NORMAN — For one week, Oklahoma will be awash in pink.
On Sept. 13 through 17, high school athletes will swap their school colors for the girl-bent hue to prove that, when it comes to battling cancer, real Okies wear pink.
A trio of Oklahoma Heisman Trophy winners — Steve Owens, Jason White and Billy Sims — along with Oklahoma first lady Kim Henry, is leading the Win-Win Week initiative, where schools are encouraged to “pink out” every athletic event during the week to increase cancer awareness and raise funds to support Oklahoma cancer patients.
“I remember 30 years ago I never would have put on a pink shirt. That’s for sure,” said Billy Sims, who wore a pink polo shirt during a news conference Monday at Norman High School, where the group announced the campaign.
Norman High School is one of the 30 schools registered to participate. The school has already “pinked out” a softball game against Norman North and plans to “pink out” its football game against Moore during the week.
The school’s goal is to “pink out” a game for every sport, said Sarah Hartley, Norman High School Student Congress president.
“Cancer is very real, but even as high school students, we can make a difference,” said Hartley, a senior, whose grandmother defeated the disease.
Hartley said the school plans for football players to wear pink shoelaces and for the drumline to march with pink drumsticks at the Moore game.
The Heisman trio and Henry plan to attend games across the state that week, but the schedule hasn’t been confirmed.
Duncan High School cheerleader Chandler Hudson said her mom, the high school’s cheer coach who lost her mother to cancer when she was 16, motivated her and the other cheerleaders to rally the support of the community.
Hudson said Duncan will hold a “pink out” rally that week. Cheerleaders will wear pink bows and shake pink pompoms, and football players will sport pink wristbands at the game against Carl Albert High School.
“Everyone’s been affected by cancer at some point, and it’s definitely affected my family,” Hudson said. “I just want to let everybody know that cancer can be prevented.”
Norman North High School currently is not registered, according to a list compiled by Oklahoma Students Care, which Henry is chairwoman of and also is credited for developing the Win-Win Week initiative.
According to a news release, about 17,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed in Oklahoma every year and 7,500 Oklahomans die from the disease.
“Those are sobering statistics, but we don’t have to accept that,” said Dr. Robert Mannel, director of the OU Cancer Institute, which plans to use 100 percent of the funds raised toward services for Oklahoma cancer patients and expanding its cancer research.
Mannel said this number could be sliced in half if people would eliminate tobacco usage, eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly — lifestyle choices that begin at a young age.
Mannel also said the money funneled into the schools will remain within the state to thicken its playbook against the disease.
“They’ll be spent helping this community fight this disease,” Mannel said. “Every Oklahoman should have access to the highest quality care. It’s a big state with a lot of rural areas.”
Schools can continue to sign up for Win-Win Week at www.OKStudentsCare.org.
Nanette Light 366-3541 nlight@normantranscript.com
