Lax Mom of the Week: Pamela Burke Jenkins

I am always amazed at the parents who manage to have more than one child in a sport.  For us, it was fairly simple with two children, a six year age difference and only one who became an athlete.  Hence, the Lax Mom of the Week is Pamela Burke Jenkins.  Wife, mother of 4, and two who happen to be Division 1 athletes.  Pamela has paved the way in a sense for the lax moms of children of color in Montclair.  Although Montclair has a fifty-one year history of lacrosse with most of those years yielding diverse lacrosse teams, there really has not been lots of involvement by African-American lacrosse parents in the program.  However, Pam and her husband Glen were there when we arrived.  Their son was a stand out football and lacrosse player in Montclair and they were both very involved.  Glen with strength and agility training for both sports, and Pam with her effervescent and constant support  in the stands.  I have fond memories of sitting with Pam in the stands along side a few  moms of the opposing team who got out of hand . Pam reigned them in-quickly.  Our high school team has not played that opponent since that day. I'm not sure that her encounter was responsible, but we were all relieved that would wouldn't have to encounter those parents again.

Pam is also a tremendous encourager. She knows the ropes and never hesitates to pass along helpful information to those of us who are raising children who want to play lacrosse at the next level.  Her son Drew is now a senior at Syracuse University and is a defensive midfielder who see lots of playing time.  Her daughter Kaila is playing soccer as a freshmen at the University of Pittsburgh and has been a stand-out player this year.  Pam's older daughters were also tremendous athletes and college graduates who have gone on to pursue opportunities in the business and education arenas.   

How Does this Lacrosse Commitment Thing Work Anyway?

There are numerous questions when it comes to the college commitment of any athlete.  It is confusing, but there's lots of information on the Internet that can give you and your athlete some direction.  Just recently my son had his "Official Visit" with the college that he committed to.  

I have attached here information from Lacrosse Recruits on the difference between the "unofficial" and the "official" college visits.  This spells is out pretty clearly.  Good Luck!

http://lacrosserecruits.com/news/lacrosse/lrnews-101-unofficial-vs-official-visits/