"A flower does not think of competing to the flower next to it. It just blooms.”
/This morning I was going through some old emails while reflecting on another month without my son.
Gordon’s old manager Erin Smith sent this email to all of us at USA Lacrosse on March 5th, 2019 two days after his birthday. Erin did a very nice job capturing Gordon’s tenure at USA Lacrosse.
She also added some comments from folks around the country and his Manager Charlie Obermayer who thanked Gordon for a job well done. I have also included Gordon’s message to his colleagues.
Dear Staff-
In this case, others' words are better than mine, so please read on to see Charlie's fond farewell (while on leave, thus my being the messenger) and Gordon's personal words to all of you.
Erin
USL Team,
I am not even sure where to start off with this email but here it goes. Gordon, will be leaving our USL family to move back to his native Georgia where he is beginning a new career with CarMax as a Senior Instructional Designer at the end of this month. This is a fantastic opportunity for Gordon and we wish him the best of luck in his newest endeavor. His last day with us will be Friday, March 22nd.
Gordon’s impact on US Lacrosse, the officiating community and lacrosse community simply cannot be summed up in one email and numbers can’t even do it any justice, so here are a couple USL members and volunteers that Gordon worked with throughout his time here.
“A very thoughtful and thorough individual.” Matt Radebaugh
“Willing to do whatever it tales to get the job done.” Scott Miller
“In his time in this role, Gordon has advanced our officials training resources and materials leaps and bounds beyond where we thought we could take it.” Sean Murphy
“Gordon’s passion, work ethic and creativity has positively impacted the recruiting, training and promotion of lacrosse officiating more so than anybody I have had the pleasure working with through US Lacrosse.” Jim Carboneau
And my personal favorite from multiple people:
“You are screwed without Gordon.”
Join me in congratulating Gordon on an incredible opportunity for him and thanking him for the lasting contribution he has made to improve our organization and all of us as individuals.
Charlie__________________________________________________________________
Colleagues,
It is with a deep sense of gratitude and a twinge of regret that I announce my resignation from US Lacrosse. There is some regret, because I will miss the opportunity to positively impact the game, but there is much more gratitude, because of how much you all have impacted my life for the better.
When I came to US Lacrosse in 2014 I was a quiet, officiating nerd. Though I am still an officiating nerd, I am not quite as quiet. You all made me feel at home away from my family, and helped me grow as a person. I feel much more comfortable in social settings that used to cause me a great deal of anxiety, and my life has been enriched by knowing and working with all of you.
I am returning to Georgia to be closer to my family, and starting a new position as the Senior Instructional Designer at CarMax Auto Finance on April 1st. I will continue to write about mental wellness and effective stress reduction techniques at https://mentallyagile.com/, and you are welcome to reach me atgcorsetti@mentallyagile.com. I am also looking to build a public speaking career. If you think an organization, team, or school in which you are involved would like to learn how to manage daily stressors better, please share my contact page at: https://mentallyagile.com/contact.
Final yoga lesson: We all do tremendous work, and sometimes we wonder if what we do matters or if we measure up to some external ideal, remember, "A flower does not think of competing to the flower next to it. It just blooms.”
Regards,
Gordon
We still morn his loss and will continue until we leave this earth. Gordon is part of our fabric of our lives everyday. This weekend I took two of my dogs for a walk around the lake by our house and and I saw a flock of Geese flying overhead. I counted them and there were 13 Geese (Gordon’s favorite number). When you lose someone that you love so much you have to take notice of things like that because it helps keep his spirit alive.
Love ya Coach Lou, Mary Jo, Caitlin and Nick
Thanks to everyone for their kindness and support since Gordon left us. More great things to follow as we build his foundation to help people with their Mental Health.
For those of you that wish to donate to Gordon’s Mental Agility Foundation please see the link below:
https://everloved.com/life-of/gordon-corsetti/