The start of the high school basketball season at Knoxville High School means fundraising for Coaches vs. Cancer is beginning in earnest; and this year, the organizers are taking a different approach in raising funds all season long.
A new game has been added for bringing in money for Coaches vs. Cancer; the Chuck-a-Duck contest allows fans at every game this season to buy rubber ducks — in pink to represent cancer research, instead of the traditional yellow.
At halftime, spectators will be invited to throw their duck at a target in the middle of the court, with the one landing closest winning a prize. The first game was held at Tuesday night’s basketball game, and the winner got a direct hit on the target.
Knoxville High girls basketball coach Jim Uitermarkt tells KNIA/KRLS News they wanted to do something different, which would extend beyond the Coaches vs. Cancer game.
“If somebody’s selling a card, I don’t want to sell a card; if somebody’s selling cookie dough, I don’t want to sell cookie dough,” Uitermarkt says. “When that was kind of a success with Coaches vs. Cancer, we just decided we’d turn it into a fundraiser for our basketball team every night.”
The sales will continue all season long; the annual Coaches vs. Cancer game night will be on Saturday, January 19th.