Tomorrow’s Leaders Workshop with Morris Bird and Jacarra Winchester

On Sunday, April 27, Beat the Streets Los Angeles held its 9th 2024-25 Tomorrow’s Leaders workshop. This workshop empowered 75 student-athletes in attendance through resume building and perfecting technical and tactical skills.

The workshop began with a session led by Morris Bird, a former BTSLA coach and experienced professional. Morris shared his journey from youth wrestling to earning a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona and a law degree from Southwestern Law School, eventually carving out a career in the legal and entertainment industries. He led an interactive workshop designed to show the student-athletes how to effectively integrate education, athletic accomplishments, and experiences to craft a compelling resume.

For the on-the-mat portion of the workshop, participants engaged in an energetic practice led by Jacarra Winchester, a World Champion, World Silver Medalist, and Olympian. Jacarra guided athletes through strategic warm-ups, and detailed technique instruction, emphasizing skills crucial for competitive success. Her coaching stressed the importance of mastering the basics, being creative and innovative with techniques, and having fun!

This workshop truly embodied the mission of the Tomorrow’s Leaders program, which aims to equip student-athletes with essential skills for their post-high school journey. For the 2024-25 season, we are offering a record number of workshops—10 in total—designed to nurture leadership, college readiness, and career preparation.

The event highlighted the parallels between excelling in the classroom and succeeding on the wrestling mat—both requiring discipline, strategy, and consistency.