From the soccer field to the volleyball court to the football stadium, support for breast cancer awareness month can be seen across RM athletics. The importance of October and honoring this month is certainly not overlooked by the Rockets. Many teams show their support by incorporating pink in their games, holding fundraisers, and decorating stadiums.
On the soccer field, the girls’ soccer team wears special pink jerseys and pink socks throughout the month of October to show their support. They also all wear a pink ribbon in their hair to add to their pink attire. “I feel proud to be showing my support for those who have struggled,” senior Madison Heitzmann said. This has been a longstanding tradition for the team and will continue for years to come.
Girls Volleyball takes pride in their “Dig Pink” game in support of breast cancer awareness and goes all out for the event every year. Glittery pink posters are hung throughout the school hallways, the gym is decked out in pink and special pink jerseys are created for the game. Dig Pink is in cooperation with the Side-Out Foundation. Each state has a Side Out foundation that seeks to get athletes, specifically volleyball players, involved in activism and breast cancer awareness within their community. Dig Pink serves as an outlet for young women to support others who have been affected by cancer. “We love to honor breast cancer month, and holding this event is a lot of fun and means a lot.” junior Ellie Mitchell said. In addition to the decoration, the team also uses this game as a way to raise money for the cause. They hold a 50-50 raffle a the game and have a serving contest that has a paid entry. All of the proceeds go to the Side-Out charity.
On Thursday, Oct 10, the football team also participated in showing their support for breast cancer awareness, through their pink-out-themed game. The student section was packed with fans all wearing pink, from RM shirts to hats to jackets. The Rockets started strong but ultimately lost to the Rockville Rams 61-37.
On the sidelines, the JV and varsity cheer team could be seen showing their support with pink pom poms that are special for the month, decked out in pink face paint as well. The Poms team also used pink poms for their halftime performance. In the middle of their performance, they come together to create a breast cancer symbol. “I love the way we show the symbol in between songs during our performance, not only is it a super cool look for the crowd but its something we look forward to every year,” sophomore Abigail Lee said.
The girls’ varsity field hockey team also raises awareness for breast cancer month, hosting their own pink out game. This year the game will take place on Friday, Oct 11. The players all wear customized pink warm-up shirts before the game, along with pink socks and bright pink ribbon. In previous years, the team has hosted bake sales in October, donating the proceeds to breast cancer research. “Baking is not only fun for my teammates and I, but the fact that we can raise money at the same time feels pretty good,” junior Katy Walsh said.
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