bring that in the region because all of these clinicians are proven and world-class. They all won in different ways.
“Whether it’s a freshman or a high school student competing to be the No. 1 kid in the nation, you can be exposed to a high level of struggle and excellence where you wear a little niche for the rest of your life.”
Suburban Camp is $185 for all three days. There is a limit of 75 wrestlers. The camp will also be pro-rated for those who can only attend for a day or two. The early bird registration deadline is April 18, which comes with a free camp t-shirt. The late registration deadline is April 23.
If camp capacity is not filled, walk-in registration will take place from 5-6 p.m. April 29 at the North Star High School gymnasium, followed by Session 1 from 6-8 p.m. . Day 2 begins at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. Day 3 starts at 2 p.m. Email [email protected] for more information. Text or call The Shop staff: Taylor Cahill at 814-279-7412; Tanner Cahill at 814-242-2866; Gavin Teasdale at 724-880-4829.
Cahill is looking forward to camp, having so much talent in just one gym.
“I’m extremely excited,” he said. “We are still in our infancy but only positive things will come out of it. We plan to be here for a long time and we are on a mission to help grow culture in Somerset County. We attract good people and we’re attracting the right energy to really build a powerful wrestling culture in Somerset County.”
Adam Ripple is the sports editor of the Daily American. He can be reached at 814-444-5926. Follow him on Twitter @ARipple_DAsport. Follow Daily American Sports on Facebook.
