They’ve sported pink gloves, athletic tape, socks and helmet stickers in the past as a show of solidarity in the fight against breast cancer.
But two local high school football powerhouses are taking it a step further this month – sporting bright pink jerseys each game night in October.
The Dwyer and Miramar football teams are two of fewer than 10 high school teams across the country chosen by Adidas to wear the special jerseys, according to the athletic apparel company.
For many of the athletes, the effort is extremely personal and emotional. That’s true of football players Alex Lee of Miramar and Malik Brown of Dwyer, who both have known someone battle breast cancer.
“They always say real guys wear pink,” Lee said.
Miramar will make its debut in its pink jerseys tonight at home against St. Thomas Aquinas. Dwyer, which is off this week, will wear its pink jerseys for the first time Oct. 12 against Santaluces.
“They always say real guys wear pink,” Lee said.
The color is not only widely popular among high school athletes, but also a “privilege” to wear on the field because of what it represents, Lee said, noting that a friend’s mother is a breast cancer survivor.
“Seeing him so low, I felt the pain. Before, I never really used to care about breast cancer,” Lee said. “Then when it finally happened to somebody who I actually knew, it touched me.”
Lee’s is just one of many stories.
There’s the grieving volleyball player who just lost her mother to breast cancer last month. The assistant coach who is a two-year survivor. Football and baseball players who take great pride and joy in honoring mothers and grandmothers who have fought the disease.
To them, the pink gestures are markers of hope, and reminders that they aren’t alone.
A daughter’s comfort
Brianna Bock, a freshman at Jupiter Christian, missed the start of volleyball season this year to spend as much time as possible at home during her mother’s final weeks.
In early September, Liz Bock, 47, died after a four-year battle with breast cancer. Her daughter’s teammates immediately rallied around their friend.
They joined Brianna Bock at her mother’s funeral, prepared meals for the family and tried to help Brianna with the schoolwork that piled up while she missed class.
In recent weeks, those teammates began working on the school’s annual “Dig Pink” event, three volleyball matches on Oct. 11 that will raise money for the Side Out Foundation, an organization that unites volleyball teams across the nation to raise money for breast cancer awareness. In the days leading up to the event, pink flamingos have dotted the Jupiter Christian campus and students and teachers alike have donated money to take the flamingos home.
Jupiter Christian’s players say they plan to honor Liz Bock’s memory during the volleyball matches, a gesture that has resonated with both 14-year-old Brianna and her father, Jim.
“It feels good because I know I’m not alone,” Brianna Bock said. “I have my friends to support me and I know they’ll stick with me, no matter what. There are a lot of people that care about the problem of cancer, and it’s nice to have the support and help. I want to see that gym filled with everyone supporting our team.”
Paying tribute to grandma
Malik Brown, a Sun Sentinel Super 11 defensive end/tight end for Dwyer, smiles when he thinks of the pink jersey he’ll wear for the next three games.
For Brown, the jersey is a tribute to the woman who made him his childhood peanut butter and jelly sandwiches — his grandmother, Catherine Johnson, a breast cancer survivor.
“I feel like I’m going to be a representation of her life, her survival, during the month that we wear it,” said Brown. “I’m going to give her the best show ever. I was like, ‘My grandmother’s going to be in tears seeing me get a big sack in all-pink.'”
Dwyer coach Jack Daniels said of the pink jerseys: “I think they’re pretty neat. It’s just a fun thing to do and it helps raise awareness for a big cause that’s important. Our kids are really excited to get those pink jerseys on.”
On the volleyball court
For Boca Raton freshman volleyball coach Wanda Carter, all of the events are reason to be smile.
A two-year survivor, it makes her proud to see athletes from her school and others participating in the special events.
“It’s their way of helping someone they know,” Carter said. “The kids were great when I came back to school. I coached with caps and scarves on and the kids were always wonderful. It’s just a matter of awareness.”
Boca Raton‘s volleyball team will be heading to Orlando to participate in the Bishop Moore-Lake Mary Dig Pink Tournament on Oct. 12. Volleyball players will also help sponsor the girls soccer team’s Kickoff For a Cure preseason tournament which begins Oct. 23.
At Chaminade-Madonna, volleyball coach Jason Johnson was inspired when he saw one of his former players on the promotional poster for a college charity volleyball match.
Johnson felt a similar match could be successful at the high school level, so five years ago, he organized his team’s first breast cancer awareness event.
Today, that single match has grown into a two-day, 16-team tournament that will feature some of South Florida’s top high school volleyball teams.
The Chaminade-Madonna Cares Tournament begins Friday, with proceeds benefiting the Michael and Dianne Bienes Comprehensive Cancer Center at Holy Cross Hospital.
“It’s kind of amazing how sports have picked up on this cause,” Johnson said. “It’s definitely great and if the attention is to raise awareness, it’s definitely happening. My school community jumps in and supports us every year. It speaks a lot about these kids.”
Bats Against Breast Cancer
High school baseball season doesn’t begin until February, but that’s not stopping one team from using the fall evaluation period commonly known as “fall ball” to raise money for breast cancer charities.
This will be the first time West Broward hosts a “Bats Against Breast Cancer” triple header, and Bobcats coaches and players are hopeful the event will gain popularity in the high school baseball community.
The Oct. 27 event will feature varsity and junior varsity teams from West Broward, Somerset Academy and Coral Glades, with all the proceeds from the sale of T-shirts, bracelets, flowers and concession stand items donated to local breast cancer groups.
“It’d be nice to get a win, but the big thing is really getting the cause out there and showing we support it,” said West Broward sophomore pitcher Michael Schappell, whose mother Linda is a breast cancer survivor. “I was little when it happened to my family, but I can see how many people it affects. I’m happy my teammates are involved.”
