Cougars, Coach Carry Fight Against Breast Cancer

Throughout the month of October, almost 1,000 high school and college volleyball teams will host Dig Pink events to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer research. But only which will host its Dig Pink event this Thursday night, can count the originator of Dig Pink among its coaching staff.

Oakton freshman volleyball coach Rick Dunetz is the founder, executive director and CEO of the Side-Out Foundation. The foundation draws its name from the volleyball term for winning a point when the other team has served, thereby gaining the ball and control, and aims to tackle cancer—particularly breast cancer—by directing funds to support groups and also medical research.

Dig Pink events, which take place across the country during October's breast cancer awareness month, are one way the foundation raises those funds.

Although Dig Pink events started on a smaller scale at grass doubles tournaments, Dunetz and his foundation saw an opportunity for more and things have taken off since.

"The first year we did it, we had 800 teams participate nationally and we raised $450,000," Dunetz said. "And then last year we raised $1.5 million, so it's growing exponentially every year."

This year appears hardly different. Though only midway through October, 962 schools are registered on the Side-Out Foundation's website to host Dig Pink events at the time of this writing, with more than $125,000 raised already.

For their part, Dunetz's Cougars have already raised almost $6,000 toward their $8,000 goal.

But the Dig Pink night that Oakton will host Thursday is not merely a fundraiser, but an event.

At last year's Dig Pink night, for example, the Cougars defeated district rival Centreville in a fifth set tie-breaker for their first Concorde District victory in three years. Oakton (8-5 overall, 0-1 Concorde District) won't be taking on a district foe this time around, instead facing Washington-Lee, but Oakton head coach Steve Drumm is confident his squad will be pumped.

"We usually pack the gym for that night," Drumm said. "It's just an electric night. It should be just a great match."

And as Dunetz explained, "[A]ll these events are great. I mean, that's the unique thing about what we're doing, that each team that hosts an event at their school, they can make it whatever they want it to be."

For the Cougars, much of what will be special this year comes down to Dunetz, now in his second year heading Oakton's freshman squad.

As he always does, Dunetz will put on a musical performance, this year including what he describes as "a little bit of a tribute to our players and their parents."

The Cougars always makes sure their event is one of the premier events across the country because Dunetz is the creator of Dig Pink and Side-Out Foundation, Drumm said.

"[W]e're doing a great job of fundraising ... for breast cancer research and awareness and so, it's just going to be an amazing night," Drumm said.

But this year's event at Oakton will take on another dimension because it marks the passing of the one of the inspirations for the Side-Out Foundation.

Dunetz established the foundation in 2004 after his mother, Gloria, was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time, and she passed away Aug. 20 of this year, just as the volleyball season was getting under way.

"The week that my Mom was struggling, one of the only refuges for me was on the volleyball court with my team," Dunetz said. "My team is goofy, they're fun, they're joyful, it was tremendous for me to be able to go to practice and do that."

But Dunetz is unsure how he will feel Thursday.

"The whole mourning process, it's a new thing for me. I'm not really sure how I'm handling it," he said.

He added, "We'll see how it goes. Right now, you know, I'm kind of reserved, but maybe Thursday, I'll put out the tissues a little bit. We'll see."

As much as Dunetz describes the Side-Out Foundation as his mother's legacy, it bears the influence of his time spent as the varsity volleyball coach at West Springfield High School.

Dunetz took over that program in the middle of the 2004 season when the prior coach resigned. It was at that time that Gloria Dunetz was diagnosed with cancer.

Rather than fold, Dunetz and his team rallied around each other. As Dunetz recalled, "That team basically pummeled everybody" on its way to a first district title in school history.

That West Springfield team helped convince Dunetz to start the Side-Out Foundation.

"It was that season that made me think that these kids can have an impact on people by hosting events themselves and seeing if they can inspire people. They inspired my mother to fight, and I think these kids, we can inspire people all over the country," Dunetz said.

Dunetz brought that fight back to West Springfield when he returned for their Dig Pink event Tuesday night. Prior to the night's varsity match, he presented Shawn Schutzmeister, a breast cancer survivor and parent of one of the West Springfield players, with a pair of pink boxing gloves that had hung in Gloria Dunetz's room.

It's not lights out for cancer just yet, but the Oakton Cougars will step into the ring to take their swing Thursday night.

Oakton will host Washington and Lee at 7:15 p.m. Thursday.