To most, the month of October brings to mind images of masks, candy corn, and jack-o-lanterns. In October, we delight in the autumnal shades of the maple trees, slipping on jeans and thick socks to combat the approaching winter chill. This October, however, an unexpected color will reveal itself among the auburns and the ambers of Seattle University: pink.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. According to Cancer.org, “breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women, except for skin cancers. About 1 in 8 women in the US will develop invasive breast cancer during their lifetime.”

Seattle U’s own Trisha Steidl, head coach of the cross country team, has experienced cancer in her own family. Coach Steidl’s mother has contracted breast cancer twice. In support of her mother and breast cancer research, Steidl organized a “Pink Meet,” with help from junior Meghan Arigo and sophomore Elena Smith. Seattle U’s women’s cross country will participate in the Emerald City Open at Lower Woodland Park next Saturday, Oct. 19, at 10:30 a.m.

Seattle U’s cross country team is the fourth athletics team to organize a “Pink Game.” The women’s basketball team hosts a game with a similar goal annually, featuring Cupcake Royale cupcakes and giving all proceeds from sales to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. The women’s soccer team hosts an annual “Pink Game” as well, holding a silent auction and a special raffle. At these pink games, a portion of the ticket, concession, and raffle sales are contributed to the fight against breast cancer.

“Pink meets present an opportunity to create awareness not just within the small community of our cross country team but also within the community of the students attending Seattle University and, hopefully, our actions will ripple into a wider audience, affecting the Seattle area as a whole,” Steidl said.

Steidl, Arigo, Smith and other Seattle sports teams have done just that. To further enhance the aesthetic of the day, the cross country team will sport pink Nike jerseys in addition to ribbons in their ponytails.

Matching coach Steidl’s passion, Arigo and Smith expressed a desire for student investment beyond simple fundraising.

“We wanted to share the information about breast cancer with a broader community. We saw the educational element as a necessary element and wanted to move forward with that,”
said Arigo.

To them, this meant creating awareness on campus. Thanks to the two, an organization named Check Your Boobies will be present in the Pigott Auditorium from 7 to 8 p.m. on October 14. Check Your Boobies was created in order to “educate women about breast health in a frank, fun, and fear-free manner.” The presentation will feature a trained breast and testicular health educator as well as a breast cancer survivor.

“I think the educational portion of this effort is very important, and I am grateful to Meghan and Elena for taking the lead and arranging the guest speakers to come onto campus, because that would not have happened without their work,” said Steidl.

Check Your Boobies will also be giving out informational pamphlets at the upcoming race on Oct. 19.

“With education, we can eliminate some fear about breast cancer. With more knowledge you’ll be more proactive, and it’s less likely that breast cancer will hit your family as hard,” Steidl said.

The games are scheduled at 7 p.m. on the evening of Oct. 19 and midday on Oct. 20. You can support Seattle U’s Pink Weekend and spread awareness by attending one of the games or by listening to the speakers at the Check Your Boobies event. In addition to the pink uniforms, donations will be collected at cross country’s pink race and all proceeds will be given to breast cancer research foundations.