Sept. 12, 2008
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| Team SEC (L-R): Balcomb, Florida Head Coach Amanda Butler, Kentucky Head Coach Matthew Mitchell and Florida Assistant Susie Gardner. |
DALLAS, Texas — Vanderbilt head women’s basketball coach Melanie Balcomb took part in the inaugural 4Kay Golf Classic this week at the Cowboys Golf Club.
Balcomb joined more than 150 coaches, friends and colleagues to raise funding for women’s cancers research through the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund in partnership with The V Foundation.
“I’m so glad that I could go and be a part of such a great event for a foundation that has the power to help so many people,” Balcomb said. “Being able to represent the Southeastern Conference out there, and knowing Kay and her staff personally, it was all very special to me.”
Yow, who was coached at North Carolina State for the past 33 seasons, is facing her third bout with breast cancer. A legend on the court as well as off, Yow had little trouble gathering an impressive array of personalities from men’s and women’s basketball, as well as the LPGA.
“I was overwhelmed by the incredible show of support from all the coaches that came out,” Balcomb added. “Breast cancer affects everyone, and if we can raise awareness through golf or through women’s basketball and try to help, we have always been committed to that cause.”
The cause will continue to be championed, both locally and nationally, by the Vanderbilt women’s basketball team. The players and coaches annually volunteer at the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, which returns to Nashville next month, and designate a game each year as a “PINK OUT” for breast-cancer awareness.
This season, a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales for Vanderbilt’s nationally televised (Feb. 15, ESPN2) home tilt with SEC rival Georgia will go to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. Everyone involved in the game will be encouraged to wear pink — a practice which Balcomb and her teammates brought to the golf course this week.
“We had special pink shirts for our team, which I’m sure everyone will be copying next year,” Balcomb said. “We all got together and just had a lot of fun for a good cause.”
On the heels of such a positive experience, Balcomb looks forward more of the same when Vanderbilt puts on an event in support of breast cancer awareness.
“We are looking forward to making the ‘PINK OUT’ game bigger and better than ever this year,” Balcomb continued. “Our players are really looking forward to playing Georgia in front of our pink-clad fans and a national television audience.”
