It started out of necessity.
Justin Tocco witnessed firsthand the effects a lack of opportunity has on kids in unfortunate circumstances when his sister stumbled down a path that ended in her losing her battle to drug addiction.
He believes his sister could’ve been awarded a different outcome had there been something in the community to help her when she was young.
Tocco’s motivation to impact the younger generation, intertwined with the fact that he was going all over the place to get his sons to wrestling due to no local practice places, led him to start Revolution Elite Wrestling Club Inc. on Main Street in Lockport in 2022.
They grew out of that location in half of a year and moved to the old YMCA on East Ave., but will move to the old United Church of Christ on the same street in Lockport in mid-March to have a bigger space that will allow for multi-purpose training.
He and his wife, Jami, self-funded scholarships for around three years to allow as many kids as possible to have access to programs they couldn’t otherwise afford because they do not want the youth in the community to be without opportunity.
“Both of us kinda came from, I don’t wanna say terrible situations, but we weren’t afforded a lot of awesome opportunities to grow as young kids,” Tocco said.
Now an official non-profit, the Niagara County Youth Funding Bureau awarded the club a $10,000 grant to get more kids in the door.
With girls wrestling as one of the fastest growing sports in America, Tocco is geared up to help grow the sport in the area and have a positive impact on the lives of young girls.
“We have cornered the local market on growing youth wrestling when it comes to the boys, but the real unique opportunity presents itself for the community as a whole with growing women’s wrestling,” Tocco said. “Even if they never intend to compete, it’s such a confidence-boosting, self-esteem building sport, that girls and women of all ages could really benefit from it.”
The club held free introductory classes from April to September in 2024 to get more girls on the mat. Two of his stronger female wrestlers, Jadah and Aaliyah Otto, began wrestling 11 months ago and have only trained at Revolution.
Jadah, only 16, recently competed at the John Carroll University Open Tournament, an NCAA-sanctioned event, and placed second at 145 pounds against collegiate wrestlers.
Tocco believes he has a strong and qualified group of coaches to help him and the wrestlers achieve their goals, and has many beneficial volunteers.
Some of these coaches include Jeff Catrabone, a three-time NCAA All-American at University of Michigan, Andrew Dunn, an NCAA Division II National Champion and current assistant coach at the University at Buffalo, Justin McDougald, one of the most decorated wrestlers ever in Section VI, and Kyla Holka, who just had a baby but is expected to return to the mat.
Tocco gets high school wrestlers involved in coaching, too. Newfane’s Aidan Gillings and Lewiston-Porter’s Jaron Barrientos help coach the youth programs and exist as a role model in the room, and an example of what could come if you work hard and stick to your craft.
Gillings, a senior, has qualified for states every year since he was in middle school, and is on the quest to win states at 145 this year. He helps Catrabone out at his practices and does one-on-one lessons with several kids at the facility, including Tocco’s son, Joey.
Private sessions are part of his favorite part about coaching because that is where he feels an impact is made.
“That’s where you make a connection with the kids and allow them to grow,” Gillings said. “Competing at these tournaments and having success, (seeing) the smiles on their faces and them getting better — you can see what the future is gonna be like for all these kids and the programs they’re a part of.”
He doesn’t have as much free time on his hands to give lessons right now as he prepares for states, but is looking forward to helping out more in the spring and summer, when his schedule is less demanding.
“I’ll have more opportunity to work with the kids, give back to the youth and the community that has made me so good and (helped) do what I do,” Gillings said.
He also noted how the club draws in a decent amount of wrestlers from Newfane and serves almost like a “feeder system” for the varsity program.
According to Gillings, you’ll likely see these kids on varsity for the Panthers in 6-10 years, when they’re old enough for school sports.
Barrientos recently qualified for states at 116 after placing first in qualifiers and is headed to states for the third year in a row. Barrientos and Gillings are two of the most decorated wrestlers in Section VI that are still active, and can offer knowledge and experience to the younger generation.
“More importantly, we think having a goal person in the room motivates the young kids in the room,” Tocco said. “I want them in there building themselves and helping enhance their character, as well as building bonds so that our young wrestlers know what they’re working towards.”