WCU Cheerleaders showing their support for Breast Cancer Awareness. Photo Provided by: Coach Kim Cherry-Beck
The Catamounts placed a special focus on games taking place Sept 30 and Oct 1 to raise money and support breast cancer research. Catamount football and Lady Catamount Soccer both hosted their first ever Think Pink game for breast cancer research.
Pink Zone games across the country are sponsored by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and started as an effort exclusively by women’s basketball to raise awareness for breast cancer. In the first year 120 schools participated which grew to over 1,200 teams and organizations in 2008. In four years Pink Zone has raised $3.3 million. Proceeds from the WBCA Pink Zone events go to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund and Jimmy V Foundation.
Over the past four years women’s basketball programs across the country, including the Lady Catamounts, have participated in WBCA Pink Zone games to benefit breast cancer research. For the first time ever all athletic programs at WCU participated in hosting a pink game this season.
The Think Pink weekend was sponsored by the Student Athlete Advisory Committee at WCU.
“We wanted to do a large philanthropy event this year, to help give back,” said SAAC Vice President, Sam Hodge.
To help give back SAAC sold t-shirts at the soccer game Friday night and the football game on Saturday. The total for the weekend for the t-shirt sales was over $3,300, with 3,000 of that total coming from sales at the football game.
Students noticed all the pink in the stands over the weekend, instead of seeing all purple they saw many of their friends wearing pink.
“Seeing all the pink means a lot to me. My family has been touched by breast cancer and to know that the students and families here are supporting research for it makes me proud to be a Catamount,” said Steven Sherlin, a junior at WCU.
The Catamounts will continue to host pink games throughout the remainder of the year. Volleyball hosts the next pink themed game on the calendar. After that Men’s and Women’s basketball will host a pink game this winter followed with Catamount softball and baseball will host a pink game next spring.
