Pink-Out

Every year for Breast Cancer awareness, for one week during January, a lot of high school basketball officials around here go with the pink whistles and stuff.

Well, the other night, a school had their pink-out; Every person that came to the game got a pink t shirt. Me and the other two on our crew went with pink whistles, and pink undershirts, and the state of Kansas High School Activities Assosciation gave the hometeam permission to wear pink jerseys.

Well, in between the girls and boys games, they turned out all the lights in the gym; They had a special ceremony wear everyone in the gym had pink glo-sticks.

The announcer went through a list where if you have/had cancer, you cracked your glo-stick; if you have a family member who has/had cancer, all the way down the list. By the time the announcer had went through the whole list, all of the glo-sticks had been cracked.

Very, very cool, as well as very, very emotional. It got a little dusty in there for a minute.

 

Awesome story.

Different places I've been, there's a "Coaches vs. Cancer" game, where they sell T-shirts or do some other fundraiser. Last year, one of my boys' teams shaved their heads in solidarity with cancer survivors.

I did the same: Six years ago, my late fiancee was diagnosed with cancer, and she was very bummed about the fact that she'd probably be losing her hair. I promised her that I'd give mine up, too. But she was gone so quickly I never got the chance.

It's become an annual thing for me.

 

Great story and great idea.

 

I told the AD (who I am pretty good friends with) that although the games were not very good, that him and his staff did one hell of a job with that ceremony.

We received several complements on the pink whistles and undershirts too.

Doing it again the last week of January.

 

That is a heck of a story chef.

 

State U has a pink out and it's a pretty cool event.
I have a sort of off-topic journalism question - is it inappropriate to wear pink day of game? I did last year to support the event, but then wondered if maybe that was similar to wearing team colors.

 

I don't think so at all, Rhody. I think if you want to support the event, that's great. I wore a pink polo to the Coaches vs. Cancer game.

 

My aunt just died of breast cancer a few months ago. She was 66 and I have no doubt she would have lived another 20 years if she had avoided the Big C.

In high school we all shaved our heads in support of our offensive coordinator who had colon cancer. One of the toughest guys I've ever met and when he walked into the weight room and saw 70 people with bald heads, he just started to cry.

We had 72 guys on the team that year and 70 shaved it. The two holdouts were a kid who was Sikh and couldn't cut his hair for religious reasons and another who was just a douche.

 

That's a great story, Mizzou. Sorry for your loss.