Junior Kelsey Morley, left, sits with members of the MSU gymnastics team next to a guitar signed by singer and breast cancer survivor Melissa Etheridge while watching a movie about the team during the fourth annual Jan Howard Flip for a Cure Breast Cancer Awareness Meet on Saturday at Jenison Field House. An auction for the guitar began at Saturday’s meet and will continue online until March 17. All proceeds from the auction will benefit the American Cancer Society.
Pink leotards, silent auction items, collection buckets and several other items provided a clear reminder of breast cancer’s impact in day-to-day life Saturday at the MSU gymnastics team’s fourth annual Jan Howard Flip for a Cure Breast Cancer Awareness Meet.
The annual meet unites players from both teams and fans against the disease, which is among leading causes of death for women of all ages.
“I think they really embrace this whole cause,” head coach Kathie Klages said. “So many of us have been touched by someone that’s had breast cancer or died from breast cancer, and it’s just really nice to see these girls rally around this and give back to the community.”
Seven years ago, Georgia gymnast Talya Vexler discovered she had breast cancer. Vexler, who was 23 and had just completed her gymnastics career at one of the sport’s elite programs, underwent 16 weeks of treatment and now is a survivor.
The following season, Georgia decided to institute a breast cancer awareness meet that was adopted by the NCAA and universities across the country. The meets raise awareness so fans could follow Vexler’s efforts to get checked out early and survive their bouts with breast cancer.
Several schools in the Big Ten, including Minnesota and Michigan, are doing or have done breast cancer awareness meets. The Spartans, however, have a personal connection to the disease, dedicating their annual meet to the memory of Jan Howard.
Four years ago, MSU renamed the event to honor Howard, who died from breast cancer in 1997. Howard was a good friend of Klages and the mother of former gymnast and MSU Director of Student-Athlete Development Angela Howard, who competed for the Spartans during the early 1990s.
The fact that several of the team’s current gymnasts know Angela Howard and can relate to knowing the struggle of having someone close struggle with breast cancer makes the event more personal for the gymnasts.
After the annual meet, breast cancer survivors in the crowd are asked to stand up, as are people who have a family member or friend affected by the disease.
“When we have the breast cancer survivors and anyone who’s touched by breast cancer stand up in the crowd it just reminds us why we do it,” junior Kelsey Morley said. “For us to help out and take part in a cause helps out our team bonding in that we’re doing something for the community. We have the resources, so it’s an honor that we get to do it for East Lansing.”
The annual meet only scratches the surface of how involved the gymnastics team is with the cause. The Spartans also participate in other events, such as a walk in October and breakfast in August..
The American Cancer Society has invited the team to an August breakfast the past few seasons to help promote awareness. Although the gymnasts are on summer break, the team still has managed to get between 10 and 12 women to the event each year.
Additionally, this season the team embarked on a fundraising walk in October that raised about $1,200 for breast cancer research. Taken with the funds generated from Sunday’s meet, MSU hopes the money is a significant aid to the American Cancer Society in its efforts toward breast cancer awareness.
The team also holds an annual auction at the meet. After last year’s auction was highlighted by a pink scooter, this year’s included a guitar signed by singer and breast cancer survivor Melissa Etheridge.
The guitar was donated to the team by Fender Musical Instruments Corp., and auctioning for the guitar will continue online at msuspartans.com for the remainder of the season.
The American Cancer Society estimated that in 2009, about 192,000 women would be diagnosed with breast cancer and that one in eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetimes.
“When we did the breast cancer walk, it was absolutely amazing and I was kind of emotional because I know people who have been through it,” freshman Shanthi Teike said. “Having this competition and everyone being supportive, it was unreal.”
Both MSU and its opponent, No. 25 Ohio State, sported pink leotards Saturday and fans who wore pink got in for free.
Although MSU has a personal and involved breast cancer awareness meet, other schools in the Big Ten have their own meets to help support breast cancer awareness.
At Iowa, where Vexler served as an assistant coach before the end of last season, the team honors the former Georgia gymnast by having an annual Pink Night. This year, the Hawkeyes will hold their Pink Night on Feb. 6 when they host Ohio State.
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“It’s quite an honor to participate and then to have Talya on staff,” Iowa head coach Larissa Libby said. “It just serves as a constant reminder to get checked.”
Minnesota will be holding a meet this season to raise awareness for all types of cancer in which fans can purchase wristbands from the American Cancer Society to enter the event without an additional charge.
Together, several of the nation’s gymnastics programs are helping to make an impact in the fight against breast cancer, but MSU also is doing its part to honor a member of its gymnastics family and helping people understand the importance of taking care of their bodies.
“The greatest part is that the team has really adopted the cause,” Angela Howard said. “It’s not just one meet … you look at so many people going through it, and having support and having a positive attitude are really, really important.”
