{"id":354752,"date":"2025-02-14T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-14T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/knightlife.paceacademy.org\/knightlynews\/?p=354752"},"modified":"2025-02-10T14:18:54","modified_gmt":"2025-02-10T19:18:54","slug":"honoring-the-legacy-of-gordon-corsetti","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/knightlife.paceacademy.org\/knightlynews\/2025\/02\/14\/honoring-the-legacy-of-gordon-corsetti\/","title":{"rendered":"Honoring the Legacy of Gordon Corsetti"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This article addresses the issue of mental health and its content is intended for mature readers. Gordon\u2019s story adresses mental illness, suicide, and perseverance. Ultimately, this article covers the struggles that Gordon endured and the extraordinary legacy that he left behind. If you need help, call the National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org\/chat<\/a> to speak with a counselor, or schedule a meeting with a school counselor. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Gordon speaks in a video about mental health. Photo : USA Lacrosse<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Born in 1988, Gordon James Corsetti grew up with his sister Caitlin, and parents Lou and Mary Jo in Atlanta, Georgia. Moving from New Jersey to Atlanta was a significant change in Gordon\u2019s life. His father, a figure in the growth of Georgia lacrosse to this day, established Atlanta Youth Lacrosse. Gordon claimed that he had many valuable experiences and fantastic memories from just a dirt field. Gordon also participated in many different forms of martial arts. Growing up, Gordon felt as if he didn\u2019t belong in school and didn\u2019t feel connected with his peers. His output was always physical activity as it allowed him to improve his state of mind. Gordon attended Pace Academy, participated in the lacrosse program at Pace, and graduated in 2006. Current Pace Academy Upper School Dean and Biology teacher, Ben Ewing, was a teammate and friend of Gordon. Following a Pace lacrosse practice, Gordon was sitting on the back of his truck with a look of despair. Ewing approached Gordon and asked him two questions, \u201cHey, you okay?\u201d and after a brief silence Ewing asked \u201cHow can I help?\u201d Those questions and the support that Ewing showed, prevented Gordon\u2019s attempt to take his own life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank God for lacrosse,\u201d wrote Gordon, in an article published by US Lacrosse Magazine, Gordon spoke about his mental health journey. Gordon became a referee in the state of Georgia and went above and beyond to spread his passion to others and grow the game of lacrosse in the South. \u201cGordon was always very professional and was always concerned with helping other refs understand lacrosse to grow the game in the South,” said Pace Men’s Lacrosse Head Coach Chase Winter. \u201cHe was wonderful and what he did with the ref organization was incredible.\u201d Nevertheless, Gordon impacted many beyond just teaching them about the game; he taught them about the importance of togetherness. \u201cHe showed that it\u2019s about the community you leave behind and he encourages us to help the ones we consider family in any way possible, ” said Winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs a consequence of his depression he struggled to find joy in most day to day things so in high school he stuck to lacrosse,\u201d Ewing said. \u201cIn college we both were recruited to play lacrosse and he got up to college and realized that his experiences as a player were less than he wanted it to be. He dropped off the team and ended up leaving school to try and find his own identity and that\u2019s when he had started to find his way out of a serious battle of depression; he started writing and he started creating.\u201d Gordon began to create for others; he would publish videos on youtube and that\u2019s where he found a place of belonging. \u201cMy third year teaching at the Asheville school, I was walking through the student commons one day and I heard Gordon\u2019s voice coming out of a computer screen of one of the sophomores,\u201d Ewing said. He explained that this experience was so amazing for him because he saw that a friend of his had affected a student of his. \u201cOften, people get really focused on the right avenue to figure out what they want to do and become qualified to do that; Gordon created his own avenue,\u201d Ewing said. \u201c[He didn\u2019t] need others permission to execute [his] vision, and that\u2019s where I think Gordons impact came.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gordon claimed that lacrosse was his output for everything and his meditation. Similarly, Pace lacrosse players today experience that feeling of output and meditation as well. \u201cFor me being out there is a nice way to let everything out and enjoy myself and let go of everything else going on in my life,\u201d said Senior Benjamin Ganz. