At every major Neuqua sporting event, the Gold Rush, as well as newly-founded Blue Crew, can be found cheering the athletes on to victory with cheers, chants, and the singing of the school song. But on Friday, February 13, it will be a group of Neuqua’s own athletes cheering for a cause of their very own. The girl’s basketball team is bringing Pink Out Night to their courts during the Lake Park home game.
Pink Out Night is part of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s national fight for breast cancer week and the involvement includes coaches from high school, college, and even the professional ranks. Neuqua’s head girl’s basketball coach, Mike Williams, is an avid participant of the WBCA as well. “I am an active member of the WBCA and we decided that breast cancer has touched many people and we wanted to do our part to help,” said Williams on helping the cause. “It’s a really cool, different thing since we’re playing for a cause and the benefits are going to help people,” said JV basketball player Jordan Hughes.
Breast cancer does not just affect one race, age group, or even gender, in fact, it affects many women around the world regardless of either aspect and can also affect men. Although breast cancer is predominant with older women, cases where a seventeen year-old girl discovers she has breast cancer is not unlikely. In 2007, an estimated 178,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer were diagnosed among women and 2,030 cases were diagnosed among men. Breast cancer is associated and more frequently seen among women, but men can be diagnosed with it as well. The rates and occurrences of breast cancer trends in America have steadily decreased presently, but they are expected to slowly begin the climb into higher percentages due to the lifestyles many Americans choose to lead.
Pink Out Night will be pre-selling, selling during school cafeteria hours, and at the door on game night Pink Out t-shirts for ten dollars each. Students are encouraged to purchase a shirt and wear it at the game to “pink out” Neuqua’s cheering section and to help the girl’s basketball team fight for the cause. A portion of the proceeds will also go to benefit the Kay Yow WBCA Cancer Fund. Former standout and current Purdue University women’s basketball standout Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton and her coach will be at the game to receive the check for the money raised from this event of which will be used for research.
So come on out to cheer on the lady Wildcats to a victory not just in the game, but in the fight for a commendable cause. This night will prove to be memorable for not only the athletes, but for all who attend the game.
By Hong-Ah Do, staff writer
