A different kind of run: Women's Basketball goes downtown Sunday for Komen Austin Race for the Cure
AUSTIN, Texas -- Early Sunday morning, the Texas women's basketball team will lace up their cross trainers - not their basketball court shoes - and take to the streets of downtown Austin for the 2005 Komen Austin Race for the Cure. The entire Texas team, coaching and support staff will participate in the Komen Race for the Cure event on November 6 which supports the educational, community out-reach and research programs of The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, a global leader in the fight against breast cancer. In November of 2003, UT head coach Jody Conradt and the Longhorn team were honorary co-chairs of the Austin Komen Race for the Cure along with former UT standout and current WNBA star Edna Campbell, herself a breast cancer survivor. "I am glad to be a part of the Race for the Cure again," noted UT senior guard Coco Reed. "When we did the run two years ago, I never realized just how many people were affected by this cancer. On our own team, we had lots of players and coaches wearing names of their relatives or friends who fought breast cancer and either survived or died from the disease. It is really over-whelming to be at that starting line with thousands of people who are trying to fight this by raising money in the run." The team will gather at daybreak on Sunday morning on campus and travel together to the race/walk starting point at Auditorium Shores with over 20,000 other runners and walkers. "It is really important for us to give back in our community, because we have such a great fan base which supports us and which is really loyal," noted senior guard Nina Norman. "I think it's a great chance to do something special and hopefully help others. I remember all the stories we heard from the breast cancer survivors and their families when we did the Race the last time, and it really hit home how many people need to know more about this disease and how to prevent it." "And, this will be a good time for us to be together as a team and do something important to bond together," Norman concluded. On Friday, November 18, the Longhorns open their regular season with a home game against New Mexico (7 p.m., Central). That night will be "Breast Cancer Awareness Night" at the Erwin Center, as sponsored by UT Athletics. At the game, there will be information booths about breast cancer, acknowledgment of breast cancer survivors among the crowd, and "Stories of Hope", a video presentation involving stories from survivors and messages from the Longhorn players and supporters. "On Media Day a few weeks ago, we all were interviewed on camera about breast cancer and talked about how it affects all of us," noted freshman guard Erika Arriaran. "That message is going to get out to our fans, as they are playing our video on the Erwin Center jumbotron. We each had a part in reminding people about the disease and how it effects people at all ages - even college kids." More information will follow at TexasSports.com about the November 18th Breast Cancer Awareness Night activities surrounding the Texas-New Mexico game.
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