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In late 2021, Gordon\u2019s battle against mental health took a hard turn, and Gordon took his own life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ewing has led a meeting with the Pace lacrosse team every year since Gordon\u2019s passing to remind them of the severity of mental health and the special opportunities that they have in their relationships with each other. \u201cThe bonds I\u2019ve created during my four years playing lacrosse at Pace have been because of the great people involved with the team both in the coaching and in my teammates,\u201d said Pace lacrosse alumni Alex Trujillo. Following the meeting, Pace lacrosse players develop their character and bond as a family. \u201cI feel especially connected to the guys on the team after hearing the story of Gordon,\u201d explained Senior Akshay Tolmare. \u201cIt hit close to home due to him going to Pace which made me want to perform at the best of my ability to honor him,\u201d said sophomore Davis Beauchamp. \u201cIt means leaving a legacy and honoring a player of the Pace lacrosse team,\u201d said Senior Sam Rosetti.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the Pace lacrosse season, the men’s team will compete in the Gordon Corsetti tournament to honor him. This event is hosted by the Fellowship Christian School where Gordon’s father, Lou Corsetti coaches. \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to playing a game that means so much more than any other game we play,\u201d said Senior Tate O\u2019Leary. \u201cIt\u2019s really nice to play for someone who has such a great legacy. The tournament will take place on Mar. 15. \u201cWe’re excited to play in the tournament for a cause and it\u2019s great,\u201d said Winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following his college life, Gordon started an online page called the Gordon Corsetti Mental Agility Foundation where he shared his experiences with mental health. \u201cFrom a legacy standpoint Gordon just had the gift of speech and writing and he was open about what he had,\u201d said Lou Corsetti. Gordon strived to help others even despite his own struggles. When he was in a mental hospital at Emory, Gordon reached out to a student at Marist to help that student through their journey. The actions of helping others were a key part of Gordon\u2019s story and the legacy that he left behind. \u201cHe left at 34, but he left a huge dent in the universe and that keeps me going and I’m going to talk about [his story] any time I can,\u201d said Lou Corsetti. To this day, many are affected by Gordon\u2019s online page. He provided a place for people to read and learn from his experiences and his page has helped a tremendous amount of people around the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Gordon speaks out about his life to teach others. Photo : Referee.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To this day, many mourn the loss of Gordon, but the legacy of Gordon Corsetti lives on. \u201cGordon Corsetti has left a legacy on Pace as being a leader and role model,\u201d said Senior Drew Thompson. \u201cEvery game we play, we play for his legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This article addresses the issue of mental health and its content is intended for mature readers. Gordon\u2019s story adresses mental illness, suicide, and perseverance. Ultimately, this article covers the struggles that Gordon endured and the extraordinary legacy that he left behind. If you need help, call the National Suicide PreventionContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":495,"featured_media":354753,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,267],"tags":[],"class_list":["entry","author-grant-chase26paceacademy-org","post-354752","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pacenews","category-sports-broadcasts"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/knightlife.paceacademy.org\/knightlynews\/files\/2025\/02\/Lacrosse-Saved-my-Life.jpg?fit=1008%2C672&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1TYqQ-1uhO","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/knightlife.paceacademy.org\/knightlynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354752","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/knightlife.paceacademy.org\/knightlynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/knightlife.paceacademy.org\/knightlynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/knightlife.paceacademy.org\/knightlynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/495"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/knightlife.paceacademy.org\/knightlynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=354752"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/knightlife.paceacademy.org\/knightlynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354752\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":354800,"href":"https:\/\/knightlife.paceacademy.org\/knightlynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354752\/revisions\/354800"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/knightlife.paceacademy.org\/knightlynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/354753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/knightlife.paceacademy.org\/knightlynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=354752"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/knightlife.paceacademy.org\/knightlynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=354752"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/knightlife.paceacademy.org\/knightlynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=354752"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}