The Fontbonne Hall and St. Edmund softball teams joined other softball squads to help raise money for breast cancer research last weekend.
The teams joined St. Francis Prep, Archbishop Molloy and St. John Villa to help raise more than $1,000 for the American Cancer Society during the Catholic High School Athletic Association event at Our Lady of Grace field last Saturday.
Each girl participating was asked to donate $10. There was a 50-50 raffle and pinks bow were sold. Each team played one to two games that everyone agreed were about more than just winning or losing.
“They get to see that they are playing for something bigger than themselves, to give back to the community or a charity,” said Rowena Motylewski, St. Edmund coach and Brooklyn-Queens softball commissioner. “It’s just nice for them to know you can do something beyond the game of softball.”
For the players it was also an opportunity to talk with each other about breast cancer and how it has affected their lives. Fontbonne third baseman Ariana Dillon’s grandmother had it, and St. Edmund junior Kaitlin Hertz’s grandmother beat the disease twice. Motylewski said lots of hands went up when she sat her team down leading up to the event and asked who has been affected by breast cancer.
“Even though everybody knows about it, it is good to hear everyone’s personal perspective,” Hertz said. “It’s good to talk about. People don’t want to talk about it, but it is a good thing to talk about.”
The day was certainly fun for all involved. Each team wore plenty of pink, from socks to tie-dyed T-shirts to pink laces on Fontbonne coach Frank Marinello’s shoes. The girls enjoyed teaming up with their normal opponents to champion a worthy cause.
“We are usually on the field not looking to come together as a team, but to beat each other in the game,” Dillon said “This is a time to come together for a cause to help beat something else.”
The league will also hold an Autism Awareness tournament on March 28 at McGuire Fields in Bergen Beach. The coaches hope to expand the cancer event in the coming season. This year was just a staring point in Marinello’s mind. They want to get more schools involved with earlier notice next year, and also get their junior varsity players on the field as well. The goal is to get as many girls as possible involved.
“It’s great when we come together as a team to raise awareness and let other people know what we are doing for a good cause,” said Fontbonne junior Bianca Marletta.
