80 Teens Head To Wrestling Camp This Summer

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Summer camps are in full swing. Kids of all ages are learning to swim, play soccer and lacrosse.

Mike Schuh reports some young men from Baltimore have more on their plates than sports.

Who voluntarily signs up for summer school? And what summer school begins their day by mopping the classroom floor?

At Morgan State, they're turning kids away.

"The big idea here right now is to get these guys up to speed educationally. Wrestling is the hook; they all like to wrestle. What we try to do now is challenge their minds with STEM," said Damion Cooper.

Eighty young men, half middle and half high schoolers. All of them realize if they want to go to college, they need better grades.

"It's a lot to deal with, especially if you don't hang out with the right people," said RaJe Washington, high school senior.

A high school wrestler, Washington hopes these classes will help him get the appointment he seeks to the Naval Academy.

"It definitely works because we can't wrestle unless we do the work," he said.

Doing the work on the mat and in their heads.

"And this is what we're trying to do with education: think it through step by step. When things get hard, don't give up," Cooper said.

The cost for this weeklong camp? It's free.

Ohio State champ Jake Faust is here from Duke to train the teens.

"Wrestling--to get to where you want to be, like most kids, it's state champ--you have to work hard, put in extra time. And that's the same with academics. You start getting the same mentality for everything you do," Faust said.

The Anne E. Casey Foundation donated most of the $50,000 cost for this camp.