Dig Pink!
Members of the Kellogg, Wallace and Mullan volleyball teams line up in a ribbon-shape during Dig Pink, a full-day event to raise money and awareness for breast cancer and breast cancer screenings.
Photo by JOSH McDONALD
Kellogg High School Volleyball Coach Steph Batchelder gets her hair cut so she can donate it for the creation of a wig.
KELLOGG — The annual October athletic extravaganza known as Dig Pink took place over the weekend at Kellogg High School.
Volleyball teams from Mullan, Wallace and Kellogg high schools all participated in a full day of games where winning wasn’t the primary goal.
“I thought the Dig Pink event in Kellogg was phenomenal, from the combined pep band to the matches including all three Silver Valley schools,” said Wallace Head Coach Katie Bauer. “The teams showed good sportsmanship and appreciation for their communities.”
Dig Pink has been a banner event for the Wallace and Kellogg volleyball programs for the past few years and has acted as their way to give back to the local cancer community while bringing people together to celebrate their efforts and show off their talents.
This year Mullan got in on the fun which made for an even bigger event than normal.
Kicking off at 11:30 a.m., five different volleyball matches were played at Andrews Gymnasium, all culminating with a highly anticipated rematch between the Kellogg and Wallace varsity teams.
Spirit was at an all-time high, including bursting student sections, the combined Kellogg and Wallace pep bands, and the enthusiasm of the players made the energy infectious.
“I loved that we got our ‘C’ team and Mullan finally involved in this event,” said Kellogg Head Coach Steph Batchelder. “It made it feel like a bigger deal and more of an actual event and awareness. Our student section was amazing, which it has been all year but it’s good to see.”
Coach Batchelder along with KHS players Kay Reed and Olivia Derbyshire had their hair cut by volunteer Angie Rainio to be donated for wig making.
For fundraising, each school chose a person or organization and ran a coin drive contest to benefit them.
Both Kellogg and Wallace donated their earnings to Silver Valley cancer survivor Cheryl Bryant, who has been involved with the local volleyball scene over the last few years.
Mullan donated their earnings to Valley Strong, a special entity from Shoshone Medical Center that helps pay for cancer screenings and readings for low-income patients.
Mullan Head Coach Dawn McKinnon and her team were so excited to be a part of such an impactful event.
“This was such a fun event and my girls really enjoyed being a part of it,” McKinnon said. “It also allowed us to play some teams we normally wouldn’t get to. Just all-around an awesome day.”
