Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 4/5/13
Phillylacrosse.com has announced that Pansini & Mezrow Law Firm will serve as the sponsor for the Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll, a weekly feature during the high school lacrosse season that recognizes high achievers in academics and service.
Players will be recommended by their high school coaches. All boys and girls in grades 10 through 12 are eligible from teams in Southeastern PA, the Lehigh Valley, Berks County, Delaware and South Jersey.
“We are so pleased to have Pansini & Mezrow as the sponsor for this feature on Phillylacrosse.com,” said Lacrosse Media, LLC owner Chris Goldberg. “As an educator myself, we seek to recognize the great accomplishments of our student-athletes in the region off the field as well as on the field.”
“My firm and I are honored to support and sponsor the Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll,” said Firm Owner Michael Pansini. “The firm believes strongly that recognizing those who strive to be their best both in and out of the classroom and who also give back to the community is important.”
Coach recommendations can be e-mailed to Phillylacrosse.com at golax@phillylacrosse.com. Both academics and service/volunteer work are the focus of the honors; players must be on the varsity team.
“I have always believed that athletics and academics go hand in hand,” said Pansini. “The discipline and teamwork that is required to excel does not just lead to success on the playing field – it leads to success in life.
“The combination of academics and athletics helped me to achieve many of my goals. I am hopeful that by sponsoring this Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll on Phillylacrosse.com, others will benefit from this winning combination as well.”
Pansini, who played NCAA basketball at Johns Hopkins, said his experience as a scholar-athlete in high school and college led him to find success in the professional world.
“The skills we learn as student-athletes last a lifetime and that’s why I want others to take advantage of these opportunities to be student-athletes,” he said.
“To make the Honor Roll one must not only commit and dedicate oneself on the lacrosse field, one must also spend a significant amount of time hitting the books and giving back to the community. This is not easy, but the time and effort will pay off.
“You can’t neglect academics because of athletics, and from my perspective, you shouldn’t neglect athletics for academics. Being well-rounded is so important in today’s world.”
Pansini said he fell in love with the sport of lacrosse as a student at Hopkins, the legendary lacrosse power in Baltimore; later he reinforced his love of the sport when three of his daughters began playing in Philly youth leagues.
“My first interaction with lacrosse was in 1978 as a freshman at Johns Hopkins,” he said. “I fell in love with the sport 35 years ago and I haven’t stopped loving the sport ever since.
“Three of my daughters love the game and play it passionately at their schools and club teams, and I see what they get out of the sport; the discipline, the hard work, the teamwork. You can only become a better lax player by working hard every day, whether at practice or in your backyard.
The Pansini & Mezrow firm is very active in supporting youth sports throughout the Philadelphia region, such as lacrosse, soccer, and ice hockey with the Snyder Youth Hockey Foundation, and soccer. The firm also is also involved in providing scholarships to deserving young people in the area.
Said Goldberg: “Pansini & Mezrow is a company that is highly involved in youth and community service around the city and the firm has long supported many sports teams of all levels. This is only the beginning as we look to build this relationship and develop more projects in the future that recognize academics and service.”
