Dear fellow Hanoverians:
Many of us in Hanover knew and loved John Goslin, a charming man,
devoted father, and dedicated community servant. When he tragically
passed on March 1 of this year at age 46, it seemed to me like the
entire town mourned.
However, there are over 14 thousand residents in Hanover, and many of
us did not know him, or do not know his family’s story. As we
prepare for a November 3rd road race in John’s memory (mark your
calendars; details to follow) and continue to care for his family as a
community, I am grateful to author William Wassersug for the following
article that appeared before John’s death in the October 4th, 2011
/New England Lacrosse Journal/, as follows:
12-year-old displays heart of a champion
/by William Wassersug/
“Championships are most often won by the best athletes, the ones who
cover themselves in glory on the field.
But when a team from Hanover won the U-13 division at the World Series
of Lacrosse in Providence, R.I., in July, the celebration was about
more than the trophy. It was about life and how the game sometimes
brings out the best in people, and means everything to those lucky
enough to share in it.
Sean Goslin was not the best player on the field that day for Hanover.
Far from it. But he was one of the most important to the team’s
success, because his teammates learned a lot about life from him, and
he was able to overcome obstacles in his time with them.
Goslin and his twin sister, Julia, were born three months prematurely,
with a number of health problems — including fluid on the brain —
that led to surgery.
Sean needed one operation; Julia has had 25.
“Sean’s major surgery was a shunt in the brain,” said his
father, John, one of the coaches on the Hanover team. “It’s a
pressure-release valve in the brain. You can get this from head
injuries, concussions. A lot of athletes get it in their 50s and 60s
after they’re done playing. There’s a spot in the right hemisphere
in the brain where there are no synapses. It causes weakness on the
left side.”
The twins are now 12 years old, starting the seventh grade. While Sean
plays, Julia is a staple on the sideline, the team’s biggest fan and
unofficial mascot, says her father.
It hasn’t been an easy road.
When he was in third grade, Sean suffered the equivalent of a stroke.
“He had an event that caused even more weakness on his left side,”
his father said. “His foot was uncontrollable. He went for lots of
physical therapy.”
John Goslin played college lacrosse at Mass Maritime, and began
coaching in Hanover in 1996 with neighbor Dave Hasenfuss. He stuck
with it after the twins were born, and Sean soon was part of the
sport.
“When the kids were about 3, Sean started coming out and hanging
around us,” John recalled. “He was a team mascot. He always had a
stick in his hand. The kids on the team really took to him.”
So did Landon Hasenfuss, his neighbor and son of the co-coach; Landon
— one of the stronger athletes in town — and Sean were always
playing catch.
“It’s like big-brother encouragement,” John Goslin said.
“Landon pushed him along and made sure everyone played with Sean.”
In fourth grade, not long after the physical therapy, Sean told his
dad that he wanted to play on a team, not just watch.
“Sean said, ‘Dad, I want to play. It’s something I’m good
at,’” John said.
After talking with Sean’s mom and league officials, including
current Hanover High School coach Paul Zaylor, John let Sean play, and
volunteered to coach his team.
That’s when the magic started for Sean.
“I thought I’d put him in for a few minutes,” John Goslin said.
“The older kids knew his situation and protected him. Then he just
got better and better.”
This year, John became friendly with Neil Mullane, and the pair
started coaching together. It has worked out well. “We had a
fantastic year,” John said. “We had a town team and a NESLL Select
team. We rostered Sean on the NESLL Select team; we dressed him and
had him on the sideline and got him into games when we were up big.
“The kids saw him practice and how hard he works and decided he
should play,” John said. “The kids know the situation with Sean,
and they work to get him the ball and try to get him some goals.”
Sean scored three times this year. It was, his father said, “pretty
exciting.” Sean also found his way onto the field playing goalie.
“Sean’s not afraid of the ball,” John said. “We padded him up,
and he was our third goalie. He won six games in net.”
As Sean was winning over the hearts of his teammates, they were
helping him win off the field. “Being part of the team has made him
more a part of school,” John said. “He had been on the outside,
but our philosophy and coaching motto is ‘One Team.’ We preach
that. We talk about ‘One Team, One Heart,’ not just on the field,
but all the time. The kids all play that way, and Sean is the heart
and soul of the team.”
Despite his obvious hardships — Sean runs with a slight limp and he
gets winded easily — lacrosse and the team elements of the game
brought Sean out in ways that Boy Scouts never could.
Part of the reason the teams took to Sean so easily is the way he
carries himself; he’s smart, able to make others better around him,
and selfless.
“It’s awesome to be around the team,” Sean said. “They’re
really good kids. I talk a lot. I try to keep everyone’s motivation
up. I’m always telling everyone not to get down on themselves. They
listen. I’m also ready to play whenever they want me to play.
That’s the best motivator.” Sean also likes to keep things light.
“I tell a lot of jokes,” he said.
Mullane, whose son Tim is on the team, said he enjoys having Sean on
the squad. “With a kid like Sean, you see the bigger picture,” he
said. “Sean is an extremely funny kid. He has challenges. He’s a
little slower and his balance is affected, but he’ll do any drill.
He has the biggest heart in the world. He’s fearless. He’ll jump
in there in net. One game in net, he took one in the belly and went
down hard, like he was shot. … Sean said he had to come out. Then he
caught his breath, asked the ref how long there was left until
halftime. It was 3½ minutes. Sean said he could play and stayed in.
“The kids treat him like a big brother. Every kid knows he’s
overcome a lot. The kids won’t put him in harm’s way. They want to
protect him and want him to enjoy it.” Sean, meanwhile, works to
better himself all the time, especially in net. “Goalie is the best
part of the game,” he said. “I study it. I watch clips on YouTube.
I learn where to have the stick and learn from them.”
“Sean is a plethora of knowledge,” John said. “He’s always
injecting some term or something to make light of the situation. After
the (medical) event a couple of years ago, a lot of kids would be down
on themselves. He looks at the bright side and what he can bring to
the team.”
The team also has been a big help for Julia. “Julia comes to every
game,” John said. “She’s a part of the team. It has really
helped her confidence. She knows all the popular lacrosse kids. The
other girls want to know how she knows them all. They think it’s
cool. They brought her out of her shell, too.”
/This article originally appeared in the September-October 2011 issue
of New England Lacrosse Journal./
Donations may be made in John’s memory to: John Goslin Memorial Fund,
114 Bates Way, Hanover, MA 02339.
For “Around Town on the Web”,
Cathy H-B
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