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Running for a cause
Seahawks cross country prepares for 24-hour run
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
 Click here to enlarge this photo Photo by BILL WOOD
Nick Pasko will be one of 15 student-athletes and two coaches participating in a 24-hour run fundraising event for the Seahawks cross country teams in early April.
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But, if you are the St. Mary's College of Maryland cross country team, how does a 24-hour running fundraiser sound?
To cross country head coach Tom Fisher, and other members of the team, a 24-hour run sounded just right.
The Seahawks, in conjunction with Southern Maryland Vacations for Vets, will sponsor a 24-hour relay run on the college's track to begin at 5 p.m. April 9 and end on April 10 at the same time.
"We were discussing fundraising opportunities because, unfortunately, our operating budget doesn't provide for all of the things that we would need," Fisher said. "Whether it would be warm-ups, T-shirts or even a postseason dinner for the team and parents, we were just brainstorming fundraising ideas for our program."
During that discussion held In August during the preseason of the Seahawks men's and women's inaugural season this past fall, the 24-hour run idea was originally mentioned by freshmen teammates Nick Pasko and Dan Swain, both of whom have had experience in the field of a 24-hour running event.
"My high school did something like this," Pasko said. "Dan and I both went to Calvert Hall, and a few years ago we did something like this. That is kind of where the idea came from. … I think initial thoughts were kind of mixed at first with the mention of the 24 hours, ideas tend to pop into your head."
"The problem with it in high school is that we didn't advertise for it that much," Swain added. "Here, in college, we have ads out and people sponsoring us and we are raising a bunch of money."
And although much of the team took to accepting the idea, a few had initial and slight reservations on the idea, including freshman women's runner Katie Phipps. However, after thought and consideration, Phipps has given the effort a second thought.
"I was actually unsure of how it would work out," Phipps admitted. "I didn't think we would have a lot of people sponsor us, but we have actually raised quite a bit of money thus far. … I am a little apprehensive about it, though, but we'll see how it goes."
As runners will not be on the track for the entire 24-hour time slot, rather run in intervals, there will be at least one cross country runner, coaches included, on the track for the entire 24-hour period.
"That experience in high school was a great time as it seemed like a sleepover with the entire team," Swain said. "We played music the entire time, hung out, and it was just a great time. Now, I am really looking forward to it with this team."
As the Seahawks are combining with Vacations for Vets in fundraising efforts, the two organizations will split all proceeds, with the cross country programs splitting the proceeds equally between the men's and women's programs.
Vacations for Vets, according to a press release on the St. Mary's cross country athletic Web site, is an organization attempting to move to the nonprofit status. Started in 2007, the organization's goal is to help provide wounded veterans a break from their respective Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area hospital stays.
Events in efforts to providing mental relief for the vets include, but are not limited to, cookouts at state parks, kayaking, fishing trips, and massages.
And as the St. Mary's cross country team enters only its second season ever later this fall, being a part of this team's inaugural season and initial fundraising efforts means a lot to each of the students.
Phipps said: "It means a lot to me. I ran cross country all four years in high school. When I found out that St. Mary's was going to have a team, I definitely looked forward to joining. … We can start this program that will hopefully last for a long time and generate support in the community."
For more information and to find a printable donation form, go to either the men's or women's cross country pages at www.smcathletics.com.
