BAINBRIDGE – 2016 marks the first of a hopeful many years that Bainbridge-Guilford school district can say they have hosted a breast cancer awareness tournament for local modified athletes, thanks to the hard work of many in the community including varsity head coach Tami Selfridge.
With Breast Cancer Awareness Month beginning this coming Saturday, Oct. 1, and continuing until Oct. 31, the modified volleyball tournament held on Saturday, Sept. 24, helped to truly kicked off this coming month of awareness.
This past Saturday, six area teams Bainbridge-Guilford, Harpursville-Afton, Deposit-Hancock, Delhi, Chenango Valley and Unadilla Valley; each gathered their modified volleyball programs into the Bobcats gym for a daylong tournament.
The purpose for the tournament in 2016 was to honor Kathy Knudsen who has given 46 years to the sport of volleyball and has a personal fight against Breast Cancer.
“Years ago, Mrs. Knudsen coached modified volleyball at B-G for eight years. She says she just loves that age. In addition to that, she has been officiating volleyball for 46 consecutive years. After last year’s season, Mrs. Knudsen was diagnosed with breast cancer. Thankfully she was honored yesterday (Saturday, Sept. 24) as a survivor. She has plans to officiate for years to come, thanks to cancer research and curability,” said coach Selfridge who has taken the reigns of this tournament.
Officiating at Saturday's tournament, was the Bobcat varsity team while many of the junior varsity squad assisted with organization, set up, and food services.
“I could not be happier with the event. My B-G varsity and junior varsity girls officiated all matches, kept score, sold t-shirts and helped at the concession stand throughout the day. Their commitment and hard work enabled this success. For me it wasn't about the wins and loses, it was about lots of court time.  Because many schools in the area have had to drop their modified programs due to lack of interest, funds or coaches, the number of contests modified teams play in a season is limited. This event helps to make up for that,” said coach Selfridge.
As the goal of the tournament was to raise awareness while promoting the sport of volleyball and the preservation of modified programs, there was however a winner named following the many match-ups. Deposit- Hancock would finish in second place while host team Bainbridge-Guilford claimed the first ever Knudsen Modified Volleyball Tournament as their own.
“While winning was not the emphasis of the event, there should always be a desire to excel above the competition,” said coach Selfridge before extending her congratulations and thanks to all teams and people involved. “And to honor a local official, recognizing not only her years of service to the sport but also her recent battle with Breast Cancer make this something more personal. For me, having lost a sister to this same disease, I wanted to celebrate Mrs. Knudsen's win. I also want all these female athletes to understand that this disease touches many each year. Education of the masses coupled with continued research and development of new treatments and cures is how we all win. I for one am excited to start planning next year's event.
For now, coach Selfridge will have to return to coaching her 8-0 undefeated varsity squad, but in the long-run, a return to the modified scene to continue the message of Breast Cancer awareness seems inevitable.
“It ran smoothly and everyone seemed to have a great time. I anticipate keeping the event running annually as long as I can,” said coach Selfridge.