Women’s Basketball raises $4,900 for 15th annual Shoot for the Cure
With games cancelled for the month of January, the women’s basketball team kept busy off the hardcourt by capturing a win in the fight against cancer.
From Jan. 17 to 30, the Gaels took part in the 15th edition of U Sports women’s basketball Shoot for the Cure. The nation-wide campaign raises money for the Canadian Cancer Society and other local and provincial charities to support breast cancer research and awareness
Since its launch in 2007, Shoot for the Cure has raised over $1.59 million from U Sports women’s basketball programs across Canada. Typically, Queen’s holds an annual Shoot for the Cure game.
Due to the month-long pause on university sport, the team was forced to hosted a virtual edition of the event instead.
Despite not being able to get out on the court, veteran guard Emma Ritcey, MSc ’22, said the digital campaign was a success.
“Our goal was to raise 3000 and we’ve raised just short of five thousand so far,” Ritcey told The Journal in an interview.
“It’s been really good thanks to a lot of people being generous with their donations.”
As of Feb. 3, Queen’s has raised $4,906.16—the second-highest amount among all participating teams in the OUA. All proceeds will go toward the Canadian Cancer Society.
The Gaels’ main fundraising effort was a virtual “Power Hour” on Jan. 28, which consisted of the Women’s Basketball team acquiring sponsors and choosing an exercise to perform for a one-hour period. For the number of reps or distance each athlete performed, sponsors donated a relative amount of dollars.
Throughout the campaign, team members also reached out for donations to friends, family, and the local community over social media.
“With [Shoot for the Cure] being online, it’s more about the donations. We’re just trying to do what we can. It is quite a bit different, but still very successful,” Ritcey said.
Ritcey expressed her gratitude to everyone who has donated to the team’s campaign and stated that it’s important for the Queen’s women’s basketball team to use their platform for raising funds and bringing awareness to the fight against breast cancer.
“So many people are affected by cancer directly and indirectly,” Ritcey said. “It’s important to a lot of people in the program, in the past and currently.”
