Tag Archives: Christy Paganelli

Special sporting community events at Wyoming, Wyoming Lee this weekend

May 8, 2019Area Education, City of Wyoming, Education, Kids Activities, Recreation, SportsChristy Paganelli, Copa RebeldeJoanne

By WKTV Staff
ken@wktv.org

The weather is supposed to be nice this weekend, and if you are into high school sports there will be two special Wyoming events — Wolves softball and baseball, and Rebel girls soccer — that will be both be great for viewers but also great for the community.

Wyoming High School will host Grandville High School in the Annual Christy Paganelli baseball/softball game Friday, May 10, at Pinery Park. The annual benefit games between teams from the neighboring high schools “celebrate life while bringing awareness to the importance of fighting cancer.”

The Christy Paganelli Softball Player Introduction Ceremony will begin at 5:30 p.m., with baseball introduction at 5:45 p.m.

The annual Christy’s Cause Scholarship Baseball and Softball Games honors “the person and the spirit” of Christy Paganelli, who lost a courageous 18-month battle with melanoma.

The event recognizes all cancer awareness and prevention, and is committed to making sure everyone is aware that melanoma skin cancer can happen to anyone and how to prevent it.

All funds will be directed towards cancer research and the Christy Paganelli Scholarship Fund, which funds one or two scholarships each year at Aquinas College, where Christy played softball after playing and graduating from Wyoming’s Rogers High School.

The events will begin with a junior varsity baseball game at 3:15 p.m., followed by twin varsity softball and baseball games at 6 p.m.

Pinery Park is located at 2301 De Hoop Ave, Wyoming.

Cope Rebelde soccer tournament at Lee

The Lee Rebel “Copa Rebelde Soccer Invite” will be held Saturday, May 11, at the Lee Athletic Fields.

The girls soccer tournament is a three-match event starting with West Michigan Aeronautics Academy vs. Lee at 9:30 a.m.; Wyoming Potter’s House vs. WMAA at 11 a.m. (or 15 minutes after end of game 1); Lee vs Potter’s House at 12:30 p.m. (or 15 minutes after end of game #2). Each game will be 60 minutes in length, with 30 minute halves, 10 minute halftimes, and 15 minutes between games.

There will be no overtime so tie games decided by penalty shoot-outs —which are always exciting — and the champion will be determined by record then point differential.

And while the event should feature some great tournament soccer action, it will also be a Latino community celebration of sorts.

“We are lucky to have a team and community that can embrace their cultural heritage as much as they do,” the Lee soccer coach said to WKTV last year. “Copa is ultimately just a word but that word represents more than a tournament cup. It represents our small community’s strong ties with Latin America.”

The Lee Athletic Fields are located at 1824 Godfrey Ave. SW, Wyoming.

For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week visit wktvjournal.org/sports/.

Wyoming high’s annual Paganelli baseball, softball fundraiser games set for Friday

May 2, 20183-bottom, City of Wyoming, Community Health, Education, Health, SportsChristy Paganelli, Christy’s Cause Scholarship Baseball and Softball GamesJoanne

Action from a previous Christy’s Cause Scholarship Baseball and Softball Games. (Supplied)

WKTV Staff

ken@wktv.org

This Friday, the annual Christy’s Cause Scholarship Baseball and Softball Games will be played between Wyoming and Grandville high schools, the seventh year honoring the person and the spirit of Christy Paganelli, who lost a courageous 18-month battle with melanoma.

The theme and cause of the games is “Play for Melanoma”, but the event recognizes all cancer awareness and prevention, and is committed to making sure everyone is aware that melanoma skin cancer can happen to anyone and how to prevent it.

Christy Paganelli, from her high school playing days. (Supplied)

The games are scheduled for May 4 at Wyoming High School’s baseball and softball fields, with junior varsity games beginning at 3:15 p.m. and varsity games beginning at 6 p.m.

In addition to the games, there will be information available about melanoma so everyone can be aware of the dangers of skin cancer and what the risk factors are.

Update: Change of venue/times for Christy Paganelli memorial ballgames

May 3, 2017City of Wyoming, Health, Recreation, SportsAmerican Cancer Society, Christy Paganelli, Grandville High School, Wyoming High SchoolJoanne

Jake Paganelli (at bat), like his brother before him, will be playing in a game that is very personal for the family. (Supplied)

Wyoming’s Christy Paganelli ballgames remember past, eye a better future

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

This Friday, an annual baseball and softball game will held between Wyoming and Grandville high schools, the sixth to honor the person and the spirit of Christy Paganelli, who lost a courageous 18-month battle with melanoma.

But the game, and its message, is really so much more — the theme is “Play for Melanoma” but, according to Christy’s widowered husband Dino, the event recognizes all cancer awareness and prevention, and is committed to making sure everyone is aware that melanoma skin cancer can happen to anyone and how to prevent it.

“The importance of this is to just honor lost love ones and those currently fighting a battle with cancer — any cancer — but it’s melanoma that I am really aware of, and I want young people to be aware of the significance of prevention,” Paganelli said in an interview with WKTV. “I am really scared for this generation.”

The two games are scheduled for May 5 at Wyoming High School’s baseball and softball fields, with both games starting at 6 p.m.

The players will be wearing special “sponsored” jerseys in honor or in memory of someone. As a player is announced at the beginning of the game, that person’s story will be told.

The players will have special sponsored jerseys, each with a story to tell. (Supplied)

“Each player has a personal connection,” Paganelli said, who saw the connection firsthand with his and Christy’s sons, who play for Grandville. “Brady played in it last year and he was really humbled by the experience, to see the leadership their mom had and showed. And now Jake is on varsity and I know he will be humbled by it.”

Between innings, an American Cancer Society spokesperson will be reading facts on melanoma so everyone can be aware of the dangers of skin cancer and what the risk factors are. There will also be printed information available for attendees to take with them.

“She (Christy) was really reserved, she would not really like all the hype” of the games, Paganelli said. “But she would have been in favor of getting the information out there. It is a community event that I am always amazed at, the stories you hear from the sponsors, and it always takes me back.”

All proceeds from this game go to melanoma education and research, as well as student awareness at Wyoming high. Separately funded, the Christy Paganelli Scholarship Fund at Aquinas College, where Christy attended and played softball, funds one or two student scholarships each year.

“Wyoming is a very special and caring community and we are thrilled to have everyone rally around this very personal cause.” Susan Brogger, Community Manager of Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Lakeshore Division and the American Cancer Society, said in a supplied statement.

Wyoming high continues tradition

The very special cause, and sometimes very personal cause, is not lost on the student athletes either, according to the two Wyoming coaches, softball coach Troy Mast and baseball coach Shawn Veenstra.

“I believe the event is special for our athletes as they know the event is for a great cause and they get to represent more than just themselves and their school,” said Veenstra, who with Mast has coached the games for four years, since Wyoming Park and Rogers high schools merged. Before that Rogers hosted the games.

“They know they are playing, not only for cancer awareness, but also for the sponsor on their jersey,” Veenstra said. “A lot of times the kids are playing in honor of a family member or family friend who either has passed away or survived cancer.”

Christy Paganelli played multiple sports at Rogers in the late 1980s, and went on to Aquinas College. Christy and Dino Paganelli’s three children are students at Grandville.

Dino’s father, Carl Paganelli, who has recently had a recurrence of a cancer, will be the honorary home-team captain of the baseball team. The honorary home captain for the softball, Terrance Sommerdyke, is a melanoma survivor, Paganelli said.

Carl Paganelli is a long-time Wyoming resident and patriarch of a family that includes three sons who officiate in the NFL, including Dino.