SE: K-State Baseball to End Fall with Halloween ALS Awareness Game, Shave for the Brave Event
Oct 25, 2018 | Baseball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
It's an important week for K-State baseball in ways that go beyond the sport.
Yes, the Wildcats hold their annual Fall World Series, with games on Thursday (6 p.m.), Friday (6 p.m.) and Sunday (noon) at Tointon Family Stadium, all of which are free to the public. But they also host two other events as part of the program's 19 Ways community service initiative.
The first will be the Halloween ALS Awareness Game on Saturday at 6 p.m. The second will be the "Shave for the Brave" event, where Wildcats will shave their heads to support children's cancer research, after Sunday's Fall World Series finale.
"I'm excited to keep this initiative rolling," K-State's first-year head coach Pete Hughes said of 19 Ways. "It's one of the most productive and rewarding things I've done in my coaching career, and to be able to share that with a new group of guys and a new community is awesome."
"It's a big week," he added.
The Halloween ALS Awareness Game started from a personal connection to Hughes. Pete Frates, who played for Hughes at Boston College, was diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease in 2012.
Hughes said he remembers getting the call from Frates the day Frates was diagnosed.
"It was like I got kicked in the stomach," Hughes said, "but I was overwhelmed, not by his diagnosis, but by his reaction to the diagnosis. It was, 'Here's my calling, Coach. I'm ready to go.'"
Frates, diagnosed at the age of 27, wanted to become the face of ALS awareness. While Lou Gehrig's name is synonymous with the disease's ultimate demise, Frates wants his name to become synonymous with an eventual cure. To get it started, Frates and his family started the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which became a national sensation and drove more than $200 million toward ALS research.
"That's inspirational," Hughes said of Frates, still battling the disease six years later. "So I didn't have time to feel bad or to wallow and pity for Pete because he wouldn't have allowed it, and that's who he is."
At the time, however, Hughes knew he had to do something to support the cause championed by his former team captain. So, as part of his 19 Ways initiative, he started up the ALS Awareness Halloween Game at Virginia Tech. It's been part of every program Hughes has led since.
"Any way I could put those three letters out in front of as many people as I could for Pete Frates and for a lot of people who are suffering from this disease who aren't getting the funds to have it cured, I wanted to do it," Hughes said. "It seemed like the perfect marriage to have that Halloween game tied into ALS awareness, just to get people talking about it."
The event is meant to be fun for K-State fans of all ages. Wildcat players and coaches will dress up in costumes for a shortened game. During it, they will walk around the stands to hand out candy and collect donations. Proceeds raised will go to the ALS Association and #TeamFrateTrain as Frates continues his battle with ALS.
"We'll raise minimal money, but just to get people to talk about it, to know Pete's story and for our guys to know Pete's story, it's inspirational," Hughes said. "There's a lot of good coming out of a terrible disease and misfortune for a great kid and family. We're just playing a small part in bringing awareness to the disease."
The event also paints a picture of the types of relationships Hughes builds with his players. Frates finished his playing career at Boston College in 2007, yet five years later Hughes was one of the first people he called when he learned of his diagnosis.
"To me, it's about the relationships. They last forever," Hughes said. "I want these guys to feel the same way, even though I haven't recruited most of them. We care about the same things. They're good kids. They have good value systems. They work hard. So, they have me for life and they know it. Everyone who plays for me knows that."
Hughes said he has especially appreciated how quickly K-State's players bought into 19 Ways, his community service initiative designed to have a positive impact on the Manhattan area on 19 different occasions. He started it many years ago it to honor his late mother, a nursing home nurse whose favorite number was 19.
On top of the Halloween ALS Awareness Game on Saturday, K-State's players have raised nearly $17,000 for Vs. Cancer, a pediatric brain cancer foundation started by former North Carolina baseball player Chase Jones. Teams across the country have joined to fundraise for childhood cancer, "competing" to see who can raise the most. (Donations to K-State's total, ranked second on Wednesday, can be made here.)
After K-State's final Fall World Series game on Sunday, the Wildcats will take part in "Shave for the Brave," shaving their heads to support Childhood Cancer Awareness month.
"They've taken ownership, and that's what 19 Ways is all about," Hughes said of his players. "It's not a directive. It's those guys taking ownership and knowing that it really feels good to do good things for people that are less fortunate or whose life hasn't really turned in the direction that it's turned for our guys. Our guys are definitely privileged. They're never entitled. I found that out real quick about this group of kids."
