Granby Athletes Promote Breast Cancer Awareness

By Lee Tolliver, The Virginian-Pilot
August 29, 2007

VIRGINIA BEACH


Dawn Anderson's grandmother had it. Alana Cooper's sister-in-law, too.

Alex Freudenberg's mom just recovered.

Cancer has touched more than half of the Granby field hockey team in one form or another.

For most, it was breast cancer.

So Tuesday, the Comets set aside the school colors of dark blue and gold and went pink - the official color of a worldwide movement to promote breast cancer awareness.

The team has dedicated its season to battling the disease.

"We have a lot of girls whose families have been affected by it," said Leah Zamesnik. "For a lot of girls, this is a bigger issue.

"So we wanted to shed some light on it."

Zamesnik and fellow senior Jordan Ballance started talking last spring about ideas for a senior-year project for the Comets. They met with Athletic Director Marty Bechtol, who steered them to his wife, Dr. Susan Bechtol, the principal at Churchland.

"She suggested breast cancer awareness," said Anderson, Granby's coach. "They presented it to all the seniors and they all just loved it. Sports is about more than the game. It's about life lessons. These girls are experiencing that."

Seniors Lynsey Clyburn and Freudenberg joined Zamesnik and Ballance to form a committee to decide how to proceed with the project. They got permission from school officials to wear pink and white jerseys the entire year. The team lugs bright pink gear bags to every game.

And, at the end of each competition, when the teams pass in line to congratulate each other, the Comets hand out pink chocolate ribbons pinned to a card splashed with slogans about faith, cure, love and hope. On the back of the card, players show their appreciation - "Thanks for a great game" - and sign each with a smiley face.

Tuesday's recipients were the defending state champion Cox Falcons, Granby's season-opening opponent.

Cox won, 4-0, but most of the Falcons' fans wore pink in a show of support for Granby's cause.
"I just think it's absolutely wonderful what they are doing," Falcons coach Julie Swain said, tugging at the brim of her pink baseball cap. Swain's mom is a breast-cancer survivor. "I think everybody in the hockey community is 100-percent supportive of what they are doing."

The Comets are also raising funds for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a global breast-cancer movement founded in 1982 by Nancy G. Brinker. In 25 years, the organization dedicated to Brinker's sister has raised nearly $1 billion.

The Comets are doing their part. Before the season started, the team raised $3,000 in a "Shoot and Save" camp at the National Training Center in Virginia Beach.

The girls are going to participate in a Run for the Cure and will hold several more fund-raisers during the season. At each game, they will pass out self-examination cards and brochures about the disease.

The effort is rewarding the players with more than a warm, fuzzy feeling.

"This has brought our team a lot closer together," Zamesnik said. "We have two common goals now: We want to win and we want to promote awareness."

Lee Tolliver is a sportswriter for the Virginia Beach (Virginia) The Virginian-Pilot. Reprinted with permission of The Virginian-Pilot. Tolliver can be reached at 757-222-5844 or lee.tolliver@pilotonline.com.