In what is possibly the most busy month in the sporting world, athletes from every level are going the extra mile once again.
October means baseball playoffs and the heart of the NFL season as well as the start of the NHL and NBA. But once again, these athletes have made it known that sometimes there are bigger things in the world than sports.
October has been named Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and it seems as though people of all ages are taking notice. And even though at times it seems that the sporting world is caught up in itself, they too take a moment to honor a cause bigger than the sport.
In case you haven’t noticed, the NFL has made an outstanding effort to slap pink on everything in sight. Coaches are wearing it on their hats, players are wearing pink gloves, shoes, shoelaces, armbands, and it goes all the way down to the cheerleaders on the sidelines.
However, the NFL is not the only level of athletics that is taking the time to raise awareness of this special month. Shades of pink are popping up at every level of athletics, from the professional ranks all the way down to high school and into high school.
Dig Pink is a Breast Cancer Awareness Rally being held by www.side-out.org that is being held for the entire of month of October to raise awareness and funds for the cause. Participating in this year’s event are 861 teams from the college and high school level and so far, they have raised almost $200,000.
As you may have heard, the North Branch and Frankenmuth volleyball teams met up and raised money in an event titled “Servin’ up a Cure”, where they raised $9,758 for the cause by selling T-shirts and holding a silent auction to go along with their intense volleyball match-up.
Also, while attending the Millington vs. North Branch and Harbor Beach vs. Mayville football games last friday, I noticed a few subtle displays of pink.
A few players were sporting pink gloves while one player had a pink ribbon tied around his shoes.
It’s a beautiful thing.
Now, sports is obviously a huge part of my life, but so is cancer.
In the fall of 2006, I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and spent the next year of my life fighting off the disease. But, that is not the only way in which cancer has impacted my life. Along with having friends lose parents and other loved ones, the disease has also brought my friend Brennan Pitcher and I closer than we have ever been. Brennan, a 2007 graduate of USA High School, was diagnosed with leukemia in January 2007 and is still fighting the disease.
On Wednesday, Oct. 14 when I attended the “Servin’ up a Cure” match between Frankenmuth and North Branch, it seemed as though the gym was filled with a lot of mixed emotions. Emotions of people who were both celebrating a new life after beating the disease, still fighting or maybe remembering someone who lost a fight. And even the players, who played in honor of someone in their lives who has been affected by cancer, were in an emotional state before the game. But it seemed as though whatever way you spun it, there was happiness in that gym.
Every shade of pink imaginable filled the seats of the Frankenmuth High school gym, worn by those who came to watch a great volleyball game. But the game itself was highlighted by one moment in particular. Before the game, the announcer for the night asked all of the cancer survivors who were present to stand up and be recognized. And out of the 15-20 people who stood among the masses of the crowd that night, it made the game all worth while.
So please, do your part this month to raise awareness for not only breast cancer, but cancer in general. Whether it is wearing pink or donating money, there is always a way you can help.
And, if you want to show your support in the form of sport, head out to Akron-Fairgrove High School on Tuesday, Oct. 27 for their “Dig for a Cure” volleyball game between Caseville and the Vikings. The admission price is $6 and includes a T-shirt while all proceeds will go toward the 2010 Tuscola County Relay for Life. Game time is at 6 p.m.
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