ESPN RISE

When Atlee (Mechanicsville, Va.) boys' volleyball coach Michelle Black approached her team about promoting breast cancer awareness at the start of the season, she went small.

"Other teams at the school have worn pink before," says Black, "but this was the first time a boys' team had done it. I figured we'd wear pink socks, maybe pink ribbons. Just enough for people to notice."

Black told the team about her plan, and the boys immediately rejected it. They wanted to go bigger.

"Coach told us we were going to wear socks," senior Justin Crane said. "We were like, 'No, coach. Socks are cool, but we need to wear pink jerseys because that will make a statement.'"

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and high school teams across the country are doing their part to help promote the cause. So for a series of three home games, the Atlee volleyball team took to the court in pink uniforms.

In addition to the pink threads, the Atlee boys held fundraisers during games and wore pink during the school day to spread the message.

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Ed Naujokaitis

The Greenway (Phoenix, Ariz.) football team wore pink Cutters gloves during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

"We all know somebody or have friends who know somebody who's had to deal with breast cancer," Crane said. "One of our church members died from it a couple years back, so it hits pretty close to home for me and other players on the team. It makes you feel good when you get to take part in something like this."

At North Haven (North Haven, Conn.), Kelsey Searles wanted to do something to support awareness last year, so she brought the idea to her coach and athletic director. The volleyball team wore pink shirts for one match and turned the night into a fundraising event.

It went so well, Searles expanded her plan to include every North Haven sport this season.

"The response has been great," the junior said. "Everyone in the stands is wearing pink, too, and the bleachers are packed."

Even though breast cancer has never affected Searles directly, she felt she had to get involved and spread the word about early detection.

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Lisa Harris

Crandall High painted the familiar pink ribbon for its varsity game on Oct. 23.

"Just looking through the stats, you see that one out of eight women develop breast cancer," she said. "Brought down to a smaller scale, we realized two girls on our team would get it in their life. That's two people we want to fight for."

Kids everywhere are getting involved:

• In Kansas, St. Thomas Aquinas and St. James Academy played a "Pink Out" game Oct. 7. Aquinas wore pink jerseys and the game was played with a pink ball.

• In Florida, Miami Northwestern quarterback Teddy Bridgewater wore pink gloves during an Oct. 8 game that was nationally televised on ESPN2.

• In New York, the Nanuet and Suffern field hockey teams played with a pink ball Oct. 13, and the officials wore pink uniforms and used pink whistles.

• In Texas, a pink ribbon was painted on the Crandall varsity football field for an Oct. 23 game, and players and fans wore pink as well.

Awareness among high school athletes grows every year, and Searles is hopeful the trend will continue until a cure is discovered.

"My little sister is starting high school next year," she said. "I hope when I'm gone, she can follow in the footsteps and keep this thing going. It's important for everyone to understand how important this is."

Mike Grimala covers high school sports for ESPN RISE Magazine.