PRTC resident athlete Mark Hall will coach a squad of athletes at the U23 World Team Trials

Serving others, it’s one of the main core values practiced at the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center. You can witness our senior level athletes living out this core value day to day as they volunteer with Beat the Streets programs around the city of Philadelphia. This weekend, the 2021 US Open Freestyle Champion at 86 kg Mark Hall will be embracing this core value in a different manner, as he coaches his younger PRTC teammates alongside Bryan Pearsall and Roger Reina at the U23 World Team Trials. The champions of this particular tournament will represent Team USA in Belgrade, Serbia this November at the U23 World Championships. Being a part of such a team is not only a great honor, but an incredible opportunity to represent our country.

“This is a great opportunity to learn how to become a better coach, but also to give back to the very teammates who push me in the wrestling room during every practice. These guys give it 100%, and I plan to reciprocate that this week at U23s as I sit in their corner,” explains Mark. “I don’t have much experience coaching, but I do know a thing or two about wrestling. Hopefully I can use my experiences on the mat to help these guys achieve their goals.”

Mark Hall, a fierce competitor and champion both on and off the mat, has never competed at U23s, but he hopes his athletes prepare for this tournament like they would any other one, “I hope they don’t make it more important, or less important. I hope they take it for exactly what it is: a new opportunity to get better and put all those hard practices and workouts to use.” Full of advice for the younger athletes and well versed in wrestling knowledge and technique, Mark Hall also has a servant’s heart—a characteristic you can find in every Senior level athlete at the PRTC.

Giving back to the very community that provides an opportunity to live out their dreams of becoming World and Olympic champions is what sets the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center apart from others. All of the athletes greatly embrace their roles as leaders within the Philadelphia wrestling community, but also the ecosystem surrounding it. Since coming on board with the PRTC, Mark Hall has actively pursued and fulfilled his role within the community. This week, as he embarks on a new adventure as a coach within the wrestling world, Mark has high hopes, “I hope the guys I coach discover something about themselves. Maybe they discover how tough they can be, or a new move they are capable of hitting. Either way, it’s growth and something to be proud of.”