January 26, 2010

    YORK, PA – The York College men’s basketball team will participate in the nation-wide Coaches vs. Cancer Suites and Sneakers Awareness Weekend on Saturday when they host Hood College at Wolf Gymnasium. The program is a collaborative initiative of the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). Participating NABC member coaches will wear sneakers instead of dress shoes with their suits during weekend games to demonstrate their support for the American Cancer Society and its vision of a world with less cancer and more birthdays. Spartan basketball fans are also encouraged to wear their suits and sneakers to the game against Hood to show their support.  
    The Spartans have been very active with the Coaches vs. Cancer Program over the past 14 years. The Spartans not only host a Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament in January but also participate in the Three Point Attack.
    Spartan head coach Jeff Gamber is passionate about using basketball to help fight cancer.
    “It is an honor to get to use basketball as another tool in the fight against cancer,” states Gamber. “We are asking that everyone come to Wolf Gym with their suits and sneakers on for Saturday’s game against Hood. It would be a great show of support for the Coaches vs. Cancer program.”
    By lacing up sneakers with their suits, college and high school basketball coaches nationwide will spotlight the fact that while cancer remains a major health concern, everyone can take daily steps to reduce their risk of the disease. For those who do not smoke, weight control, exercise and a healthy diet are the best ways to improve health and reduce cancer risk. Obesity has been shown to increase the risk for many forms of cancer, including breast, prostate, and colon cancers and may account for 20 percent of cancer deaths in women and 14 percent in men.
    However, according to a 2006 survey, only eight percent of people understand that excess weight is so strongly linked to cancer risk, while more than 80 percent know of the link between overweight and heart disease. Overweight and obesity are of particular concern in minority populations, with higher rates of both reported for Hispanic men and women and for African American women, than for non-Hispanic white adults.  
    “The personal involvement of coaches in the Coaches vs. Cancer program creates an invaluable opportunity to reach so many people about how to reduce their risk of cancer, and, particularly, about the important roles that regular exercise and a healthy diet play,” said George W.P. Atkins, 2009-10 national volunteer chair, American Cancer Society Board of Directors. “Coaches vs. Cancer continues to be an integral part of the Society’s commitment to save lives by helping people stay well, by helping them get well, by finding cures and by fighting back against the disease."  
    Thanks to the dedicated efforts of college and high school coaches and fans across the country, Coaches vs. Cancer participants have raised more than $55 million since 1993 to help the Society fund groundbreaking cancer research, provide up-to-date cancer information and education, advocate for public health policies that benefit communities, and deliver services that improve the quality of life for patients and their families. Additional information is available at coachesvscancer.org.  
    The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; by helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation’s largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing about $3.4 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about us or to get help, call us anytime, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.  

Portions of this release courtesy of the American Cancer Society