Throughout the fall tennis season, Wesleyan University's men's and women's squads have been dedicating each match to the memory of or in honor of someone who has had dealings with breast cancer in their life. Many team members have family members or friends who have either succumbed to the disease or survived an ordeal with it. While many matches were dedicated to these individuals, many others to whom team members dedicated a match were submitted by those in the Wesleyan community who knew of someone affected by breast cancer, in response to an email sent by Head Coach Ken Alrutz. In this way, the entire Wesleyan community was represented by the team in their thoughts and efforts. The team had pink t-shirts made linking the tennis teams to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the leading breast cancer research organization in the country. Established in 1982 by Nancy Brinker to honor her sister, Susan G. Komen, who died of the disease at age 36, the Komen Foundation uses the catch phrase "Sharing the Promise," as Nancy Brinker promised her sister she would do everything possible to combat breast cancer. "I am very proud of my teams," said Coach Alrutz, "for working hard to heighten awareness, foster education, and raise funds for this important cause." While the tennis teams have been working on this project since the start of the season in September, it will culminate Saturday, October 21 during Wesleyan's Homecoming/Family Weekend celebration. |