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Off the Bench with Adam Roberts

On Oct. 8, the Abington Heights boys’ soccer team participated in Red Card Cancer, a first-year cancer fundraiser. Before the game, the team wore shirts like the one shown above.

Abington Journal Photo/ Stephanie Walkowski

It’s not about winning or losing or how you play the game. When you look closely, sports are about people.
No one knows that better than the players and coaches who recognize that their games can serve as incredibly lucrative venues for fundraising for nationally relevant causes like cancer research.
Across the area, teams are hopping on this concept with impressive results.
On Oct. 8, the Abington Heights High School boys’ soccer team participated in Red Card Cancer, a first-year cancer fundraiser.
The program was started by Bloomsburg University men’s soccer coach, Paul Payne.
Before going to Bloomsburg, Payne was a coach at The University of Scranton. Payne was preceded at The U by Steve Klingman, the current associate director of athletics for The University of Scranton and boys’ soccer coach at Abington.
The personal connections continue.
Payne, Vice President of Education for the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), worked closely with Lady Royals coach Joe Bochicchio, who passed away from cancer in 2007. Bochicchio coached at The University of Scranton for 23 years. Among his former players is Colleen Murphy, the current Lady Royals coach.
Payne started the event in Bloomsburg’s conference by enlisting the help of his fellow PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) coaches. The first Red Card Cancer event was held on Oct. 3. Each player wore a special warm-up T-shirt and extra shirts were sold at the game.
Outside of the PSAC, The University of Scranton’s men’s and women’s programs joined the cause.
With Bochicchio’s memory in mind, the teams raised $500.
Klingman, who is friends with Payne and also worked with Bochicchio, seized the chance to help. The Abington Heights Comets were on the road on Oct. 3, so they waited until their next home game to put on the shirts and raise money.
Klingman said Payne believes that Abington Heights was the only high school team to participate in the event. Abington Heights raised $300 for the American Cancer Society, according to Klingman.
Klingman hopes to spread the program across the Lackawanna League while Payne plans to take the event national at the college level.
The program has the potential to reach the success of Coaches vs. Cancer, the National Basketball Coaches Association’s equivalent.
The month of October will feature several sporting events promoting breast cancer awareness.
At Baptist Bible College and Seminary the women’s volleyball team is participating in “Dig Pink,” an event organized by the Side-Out Foundation, a volleyball organization dedicated to finding a cure for breast cancer. Dig Pink is in its fifth year, but the Lady Defenders are taking part for the first time
BBC is one of over 800 teams participating in the rally. On Oct. 31at 3 p.m. at the Phelps Center, the team will wear pink jerseys and host a variety of events, including a serving contest and pinkest fan contest.
According to Amy Heitner, athletic activities facilitator, the Lady Defenders hope to raise $1,000.
Just like the Red Card Cancer participants, BBC players and coaches have a vested interest in halting breast cancer.
“Two members of our staff had breast cancer and plenty of students have been affected,” Heitner said.
The BBC women’s soccer team joined the cause with pink ribbons at its homecoming game on Saturday, Oct. 10 against Neumann University.
The organizers and participants in these events are creating a new mantra: it’s not whether you win or lose, it’s who you help. After all, sports are about people.