The ninth annual #SmashCancer girls’ tennis match between Delta HS and Yorktown HS teams was held in May 2021 at the Delta courts.
(The 2020 SmashCancer match was cancelled by the Covid pandemic)
Details:
Apparel sales: Available throughout April at Delta and Yorktown schools. Multiple colors of shirts, hats, visors, and other apparel items were available to represent various forms of cancer. 100% of profits go to our beneficiaries.
Server Survivors: Prior to the match, honorary first serves will be hit by current cancer patients and other cancer survivors. Contact any Delta or Yorktown tennis team member to be added to the list. No tennis experience needed.
Corporate Signs: Businesses can support SmashCancer with a corporate sign, which hangs at the courts prior to and during SmashCancer
Beneficiaries: Previous beneficiaries for SmashCancer include the Cancer Center at IU Health Ball Hospital, the Little Red Door Cancer Services of East Central Indiana, and the American Cancer Society Relay for Life program. In addition, money has been donated to the families of Albany Elementary cancer patients Christian Daugherty and Emeri Barger and to childhood cancer research organization Alex’s Lemonade Stand in honor of Delta HS brain cancer survivor Amanda Kirby. As of June 2021, more than $56,000 has been donated to those groups since SmashCancer began in 2012.
Team Dinner: Annually, the Cancer Center at IU Health Ball will host the Delta and Yorktown teams in a free pasta dinner at the hospital. The team members receive tours of the cancer center, hear guest speakers, and make crafts for cancer patients. In addition, team members and parents sort through the shirts and bag the orders in preparation for distribution at the match.
Coaches: Delta Coach Tim Cleland and Yorktown Coach Bob Darby
Summary of History of SmashCancer:
The #SmashCancer concept began on May 9, 2012, when Delta hosted Yorktown in a girls’ tennis match. On the court that night, the Eagles beat the Tigers 4-1 varsity and 12-7 JV. Off the court, the two rivals combined to raise more than $1,100 for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life program.
All 90+ team members from both rival schools wore special #SmashCancer T-shirts with multiple colors representing a wide range of cancers. Altogether, about 300 shirts were sold to players, students and fans. The match attracted the largest crowd at a DHS home tennis match in recent memory.
In a ceremony prior to the match, several cancer survivors and family members hit out “honorary first serves.” Breast cancer survivor Beth Parris (whose sons Aaron and Isaac played tennis at DHS); bone cancer survivor Rob Robbins (whose sons Rob and Kelly played tennis at DHS); sarcoma survivor Katy Vasalakis (who was the top player for Yorktown); and John Thomas Devine, grandson of Delta teacher Tom Devine (who passed away from colon cancer in January 2012) hit the honorary first serves.
In February 2013, Coach Tim Cleland from Delta, Coach Jini Morgan from Yorktown, and several Delta players made a presentation on #SmashCancer to 150 high school coaches at the State Tennis Convention in Indianapolis.
In Spring 2013 and Fall 2013, approximately 20 #SmashCancer matches were played throughout the state, raising an estimated $35,000 for the fight against cancer.
The Delta-Yorktown match in May 2013 was dubbed #SmashCancer 2.0 “Putting the Rivalry Aside.” The teams combined to sell more than 900 T-shirts and raised more than $4,000 for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life program. Delta won the varsity match 5-0 while Yorktown won the JV match 12-6.
In addition to multi-colored shirts and “server survivors” hitting out first serves, there was a white balloon release, concessions sold, special multi-colored wristbands, and homemade signs carried by each player to honor a cancer victim or cancer survivor.
#SmashCancer 3.0 was hosted by Delta in Spring 2014. The teams sold 1,137 t-shirts and raised almost $4,500 for the Cancer Center at IU Health Ball, the American Cancer Society Relay for Life program, and the Little Red Door Cancer Services of East Central Indiana.
#SmashCancer 4.0 was hosted by Yorktown in Spring 2015. The teams sold 1,174 t-shirts, which included a tie-dye option for the first time. They raised almost $4,800 for the Cancer Center at IU Health Ball, the American Cancer Society Relay for Life program, and the Little Red Door Cancer Services of East Central Indiana.
#SmashCancer 5.0 was hosted by Delta in Spring 2016. The teams increased their record to 1,181 items of apparel, which included dri-fit short sleeve and cotton long sleeve t-shirts, tie-dye shirts, and sweatshirts in multiple colors. The teams also sold corporate signage. The Eagles and Tigers raised almost $5,500 for the Cancer Center at IU Health Ball, the American Cancer Society Relay for Life program, and the Little Red Door Cancer Services of East Central Indiana.
#SmashCancer 6.0 was hosted by Yorktown in Spring 2017. The teams sold 740 items of apparel, which included dri-fit short sleeve and cotton long sleeve t-shirts, tie-dye shirts, and sweatshirts in multiple colors. The teams also increased their total of corporate signage and sold concessions. The Eagles and Tigers raised almost $6,000 for the Cancer Center at IU Health Ball, the American Cancer Society Relay for Life program, and the Little Red Door Cancer Services of East Central Indiana.
#SmashCancer 7.0 was hosted by Delta in Spring 2018. The teams sold 774 items of apparel, which included cotton short sleeve and cotton long sleeve t-shirts, tie-dye shirts, sweatshirts, 3/4 baseball tees, and hats in multiple colors. The teams also increased their total of corporate signage and sold concessions. The Eagles and Tigers raised almost $7,400 for the Cancer Center at IU Health Ball, the American Cancer Society Relay for Life program, and the Little Red Door Cancer Services of East Central Indiana as well as the family of Christian Daugherty (Albany Elementary student) and Alex’s Lemonade Stand for childhood cancer research funding in honor of Amanda Kirby (Delta HS student).
#SmashCancer 8.0 was hosted by Yorktown in Spring 2019. The teams sold 804 items of apparel, which included dri-fit short sleeve and cotton long sleeve t-shirts, short-sleeve tie-dye shirts, 3/4 baseball tees, and hats in multiple colors. The teams also increased their total of corporate signage and sold concessions. The Eagles and Tigers raised over $8,000 for the Cancer Center at IU Health Ball, the American Cancer Society Relay for Life program, and the Little Red Door Cancer Services of East Central Indiana as well as the families of Christian Daugherty (Albany Elementary student), Emeri Barger (Albany Elementary student), and Alex’s Lemonade Stand for childhood cancer research funding in honor of Amanda Kirby (Delta HS student).
#SmashCancer 9.0 was cancelled by the Covid-19 Pandemic in the spring of 2020.
#SmashCancer 9.0 was hosted by Delta in Spring 2021. The teams sold more than 950 items of apparel via an online store. Apparel included dri-fit short sleeve and cotton long sleeve t-shirts, crewneck sweatshirts, visors and hats in multiple colors. The teams also increased its total of corporate signage (77 signs sold). The teams also sold SmashCancer keychains and bracelets. Due to Covid-19 protocols, there were no concessions. The Eagles and Tigers raised over $15,000 for the Cancer Center at IU Health Ball, the American Cancer Society Relay for Life program, and the Little Red Door Cancer Services of East Central Indiana as well as the families of Aubree Seals (Delta HS student whose father battled Stage 4 Cancer), and the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation in honor of Delcom Supt. Reece Mann, who also was a Server Survivor.
So far, the nine-year total of funds raised by Delta and Yorktown tennis for local cancer organizations is just more than $56,000.
Statewide, more than $250,000 has now been raised through SmashCancer matches in many different communities.