It's an important week for K-State baseball in ways that go beyond the sport.
Yes, the Wildcats hold their annual Fall World Series, with games on Thursday (6 p.m.), Friday (6 p.m.) and Sunday (noon) at Tointon Family Stadium, all of which are free to the public. But they also host two other events as part of the program's 19 Ways community service initiative.
The first will be the Halloween ALS Awareness Game on Saturday at 6 p.m. The second will be the "Shave for the Brave" event, where Wildcats will shave their heads to support children's cancer research, after Sunday's Fall World Series finale.
"I'm excited to keep this initiative rolling," K-State's first-year head coach Pete Hughes said of 19 Ways. "It's one of the most productive and rewarding things I've done in my coaching career, and to be able to share that with a new group of guys and a new community is awesome."
"It's a big week," he added.
The Halloween ALS Awareness Game started from a personal connection to Hughes. Pete Frates, who played for Hughes at Boston College, was diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease in 2012.
Hughes said he remembers getting the call from Frates the day Frates was diagnosed.
"It was like I got kicked in the stomach," Hughes said, "but I was overwhelmed, not by his diagnosis, but by his reaction to the diagnosis. It was, 'Here's my calling, Coach. I'm ready to go.'"
Frates, diagnosed at the age of 27, wanted to become the face of ALS awareness. While Lou Gehrig's name is synonymous with the disease's ultimate demise, Frates wants his name to become synonymous with an eventual cure. To get it started, Frates and his family started the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which became a national sensation and drove more than $200 million toward ALS research.
"That's inspirational," Hughes said of Frates, still battling the disease six years later. "So I didn't have time to feel bad or to wallow and pity for Pete because he wouldn't have allowed it, and that's who he is."
At the time, however, Hughes knew he had to do something to support the cause championed by his former team captain. So, as part of his 19 Ways initiative, he started up the ALS Awareness Halloween Game at Virginia Tech. It's been part of every program Hughes has led since.
"Any way I could put those three letters out in front of as many people as I could for Pete Frates and for a lot of people who are suffering from this disease who aren't getting the funds to have it cured, I wanted to do it," Hughes said. "It seemed like the perfect marriage to have that Halloween game tied into ALS awareness, just to get people talking about it."
The event is meant to be fun for K-State fans of all ages. Wildcat players and coaches will dress up in costumes for a shortened game. During it, they will walk around the stands to hand out candy and collect donations. Proceeds raised will go to the ALS Association and #TeamFrateTrain as Frates continues his battle with ALS.
"We'll raise minimal money, but just to get people to talk about it, to know Pete's story and for our guys to know Pete's story, it's inspirational," Hughes said. "There's a lot of good coming out of a terrible disease and misfortune for a great kid and family. We're just playing a small part in bringing awareness to the disease."
The event also paints a picture of the types of relationships Hughes builds with his players. Frates finished his playing career at Boston College in 2007, yet five years later Hughes was one of the first people he called when he learned of his diagnosis.
"To me, it's about the relationships. They last forever," Hughes said. "I want these guys to feel the same way, even though I haven't recruited most of them. We care about the same things. They're good kids. They have good value systems. They work hard. So, they have me for life and they know it. Everyone who plays for me knows that."
Hughes said he has especially appreciated how quickly K-State's players bought into 19 Ways, his community service initiative designed to have a positive impact on the Manhattan area on 19 different occasions. He started it many years ago it to honor his late mother, a nursing home nurse whose favorite number was 19.
On top of the Halloween ALS Awareness Game on Saturday, K-State's players have raised nearly $17,000 for Vs. Cancer, a pediatric brain cancer foundation started by former North Carolina baseball player Chase Jones. Teams across the country have joined to fundraise for childhood cancer, "competing" to see who can raise the most. (Donations to K-State's total, ranked second on Wednesday, can be made here.)
After K-State's final Fall World Series game on Sunday, the Wildcats will take part in "Shave for the Brave," shaving their heads to support Childhood Cancer Awareness month.
"They've taken ownership, and that's what 19 Ways is all about," Hughes said of his players. "It's not a directive. It's those guys taking ownership and knowing that it really feels good to do good things for people that are less fortunate or whose life hasn't really turned in the direction that it's turned for our guys. Our guys are definitely privileged. They're never entitled. I found that out real quick about this group of kids."
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