By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 4/14/15
Re-Posted 8/19/15
Phillylacrosse.com is pleased to announce that Simon Gratz Mastery Charter has accepted a donation of more than $500 in goalie equipment through an inner-city award from the Pansini Law Group Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll program.
The donation, with equipment provided by Laxzone of Ambler, was given for a Scholar-Athlete award won last year by current Gratz Mastery Charter senior Breanna Travis. The “Inner-City Donation” was one post-season prize given through the Pansini Law Firm Scholar-Athlete program that recognizes high school lacrosse players for their excellence in academics, service and lacrosse.
Jim Beury, owner of Laxzone, presented Simon Gratz Mastery Charter at a recent Public League game with two full sets of goalie equipment, from Cascade, STX and Warrior.
Travis, a 4-year varsity defender and Second team All-Public choice in 2014, will attend Villanova University for academics. She has volunteered at the Broad Street Run, works with her church group to create bagged lunches for the homeless and does Christmas caroling at retirement homes in the winter. She also traveled to Puerto Rico over spring break last year for a service trip. She has one of the top GPAs (above 4.0) in her class.
“It has been really great for Breanna to receive such an amazing award,” said Simon Gratz mastery Charter coach Lindsay Stanislow. “She has worked very hard both on and off the field for 4 years, and deserves to be recognized.
“Breanna is very excited to attend Villanova University in the fall! Additionally, we are extremely grateful for the donation that we received from Mr. Pansini and Mr. Beury. The new goalie equipment was sorely needed and the girls are excited to play with new gear.”
Travis was thrilled for the honor and the opportunity to compete in lacrosse at Simon Gratz Mastery Charter. “I would just like to thank Mr. Pansini and Mr. Beury for donating to our lacrosse program,” she said. “I have truly loved playing lacrosse over the past 4 years and hope to continue playing recreationally in the future! Also, thanks to Phillylacrosse.com for giving me the award.”
Beury said it was a thrill to gather, prepare and deliver the equipment to the team. “The girls were so happy and really eager to try the stuff on. They were a really nice group of kids just playing the game.
“They were out there to play because they were enjoying the activity of playing. Hats off to those coaches because they were very knowledgeable and very gracious and I felt good knowing I had done something nice.
“I think Mr. Pansini deserves a world of credit for being thoughtful and investing in the game for some kids that wouldn’t be able to play as much as they can now. This helps grow the game; it’s awesome.
“It was a real gift to be able to participate in this project and I am honored to have been invited to be a part of it. Cascade donated a a new stat-of-the-art throat protector. The equipment is so helpful to them; all the equipment fit perfectly! The girls were overjoyed because their old helmet was ripping the hair out of their heads.”
The gear included a Cascade CPX-R helmet, mounted with clear throat protectors; Sultra chest pads and goalie gloves; Breaker goalie pants, a Rome chest protector, a Nemesis chest protector and Warrior shafts.
Simon Gratz Mastery Charter’s lacrosse team is comprised of two Mastery schools playing together. Mastery Charter Thomas Campus, in South Philly, sends nine girls to North Philadelphia to play lacrosse with Simon Gratz Mastery Charter. The team is in its fourth season of play.
The Pansini Law Group Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll program was created two years ago to recognize Philly region boys and girls that excel off the field in both areas of academics and service as well as on the field. More than 75 players have been honored (through coach recommendations) and overall cash prizes also are awarded at the end of the year. The 2015 program kicks off this week. Coaches can nominate players by e-mailing Phillylacrosse.com at golax@phillylacrosse.com
Said Pansini: “It was important to expand the Pansini Law Group Honor Roll because scholar-athletes are all over the entire region and we wanted to be sure that these amazing kids who played lacrosse in the inner city were recognized.
“Lacrosse is a sport that has traditionally been played in the suburbs and with the help of Phillylacrosse and Laxzone, it is our goal to continue to expand its reach into the inner city. Lacrosse is a beautiful sport that should be played by everyone. Once you play it, you’re hooked.”
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