Third-Annual BTHO Breast Cancer Campaign Kicks Off Saturday
Feb 09, 2009 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 9, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The third-annual Beat the Hell Outta Breast Cancer game will be held on Saturday, Feb. 14 when the fourth-ranked Texas A&M women's basketball team hosts Colorado on Valentine's Day at 2 p.m. (CT) at Reed Arena.
Texas A&M's goal for this year's BTHO Breast Cancer game, sponsored by the College Station Medical Center, is to raise $35,000 to benefit the Kay Yow Foundation in honor of the late North Carolina State head coach who passed away at the age of 66 on Jan. 24, 2009, after battling the disease and promoting breast cancer awareness since her initial diagnosis in 1987.
"It means a lot to be able to wear the pink ribbon upside down in remembrance of Kay Yow," Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair said. "Kay was very special. We were in the Final Four together and are the old cats in the profession. She did everything with class. As coaches, that's who we envied; someone who didn't have a large ego and someone who gave back to the game. Even though she knew her time was short, she has already touched so many lives across the country with her testimony."
Tickets to the game are on sale for $10 with $8 going towards the Kay Yow Foundation. Tickets are priced at $10 for all seating levels in the arena and may be purchased online at www.AggieAthletics.com or by via telephone at 1-888-99-AGGIE.
Fans can also purchase a commemorative pink BTHO Breast Cancer T-Shirt courtesy of Chevron and Kent Moore Cabinets for $5, with all of the proceeds from the sales benefiting the Kay Yow Foundation. Sales of the T-Shirts have already begun and will continue at every Aggie Athletics event leading up to the Colorado game on Feb. 14.
For the second-straight year, a BTHO Breast Cancer 5K Fun Run presented by Chevron, will kickoff the weekend's festivities at 10 a.m. starting and finishing at the intersection of Olsen Boulevard and John Kimbrough Boulevard adjacent to Reed Arena on Saturday morning prior to tipoff. Texas A&M students may enter the Fun Run for $20, while the cost for the general public is $30. All registered runners will receive a game ticket and an official BTHO Breast Cancer T-Shirt.
There will be a total of six prizes awarded to the top three male and female finishers in each age group division (12 years & under, 13-17, Texas A&M students with valid ID and 18 and over). There will also be a drawing for a Valentine's Day prize package for couples that register for the race together.
Check-in for the Fun Run begins at 8:30 a.m. with time for a pre-race stretch. Coach Blair will address the racers at 9:50 a.m. and a Yell Practice will take place with the Aggie Yell Leaders at 9:55 a.m. The Fun Run starts at 10 a.m. with an awards ceremony immediately following the race at 11 a.m.
At the game, pink commemorative BTHO Breast Cancer towels sponsored by The Med will be distributed to fans at the entrances while supplies last. The Aggie women will wear their specially-made adidas pink game uniforms during the game against the Buffaloes and will sport the popular pink BTHO Breast Cancer T-Shirts during pre-game warm-ups. Members of the coaching staff will wear the upside down pink ribbon in honor of Yow.
"Kay has championed the cause, but there are a lot of people out there who are affected by the cause," Blair said. "Whatever we can do, we need to find a way. If we can build off of her legacy similar to how the men's game did with former North Carolina State head coach Jim Valvano, that's a rallying cry. It's a win-win situation not just for cancer, but for an awareness of what women's basketball can do. It's not all about the W's and the L's, it's about the classy people in this game who want to do their part in finding a cure."
For more information on the BTHO Breast Cancer game and its surrounding festivities, please visit the event's special website at www.AggieAthletics.com or e-mail questions to: BTHOBreastCancer@athletics.tamu.edu.
Monetary donations can be made through the website prior to game day and monetary donations will also be accepted on the Reed Arena concourse on Feb. 14 only. Fans can also mail checks with general donations to: BTHO Breast Cancer, PO Box 30017, College Station, TX 77842-3017.
