Patrick Spano was an angry kid.
"At 9 years old, I had a bad temper," he says.
But enrolling in martial arts classes and eventually taking up wrestling gave him an outlet for his aggression.
"After that, my temper went away very quickly because I had a chance to get it all out," says the all-world grappler. "I don't know where I'd be without it."
WATCH: Free wrestling classes for kids ages 7-18 taught by former state champion Patrick Spano
Patrick would go on to be a wrestling state champ for Chamberlain High School in Tampa. He's now a teacher at Leto High School, also in Tampa.
He figured it was time to give back — to Tampa.
Patrick heads the Tampa chapter of Beat the Streets, a national nonprofit that uses wrestling to help kids get on the right track.
He teamed up with the University Area CDC and their Get Moving! wellness program to offer free wrestling classes (including headgear and shoes) for area kids, ages 7 to 18. Beginners are welcome.
The two-hour classes are twice a week from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and run until May.
If you're interested in the wrestling classes — or any of the UACDC's free classes for families and adults — you can go to the UACDC website here or contact Ronnie Oliver directly at roliver@uacdc.org.
For more Sean Daly stories, follow Sean on Instagram at @seandalytv.
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Sean Daly calls himself Tampa Bay 28’s "resident big kid". He puts his boundless energy into sharing stories about people doing good, things for you to do, and of course, theme parks. If you have an idea for Sean’s next adventure or "Daly Discovery", send him a message.
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