MSU baseball sacrifices shaving during "Movember"
Notice an increase in the number of moustaches on campus in November? You should have.
That's because November marked the eighth annual "Movember" fundraiser, a global initiative that encourages men to grow moustaches to raise money and awareness for vital men's health issues.
For the first time, the entire Minot State men's baseball team sacrificed shaving while collecting funds to support prostate and testicular cancer research. As December rolled in, the team dusted off their razors, slapped on some shaving cream, and celebrated what turned into a wildly successful fundraiser.
After seeing the Beavers raise over $1,800, head coach Brock Weppler was pleased with how his team embraced the event. He envisions future fundraisers only getting bigger and better.
"I think anytime you can raise $1,800 and give it to a good cause, it's definitely a good thing. The guys certainly had fun with it," said Weppler. "Hopefully next year people know we're doing it again, so it's going to be that much easier to spread the word."
Although not all Beavers were capable of attaining "Fine Moustachery" status, the event quickly evolved into a teambuilding exercise. The team conducted weekly power rankings, sparking heated debate over who was growing the best (and worst) "Mo."
Jordan Gilmour (Sr., OF, Gatineau, Quebec) emerged as one of the Beavers' most prolific moustache connoisseurs. He was excited for the opportunity to showcase his dark, thick 'stache while also raising money for a good cause.
"Movember was a huge success for our team, everybody participated and at the same time we raised a great amount of money to go toward prostate cancer. Hopefully MSU baseball continues this tradition" said Gilmour.
While many girlfriends and women were likely relieved to see the calendar turn to December, no one can deny the importance of the Movember initiative. Over 8,500 males were diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2012, and one in six men are expected to contract prostate cancer during their lifetime.
Movember has proved to be an easily relatable cause. Cancer can affect anyone at any time, and it’s time we made headway toward finding a cure.
(Jamin Heller is a junior pitcher for the Minot State University baseball team. The guest column Heller wrote was published with permission from the Red & Green Newspaper).
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Published: 01/04/13 |