For those of you who know my son Gordon, he is a tremendous hugger. Now, Gordon did not go around hugging everyone he saw, if that's what you think. Gordon was a very reserved person in my view, but when he hugged you, he meant it. The hug is what prompted me to write this post this morning.
On March 15th and 16th, 2004, we had a Lacrosse Tournament for Gordon’s Mental Agility Foundation where people from all over the country came in to honor Gordon’s legacy and help raise money for mental health. There are so many people to thank, which I will get to in a moment.
First, I would like to thank the players, coaches, parents, fans, and officials from all the teams that participated: Christian Brothers (Memphis), McCallie (Chattanooga), Mountain Brook (Birmingham), Charlotte Catholic (Charlotte), and all of our local teams, Pace (Gordon’s alma mater), Pope, Lovett, Blessed Trinity, Oconee, Cambridge, and the Girls and Boys Teams from Fellowship Christian School. The competition was fierce, and everyone really enjoyed the message of "Take Care Of Your Crew."
Hugs were given in the stands, on the sidelines, and at midfield with our honorary coin flippers at the start of each game and at the banquet we had at our clubhouse when the last game was finished—for people that we as a family have not seen since we lost Gordon.
Mary Jo wore Gordon’s officials jersey, and we hung his college officials jersey on the sidelines at the scorers table. Two of our high school buddies, Vinny Pariso and Bob “Woody” Kerzner, made the trek from Long Island (West Babylon Eagles). We were graced with my great friend Frank Cecere, “Team Eight,” where we all played high school football. Dennis Gaddy, a great basketball player from high school attended and now lives in Atlanta. Mary Jo and Dennis were good friends growing up, and it was so nice to see him.
Kevin Forrester, Charlie Obermayer—Gordon’s mentors in the officiating world—came in from Baltimore along with my manager Steve Kirr, who is also a very close and dear friend. Kevin, Charlie, and Steve have been rock-solid during our time of need, and the prayers, support, and LOVE they have shown us are immeasurable.
Don Stoppenbach, my friend for over 25 years, ran the show from the press box (along with Scott Ferraro). Don also wrangled people from the US Lacrosse Youth Council, which I was part of for ten years. Trust me when I tell you that I could write a book about the Youth Council that would fill volumes of pages with our shenanigans (mostly all started by Don, I might add). The Youth Council, before US Lacrosse had over 90 employees, was the backbone of our sport helping grow the game across the country. These people are giants and terrific ambassadors of the game. Patty Brooks (Dallas), Mellisa D’Angelo (Long Island), Abby Burbank (Vermont), Tucker White (Florida via Baltimore), Noel Ebner (Upstate New York), Joanna Thomashefski (Michigan), and Maria Badalamenti (Atlanta - honorary Youth Council member).
Seeing the smiles on their faces over the weekend was tremendous and it brought back some wonderful memories.
The event was supported by all of my players and their parents (ticket sales, concessions, parking, cleanup). Special thanks to our Head of School Dr. Kathryn Teston, Athletic Director David Lowery, Assistant AD Andy Trevers, Maureen Boomhouwer, Cheryl Wade, Tori Mauldin, Rebecca Hurd, and all of our vendors the Bearor Family, Haynes Family, Elphick Family for setting up shop in our vendor village and running the silent auction. We don’t have the final tally yet, but between ticket sales, officials' fees, auction items, and donations I believe we raised close to twenty thousand dollars.
So, back to the hug!
Mary Jo and I have seen literally thousands of kids and their families, having run Atlanta Youth Lacrosse for twenty-seven years. Caitlin and Gordon were around the sport and it’s where they learned a great deal about work ethic and how to do things on their own. Mary Jo, who is a carpenter (her name is derived from Mary and Joseph), had our players (STARS - Students That Accept Responsibility) build many projects over the years at Murphy Chandler Park and Windsor Parkway. Seeing these young people who played, officiated, coached with us over that time was so awesome and HUGS were given out all day long.
As I mentioned earlier, when you got HUGGED by Gordon, he meant it, and all the HUGS that we received meant so much to us and frankly, it’s what keeps us going each and every day.
You all mean the world to us, and I can’t wait to see you and HUG you!
Coach Lou
Please consider donating to Gordon’s Mental Agility Foundation so we can continue to help people with their mental health. https://everloved.com/life-of/gordon-corsetti
