Westhampton Beach Scout Organizes Wrestling Clinic To Earn Eagle Status

Danny Strebel began wrestling when he was just 5-years-old, going to camps and clinics to learn the fundamentals of the sport.

Now, a decade later, Danny has helped pass the sport on to the next generation.

A sophomore at Westhampton Beach High School and a member of Boy Scout Troop 62, Danny recently earned his Eagle Scout award by raising the money for and orchestrating a free clinic for young wrestlers held at the East Quogue Elementary School this past summer.

“I guess [clinics] are pretty important because they sort of build an interest and a foundation for what [young wrestlers] want to do if they really want to do it,” said Danny, who lives in Westhampton Beach and is a member of the high school’s varsity wrestling team. “It really helps reinforce that.”

To pull the clinic together, the now 15-year-old sought local donors and enlisted the help of his fellow Boy Scouts, as well as his teammates on the varsity wrestling team. The boys held a car wash at the Westhampton Beach Middle School in May to help finance the clinic.

Danny is the fifth Scout from Troop 62 to earn the rank of Eagle Scout this year—Luke Dalton, Thomas Montagna, Justin Kuey and Zachary Merle are the others—and the eighth in the outfit to attain the organization’s highest accolade since 2010, when the troop was formed, according to Scoutmaster Bill Dalton. Sal DiBenedetto became the ninth member of the troop to earn the honor last week.

Mr. Dalton explained that most of the children who attended the June clinic were from Riverhead and the greater Westhampton area. He added that the East Quogue Elementary School allowed Danny to use the school’s facilities and gym mats for the clinic.

“Basically these kids, a lot of them couldn’t afford to do this normally,” Mr. Dalton said. “So he did this to kick start their interest.”

Mr. Dalton noted that, nationwide, fewer than 4 percent of boys who get involved in Scouting make it to the rank of Eagle Scout, making it even more impressive that so many of the boys in his troop have made it this far, a fact that he attributes to the support that they provide one another.

Danny’s mother, Diane Strebel, said watching the other boys earn their Eagle Scout awards helped make it easier for her and her son to get through the process. “We’ve all stuck together so, in that sense, it was easy because we’ve all gone through it together,” she said.

Danny, who became a Cub Scout at when he turned 7, said he’s not sure what’s made him stick with Scouting for this long. “I think it’s just that we all really wanted to get to that Eagle Scout ranking to finish it up and finish strong,” he said.

Danny said he plans on continuing to attend Troop 62’s meetings, helping them plan events and volunteering alongside his fellow Scouts.

Mr. Dalton said Danny has always found a way to balance a lot in his life.

“He’s an honor student, he’s a great kid,” Mr. Dalton said. “He’s disciplined enough to know he’s got his studies, his athletics and his Scouting that he has too.”