Pezzullo helping to grow lacrosse with senior project

By Jacob Marrocco
Posted 12/22/16

Pilgrim senior Steve Pezzullo can understand the value of an opportunity. When Pezzullo, who has played lacrosse since he was young, came to Pilgrim, it didn't have a boys' program in the sport. The genesis of

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Pezzullo helping to grow lacrosse with senior project

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Pilgrim senior Steve Pezzullo can understand the value of an opportunity.

When Pezzullo, who has played lacrosse since he was young, came to Pilgrim, it didn’t have a boys’ program in the sport. The genesis of the team came during his sophomore year, and he has been a prominent fixture ever since.

Now, he’s spreading his knowledge of the game to others seeking an opportunity to play one of the fastest-growing sports in the country. Pezzullo decided to focus his senior project on teaching kids the fundamentals of lacrosse during a four-week clinic at Nathan Bishop Middle School in Providence.

“It was really cool,” Pezzullo said of his experience at Nathan Bishop. “A lot of them never played before, and they were able to pick it up in three days. It was mind-blowing.”

One story in particular resonated with Pezzullo, a boy with autism at Nathan Bishop who was undeterred in his efforts to pick up lacrosse.

“He never let it stop him,” Pezzullo said. “He was smiling every day. He had fun there every single day, he was there every single day. It was really moving.”

That anecdote is a microcosm of what inspired Pezzullo to take on this project in the first place. As someone who wants to pursue criminal justice after graduation, he's driven by a desire to help others.

He began the journey with a trip to the New Hampton School in New Hampshire to work with Metro Lacrosse. The program featured kids from inner-cities around the United States, including Dallas, Baltimore and Denver.

“It was just really life-changing because there were a lot of kids there that had stories, and they haven’t been playing their whole life,” Pezzullo said. “Just being able to get the opportunities they’ve been given is really cool.”

Pezzullo then branched out to Providence to get a taste of what he ultimately wants to do. His goal is to work as a police officer within an inner-city school and start a lacrosse program there in his spare time.

So far, so good for that goal.

“Just being able to teach kids something new,” Pezzullo said of his biggest takeaway from his senior project, which he passed last week during the early presentation period. “Being able to see kids learn the game that fast, give a kid an opportunity to do something new and maybe even benefit him for the rest of his life.”

His success with this endeavor comes as no surprise to his lacrosse coach at Pilgrim, Blake Simpson. He sees Pezzullo’s leadership on display every season, and it shows on and off the field.

“He’s definitely one of our biggest leaders,” Simpson said. “It’s great to see him push his teammates and just make himself better by coming in the weight room a few times a week, looking to get better this season and then he’s going off to college to play. He’s just looking for that next level.”

Pezzullo will look to continue his own lacrosse career when he attends Harford Community College in Bel Air, Maryland, next fall to begin pursuing his criminal justice degree.

As he continues to grow as a person and a leader, so will the sport that has followed him his entire life.

“It really meant a lot to me, because realizing what I did, that’s something I want to keep doing for a really long time, just continue to give kids the opportunities that I’ve been given,” Pezzullo said.

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