As most students already know, MSU’s Final Four appearance is cause for celebration in East Lansing. But one MSU student is taking this chance to focus the basketball team’s success on activism for a charity that has personally affected his life.
Advertising senior Derek Blalock, who formerly worked at The State News, departed his home on Wednesday afternoon on his bicycle with his eyes set on Indianapolis. He is hopeful to make 250-mile trip in three days, arriving on Friday afternoon before the Spartans take on Duke in the Final Four on Saturday evening.
“After I saw MSU beat Louisville on Saturday I knew my friends and I were going to Indy,” Blalock said. “But I figured, why drive? This was too good of an opportunity to pass up.”
This trek to Indiana was a last-minute decision but is a way to help train for a much larger goal - a cross-country trip planned for this summer.
Blalock hopes his two and a half month bike trip will bring attention to the Thomas Smith Memorial Foundation, a charity that funds heart screenings for youth athletes.
Thomas Smith, a high school friend of Blalock’s, passed away in 2011 due to a sudden cardiac arrest andan undiagnosed enlarged heart. He was 17 years old. The memorial fund started by his family donates funding for heart screenings and electrocardiograms during all mandatory health physicals for young athletes.
“It may not seem like the biggest cause in the world,” Blalock said of the Thomas Smith Memorial Foundation. “But way too many kids are affected by this. Tommy was a great kid with a bright future, and he had such an impact on the community.”
Blalock will depart from Charleston, South Carolina on May 18 with only his bicycle and a backpack and 6,500 miles ahead of him. The plan is to ride all the way to San Diego and then back to South Carolina.
Although he is far from an expert cyclist, Blalock is determined to go forward with his trip and bring national attention to an issue he finds extremely compelling. He first thought of the idea in 2012, inspired by the film Forrest Gump. The trip to Indianapolis will be Blalock’s first overnight trip following months of indoor training and a way to bring attention to his cause.
“This weekend will help me gauge what needs to happen before I set out this summer,” Blalock said. “But I’m not nervous about that. So many people are already coming to support my website and donate, the reaction has been unreal.”
The goal is to ultimately donate at least $25,000 to the Thomas Smith Memorial Foundation.
