By Alan Van Ormer
Tribune editor

On the volleyball scoreboard, Dell Rapids St. Mary might have defeated Baltic. However, the night had a special meaning because both teams were supporting breast cancer awareness with a “Think Pink Night.”
“It was an eye-opener to the girls that things can happen to anyone around them,” Baltic Coach Danielle Eszlinger said.
Dell Rapids St. Mary Coach Tracy Herber said giving back to the community is always important. “In our Christian environment, that is what we always strive to do,” she said.
Several of the team members and coaches knew someone who did have or were battling breast cancer.
Mikayla and Ally Brown were able to provide their grandmother, Aggie Randall, a pink rose during the volleyball match. Both girls have helped their grandmother during Relay for Life, Cancer Walk and other breast cancer awareness events.
“We don’t remember much of when she got sick, but it makes us proud that she was able to fight through it and survive,” Ally Brown said. “I think our grandmother was very touched.”
Danya Johnson, who plays for Baltic, said she thought it was nice that her grandmother, Marilyn Johnson, was presented a pink carnation.
“I never really thought of it being that big of a deal until it affected me directly,” she said. “They need to find a cure because a lot of people are affected. Grandmother thought it was a really cool idea taking the time to do something like that.”
Both teams wore pink t-shirts during warm –ups. Girls also wore pink socks, pink ribbons in their hair and pink shoelaces. In addition, over a portion of the last two weeks, the two schools sold t-shirts and did other things to raise money for breast cancer awareness.
The fundraising event will help patients in South Dakota.
Both coaches agreed the evening was very touching for both the players and those who were sitting in the stands.
“I visited with one lady and the lady sitting next to her told her she was very touched and was appreciative of the gesture,” Eszlinger said. “She is a breast cancer survivor. It is a good thing for people to see that it is more common than what people think.”
Herber said “Think Pink Night” was for a good cause. “It was a lot of fun for those girls, too,” she said. “Just to come out and support with the color pink; girls love that kind of thing.”
Eszlinger was the architect of the evening’s activities. She actually got the idea during a volleyball convention in Mitchell. Schools in South Dakota and across the country were doing Breast Cancer Awareness evenings and she thought it would be nice for Baltic to do something like that.
She talked to the Dell Rapids St. Mary staff because people in both communities knew each other. “We felt it would be a nice gathering,” she said. “We thought it was a nice touch that way.”
Herber said the evening was definitely worth it. “I would love to do it again next year,” she said.
Brown said the evening was a lot of fun. “I thought it was a good idea to get together to do a fundraiser for such an important event as cancer awareness,” she said. “Doing it in a volleyball atmosphere made it even better.”