From the TD's

Cyle Van Auken

I could never have been a doctor.
I once went with a person to the hospital to examine a broken leg suffered while we were playing basketball, and nearly fainted during the exam.

I could never have been involved in scientific research.
Chemistry is the only science class I ever took, and I only passed because it was like taking another math class.

I've long wanted to do something to be involved in finding a cure for Breast Cancer, but I didn't know how I could. I have long felt like I would have to sit on the sideline while others did the heavy lifting.

Nothing has made a bigger impact on my family than Breast Cancer, as it took Cheryl Van Auken at the age of 27, mother of two kids, my brother 7, and myself 2.

It's not something my family talks about often, but it is something I think about always. A disease that, if found early, can be beaten.

I am fortunate enough to be involved in a community where people do care, and where our work can be used toward beating Breast Cancer. I won't find the drugs or the procedures that will prevent other families from ever going through what my family does, but we can make a difference. While simply doing something we love, playing Ultimate, we can raise money and raise awareness.

Skip Sewell

There's nothing remarkable about my story, my mother's story - except that she was one of the lucky ones.

Diagnosed with Breast Cancer in the summer of 2008, she is just now coming to the close of a routine and successful treatment. For sure this year has been hard - but I cannot even imagine what it would have been like had her tumor been found a year later, or two years later.

I know that it is easy to see this site, this tournament - and reduce it only to its simplest parts: a few personal stories, a collection of statistics and a cause - but the reality is that the statistics are real, and this story is everywhere. Since my mother's diagnosis, too many teammates and friends have come forward with their own tesimony. Their mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and sisters touched by Breast Cancer.

If you come to Pink Ribbons this year, that's awesome. The tournament will be top notch and you're guarnanteed to have a good time. But the real win here for us is for you (yes you) to recognize that Breast Cancer isn't us and our Moms or things you overhear in the news, but about you and the women in your life. Talk to them about it - make sure they're self-examining and hitting the mamogram once a year. Through some initiative (and a little awkwardness) you can make sure that if breast cancer touches your life, you can be one of the lucky ones, too.