The University of Idaho Argonaut

Valentine’s Day isn’t the only reason to “think pink” this February.
The Vandal Athletics Department has teamed up with the Women’s Basketball  Coaches Association and  Relay for Life to host two basketball games promoting cancer education at the University of Idaho.
The games will take place on Saturday when the women take on Louisiana Tech, and Feb. 16, when the men play Nevada. Both games start at 7 p.m. at the Cowan Spectrum.

UI is one of more than 300 universities and colleges participating in the “think pink” basketball games, designed to support breast cancer awareness. Organizers of UI’s event have broadened the theme, focusing not only on breast cancer, but all forms of cancer, said Malia Kau, assistant marketing director for Vandal  Athletics. 

“Think pink is a way to unite all of the universities across the country,” Kau said. “If you go to any university during Think Pink week you will see this happening. They leave it up to each university to decide what they want to do at the games.”   
Victoria Cook, UI junior and publicity chair in Latah County for Relay for Life, said the Think Pink basketball games have given the Relay for Life committee a chance to get the word out early and increase student involvement for a good cause.

“Almost everyone on campus has known someone affected with cancer, or been affected themselves,” Cook said. “It seems like the community is always involved but not always the students. The students might not realize how much it affects them and hopefully these games will help open their eyes and get people interested in Relay for Life.”

Booths and information tables will be set up around the stadium, so people are encouraged to show up before the games to look around, Cook said. Free gifts and information brochures will be available and there will be a registration table where students can sign up a team for Relay for Life.
Luminaria bags will also be available for a small donation. Fans can purchase the bags and decorate them with the name of a person they would like honored or remembered, Cook said. The bags will be used at the Relay for Life event held April 4-6 in the Kibbie Dome. 

Students are encouraged to wear pink to the games and prizes will be awarded throughout the night to people in pink, Debbie Jacobs, Relay for Life 2008 event chair said. Anyone who is wearing pink and not a student will only pay a $1 admission. Pink I-Care T-shirts will be sold at the games for $5, with the proceeds going to Relay for Life, Kau said.
Pre-registered Relay for Life teams will run the concession stands and part of the earnings will go toward their individual teams.

“This is a reward to these teams for signing up early,” Jacobs said. “The registration fee for each team is $100, so eight teams have the opportunity to use the Think Pink games as a fundraiser.”
Games and raffles will take place throughout the evening so fans will be entertained during the game as well, Jacobs said. 
The Relay for Life committee will hand out flags, glow sticks and bookmarks before each game and the flags and glow sticks will be used during a special halftime presentation, Cook said. 

Two student cancer survivors will also tell their stories during halftime — one survivor at each game. Tim Kunz, a freshman at UI from Boise is one of the students. Kunz will speak at the men’s game. 
“I was diagnosed with cancer on Aug. 2, 2006,” Kunz said. “They wanted someone to talk at the games so I volunteered.”
Kunz’s cancer, Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma, was found in the back of his neck and after chemotherapy, the cancer went into remission. Kunz first participated in Relay for Life last year while he was in treatment, but said he hadn’t know much about it before he was diagnosed.

Kunz said he thinks speaking at the games will help students gain a better understanding on the unpredictability of cancer. “People hear the word cancer and they understand it to some extent but they might not fully get it,” Kunz said. “Things like the games and Relay for Life can open your eyes to a lot of things and it shows how important this is to a lot of people.”
Qdoba of Moscow pledged to donate 10 percent of the total sales earned on Feb. 16 to cancer research, so students and fans should go eat there before the game, Kau said.

The slogan for the fifth annual Relay for Life in Moscow will be “Celebrate, remember, fight back,” and Jacobs said everyone should come to the Think Pink games to start the celebration.

“We had 62 teams last year and we are shooting for 70 teams at Relay for Life this year,” Jacobs said. 
The final day to register a team is Feb. 22. 
“It’s not all about raising money, it’s more about raising awareness,” Kunz said. “Even if you don’t donate money or raise your quota, you should still go and support the cause.”