Sept. 30, 2010

Today I Wear Pink Poster in PDF Format

PULLMAN, Wash. - The Washington State University women's soccer, swimming, volleyball and rowing teams will trade their traditional crimson uniforms for pink ones from October 22-29, as a way to honor breast cancer survivors and educate everyone about the disease as the Cougars observe Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Washington State Athletics has also declared October 21 to be Think Pink Thursday, with Cougar Athletics staff and student-athletes, as well as the rest of the Pullman campus, strongly encouraged to wear pink for the day. That day will start a weekend filled with Cougar home events where the student-athletes will be wearing pink uniforms in competition.

Friday, Oct. 22, the women's soccer team hosts Oregon State at 2 p.m. at the Lower Soccer Field. At 5 p.m. that same day and again Saturday, Oct. 23 at noon, the WSU swim team hosts the Debbie Pipher Memorial Invitational meet at Gibb Pool. Pipher was the women's swim coach at Washington State from 1977-97, and died of breast cancer in 2007 at age 53. Later Saturday, the Cougar volleyball team dons the pink jerseys to take on Arizona in a 7 p.m. match in Bohler Gym. The women's rowing team hosts the Head of the Snake regatta against Gonzaga, Friday, Oct. 29 at Wawawai Landing.

A Wear Pink Weekend poster will be distributed during October featuring student-athletes who have had family members survive breast cancer. Kaleinani Kabalis from the volleyball team, swimmer Jen Dean, and Ariana Byrd from the soccer team are the student-athletes on the poster and all have grandmothers who are breast cancer survivors. The poster maintains the Cougar Athletics slogan, "My Color is Crimson," with the addition of, "Today I Wear Pink."

During the month of October, the Cougar volleyball team is conducting the ninth annual Attacking Breast Cancer (ABC) Pledge Drive to raise funds for the Breast Cancer Support Group of the Palouse, known as the Bosom Buddies. The volleyball team will be collecting pledges for WSU team kills landed during the October home matches or flat donations. Last year the team raised over $2600, bringing the total to more than $11,405 donated since 2002 to Breast Cancer Support Group of the Palouse and its educational programs. Anyone wishing to donate can contact Kara Kiefer, Cougar volleyball operations coordinator at 509-335-7169 (kkiefer@wsu.edu), or assistant coach Jenn Fry at 509-335-0275 (Jennifer.fry@wsu.edu).

The Cougar soccer team will be selling its pink uniforms after the Oct. 22 match for $30 each, with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Eastern Washington affiliate. To purchase a jersey contact Craig Lawson, Sports Information soccer contact, at 509-335-0265 (craigl@wsu.edu).

The Washington State swimming team is seeking sponsors of events at the Debbie Pipher Memorial Invitational and a portion of those proceeds will be donated to Bosom Buddies. To sponsor an event, please contact Cougar Swimming Coach Erica Quam at 509-335-0273 or ericaq@wsu.edu.