Doherty Boys Volleyball Raises Money for Breast Cancer Research

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Thursday, May 10, 2012

Joe Parello, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Pink ribbons adorned the walls of Doherty Memorial High School’s gym for the boys volleyball team’s first ever “Pink Game.”

The game, organized by Doherty coach Emily Boutilette, was intended to raise awareness of breast cancer, as well as money for research. Done in conjunction with Coaches vs Cancer, Doherty’s game against Worcester North High School allowed players on both teams to raise money for the cause.

“In the first 'Pink Game,' my girls team played North,” Boutilette said. "They asked me to do it again, and it just happened that our last home game for boys was against North too. The North coach is my friend so we teamed up on it. All the boys on each team took sheets and got donations from their friends and families."

Yesterday’s game was born out of that girls' game last fall. Boutilette is also the girls volleyball coach at St. Mary’s High, and her team held a “Pink Game” at the end of their season against North High. As another way to raise revenue, snacks and refreshments were sold at both games, with all proceeds going to Coaches vs Cancer.

As for the Highlanders’ team, they fell 3-0 to the visiting Polar Bears of North High. This season has been a struggle for Boutilette’s bunch, comprised entirely of freshmen and sophomores, but the young team certainly had fun with the “Pink Game.”

“I've been at Doherty for six years, and this is the first 'Pink Game' we've done for the boys,” Boutilette said. "I was really surprised how enthusiastic they were. They loved decorating their shirts. It kind of killed practice time, but that's ok. They were really excited about it, and they want to do it again."

The money is still being added up, but Boutilette has been encouraged by her team’s response. She hopes to do more “Pink Games” in the future for both her girls and boys teams. It will be an annual event for her St. Mary's girls team, and she is in the process of doing the same for her Doherty boys team. She is also pleased that doing two games keeps awareness raised all year, and that a boys teams is taking part.

“Today we had some baseball kids walking by, and they asked 'Isn't Pink Month in October?'” Boutilette said. "Well, yeah, but you can have a 'Pink Game' any time. It's Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, but you can raise awareness any time… I know that some football teams have 'Pinked Up' in the fall, and done some games, but it's a rare occasion, so this is pretty cool." 

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