Last fall, 171 teams signed up to play in a giant, single elimination volleyball tournament at Western Illinois University. That was a big number compared to the original six teams that competed in the first Big Pink Volleyball tournament in April of 2002.
Three resident assistants originally got the idea for Big Pink Volleyball when they were given a presentation by campus recreation. To hold their attention, the presenters had students hit around this big pink ball, known as the Ken Ball.
“Those three RA’s said to their complex director they should do something with that game. So, of course, in higher education, we formed a committee and we had this event called Big Pink Volleyball. And we charged $5 and we gave the money to the Susan G. Komen Peoria affiliate in Illinois,” explained Judy Yeast, the associate director of campus recreation.
A year later, they moved the tournament to October, national Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Celebrating their 15th tournament this year between October 26 – 29, Yeast said the reason it has been so successful all these years is because of the students who form the committee each year.
Those students, either those who were a part of the committee, participated, or a part of the resident halls, have expanded the tournament’s reach. It is now played at 27 colleges or universities across the country and in Canada.
Yeast explained that students who have graduated from WIU have presented the tournament at national conferences or to other colleges and university’s they have gone to for further education or a job. Now, the Big Pink Volleyball Tournament has a national website, started by former WIU student Courtney James, and includes a Starter Kit for universities wanting to offer the game at their school.
The tournament lasts three days, starts at 4 p.m. and will go until 11 p.m., as teams get out by single elimination. Teams are broken up into five brackets and the last day, there will be one winner.
It is $5 per person to join the tournament, which is how much students had to pay in April 2002. But the money is now split between the Susan G. Komen affiliate in Peoria, Illinois and a local hospital that has a fund for mammogram and other cancer screening assistance. Yeast believes the fact that a portion of the money stays local adds to employees wanting to compete.
“Here at Western Illinois University, we have higher values in higher education,” added Yeast. “And one of the values is educational opportunity. It fits in with that value. Another value is social responsibility. It fits in with that value very well. Another one is personal growth. So we are meeting three of the four values within the university just by doing this activity.”
As for herself, Yeast said she gets excited to work with colleagues across the division of student services as well as students she would not otherwise have the opportunity to meet.
