The Sam Houston High School Lady Broncos volleyball team invited the Moss Bluff community to their gym to help them “paint the gym pink” for breast cancer on Monday night at the high school gym.
The event was the first of its kind in Southwest Louisiana.
“I think it went wonderful for the first time,” said Sam Houston head volleyball coach Rene Fontenot. “No one in Southwest Louisiana has tried to do this yet. It has been popular in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. They have had a couple of female coaches that have had breast cancer and one passed away last December.”
The night included matches between Moss Bluff Middle School and S.J. Welsh while the Lady Broncos hosted Barbe High School in freshmen, junior varsity, and varsity contests.
“Barbe being willing to replace St. Louis means a lot,” Fontenot said. “All of the Barbe people who came: cheerleaders, middle school, and their three high school squads. Tonight was a good night.”
St. Louis was scheduled for the benefit game, but was unable to attend and Barbe head coach Sarah Portie agreed to play.
Between the five games, the SHHS drum-line, MBMS Junior Broncettes, and SHHS Broncettes performed as apart of the festivities.
“I wanted to pull in as many groups as I could,” said Fontenot. “The fact that we had so much support from our middle school was really nice. Our drum-line is great and dance line is the same thing. We don’t get dance line or cheerleaders at a volleyball game so that was a nice treat.”
While the teams might have come from different schools, all were in the same uniform. Players, coaches, and even game officials were donned in special pink shirts to make the night more than just about volleyball.
“It’s felt that way for days with people talking about it,” Fontenot said on the atmosphere of the night. “‘Are we really painting the gym pink?’ No, we are not painting the gym pink.
“It’s fun. It’s fun to be in different color jerseys and actually the same as our opponent. We were all playing for the same reason. It wasn’t about volleyball; it was about breast cancer and raising awareness for it and helping those who are afflicted by it. It was definitely different than anything I’ve ever experienced.”
There was no admission to the event, but donations at the door, money from t-shirt sales, and all concessions went toward the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
“It’s definitely a worthy foundation,” Fontenot said. “My mom had breast cancer six and a half years ago. The Komen Foundation reached out to her [giving] travel money to chemo. If someone in Berwick, LA can be funded, I knew this money would get to people who needed it.”
The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation was started in 1982 by Nancy G. Brinker, the sister of Susan G. Komen. Since then, the foundation has fought for more early detection of the disease, more hope for those who have breast cancer, more research for treatment and prevention, and more survivors.