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Where are the men?
Team captain challenges male adults to take a bigger role in this year's Relay For Life
Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by REID SILVERMAN
Ken Ritter hugs his wife, Pat, outside their home in Lexington Park on Jan. 15. Ken is trying to organize an all-men team for this year's Relay For Life, in part because Pat is a three-time survivor of skin cancer.
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It's like an all-night party.
The annual Relay For Life that raises funds for the American Cancer Society is held at the track at Leonardtown High School. This year it is scheduled for Saturday, June 12. Booths decorated by teams according to the year's theme add to the party-feel of the event.
There is food.
There are friends meeting friends.
There is plenty of exercise.
It attracts hundreds of people, but there's a problem — a disparity, according to Ken Ritter of Lexington Park. Women participating outnumber the men, Ritter said.
He said he's hoping to help change that by forming an all-men relay team for this year's event.
"I just felt us men needed to have some presence there. Let's show we can make a difference too," he said. Ritter is the team captain for Men for a Cure. As of this week, he's the only member.
Abby Cordell of Leonardtown, event chair for the St. Mary's relay, said it is true that there has traditionally been a stronger female presence at the local event.
"I'd say it's normally about two-thirds women and one-third men," Cordell said Friday.
There are already a couple of "gentlemen teams," she said. "The Knights of Columbus team is one. But they are definitely more rare than the all-women teams."
Ritter noted that many of the males that do participate are teenagers. He's hoping to get more adult men involved, he said.
Ritter's wife of nearly 36 years, Pat, is a three-time skin cancer survivor. His sister, Debbie, of Centreville, Va., is also survivor. She had breast cancer.
"I come from a really large family … lots of cousins and relatives," Ritter said. "I can remember as a teenager when six [relatives] died within six months. And all were [from] cancer."
The fight against cancer involves everyone, including every man, Ritter said. "This is a challenge to all men. Relay For Life is not a woman thing. Every one of us knows someone who has been affected by cancer."
Ritter has been involved with the Relay For Life for several years, assisting with a team that Pat has been on, Fitness and More, which has traditionally been one of the top-earning teams in St. Mary's. Last year the team raised about $17,000, according to the Ritters. Ken likes the idea of trying to compete with that kind of success with his fledgling team. However, he's just hoping to get the team started this year. "I'm an organizer. That's what I do well," he said. "I'd like to see 15, 20 guys and raise a couple thousand dollars."
Ritter said he is hoping to make his team's experience much like an all-night tailgate party. "If I want the guys to be involved, you've got to entice them," he said. "The thing is, just getting men involved."
Cordell said she'd be pleased to see more men involved in the relay. She'd also like to see more faith-based teams involved ("We have one or two, but we'd love to see more," she said) and more teams from area defense firms. "It's hard to get contractors involved," she said.
Relay organizers have a goal this year of including 92 relay teams and raising at least $240,050. As of Tuesday, 63 teams had registered and $17,749 had already been raised.
There had been some concerns last year that donations tied to the event would be down due to the difficult economic climate. However, Cordell said, the county response beat even organizers' goals and raising $232,000. "Our teams are really amazing," she said. "This community is just phenomenal in their donations."
If you want to help
St. Mary's Relay For Life will be held Saturday, June 12, at 5:30 p.m. at Leonardtown High School. There is still time to form a team or to get involved. For more information visit www.stmarysrelay.org or call Abby at 814-450-3454 or e-mail stmarysrelay@gmail.com.
To join Ken Ritter's team, visit the above Web site and click on the arrow under "Three Ways to Sign Up." At the next screen, enter the teams' name "Men for a Cure" and click on "join," or e-mail kenandpatritter@verizon.net.
