ATLANTA -The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced today that over 1,250 schools and organizations have already committed to participating in the 2009 WBCA Pink Zone™ initiative. The WBCA Pink Zone™ initiative is a global, unified effort for the WBCA's nation of coaches to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. The week set aside for this year's initiative is February 13-22, however many schools are participating outside of that window due to scheduling conflicts. "It has been nothing short of miraculous to watch teams and organizations across the nation rally behind the fight against breast cancer through the WBCA Pink Zone initiative," said WBCA CEO Beth Bass. "As our coaches constantly reiterate the concept of 'teamwork' to our student-athletes, it is personified and brought to life through this initiative." Schools have chosen to participate in a variety of different ways. Some ideas for involvement include donning pink uniforms, inviting breast cancer survivors to the game, wearing pink shooting shirts, asking all fans to wear pink, and raffling off pink basketballs to raise money for a charity. Each school has been provided with access to promotional material; all of this information can be found at www.wbca.org/pinkzone.asp. The extent of involvement is up to the individual institution. For a complete list of participants, click here. Thus far, several WBCA partners and sponsors have chosen to get involved in the WBCA Pink Zone initiative. These sponsors and providers include: Russell Athletic (Official Apparel Provider), Nike (Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund Founding Partner), Petrocelli Marketing, Displayability, Jostens, Wilson, Crocs and girls got game. Click here to view the WBCA Pink Zone Concept Shop. They are all donating a portion of any proceeds to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. ESPN has joined the initiative by dedicating their annual "February Frenzy" women's college basketball games on ESPN2 and ESPN360.com to supporting the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund, in partnership with The V Foundation. February Frenzy will showcase eight regionalized games within two telecast windows for the biggest regular-season day in women's college basketball on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. ET. They will also dedicate the Big Monday game on Monday, Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m. to the cause. The NCAA has also joined the WBCA Pink Zone initiative by implementing the "Calling for a Cure" campaign where all NCAA women's basketball officials will be blowing a pink whistle February 13-22. Additionally, officials are encouraged to make a donation to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. Along with the NCAA and ESPN, other supporting organizations include: CBS College Sports Network, Fox Sports, National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA), National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA), Collegiate Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), NCAA Conference offices, The Hartford (Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund Founding Partner) and many more. Following the 2009 WBCA Pink Zone week, the WBCA will collect photos and video footage and tally total number of fans reached and donations collected during the initiative. WBCA Pink Zone™ History
The WBCA began the WBCA Pink Zone™, formerly known as "Think Pink", in 2007 as an initiative to raise breast cancer awareness in women's basketball, on campuses and in communities. In 2007, more than 120 schools unified for this effort and helped make the inaugural year a success. In 2008, over 1,200 teams and organizations participated, reaching over 830,000 fans and raising over $930,000 for breast cancer awareness and research. About the WBCA
Founded in 1981, the WBCA promotes women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game as a sport for women and girls. For additional information about the WBCA, please visit wbca.org. | 
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