Sun Devil wrestling joins Sparky's Tour to Lomas Elementary School

Thom Ortiz, the head coach of the Arizona State University wrestling team, and wrestler Josh Calteux joined up with Sparky's Tour it made a stop at Lomas Elementary School in Phoenix on Tuesday, September 30. Ortiz, who spoke to an assembly of over 800 students, talked about the importance of education, hard work and making good decisions, all three of which are the cornerstones of Sparky's Tour.

Sparky's Tour is a program aimed at helping show Valley youth the importance of attaining an education while always trying their best and making good decisions. The program has over 30 stops scheduled throughout the 2008-09 academic year and will touch over 19,000 students in the Valley of the Sun. The tour aims to teach education values by showing the students how to be a S.P.A.R.K.Y., which stands for Self-starter, Positive, Active, Responsible, Knowledgeable and Yourself.

Assisting with Sparky's Tour is just one of the many community-based activities the Sun Devil wrestling program has and will continue to be a part of. Earlier this year, the wrestlers and coaching staff helped the community surrounding Wilson Elementary in Phoenix in its annual clean-up project. The day was spent carrying off debris from the streets and other projects. In the past few years, the Sun Devil wrestling program has been very active in the Phoenix area, including helping students with their homework at the Boy's and Girl's Club of Tempe and reading to children at a local center.