Today's high school bowling match between the Forestville Hornets and Silver Creek Black Knights is a rivalry contest between the league's top two teams.
However, the match will take a back seat to a cause much bigger than any sporting event.
Lucky Lanes will be the scene of Forestville's second annual "Strike Out Cancer" event. Proceeds are donated to Carly's Club, which works in conjunction with the Roswell Park Pediatric Cancer Unit.
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Pictured is an image of the T-shirts players from?Forestville and Silver Creek will wear today when they square off at Lucky Lanes in high school bowling action.
"We strive for community involvement and community service," Forestville coach Todd Langworthy said. "We want to turn out good bowlers, but more importantly we want to turn out good citizens. It's an important part of what we do."
Last year, the event raised more than $1,400, which was presented to a Carly's Club representative at the team's end of the year party. This year, the goal is to be able to donate more than $2,000.
"I don't think there's any doubt we'll do at least what we did last year," Langworthy added. "Whatever the dollar amount is, Carly's Club is thrilled to get a donation. That's money they spend to make the lives of these kids better."
The donation is collected in a variety of ways. At the event, there will be theme basket raffles, a 50/50 drawing and a Ebonite bowling ball raffle. The participating bowlers also collected donations in memory of loved ones who lost the fight with cancer. Those names are all listed in the event's souvenir program along with team pictures, rosters, information on Carly's Club and a list of sponsors.
Lastly, both teams will be wearing the same event T-shirt. The shirts have the event's sponsors listed on the back and give the feel that both Forestville and Silver Creek are on the same team - at least for one night.
"It brings them together for a cause that's bigger than the match," Langworthy said of the shared uniforms. "It's a really nice way to promote sportsmanship among teams that are rivals."
Make no mistake, these teams are rivals. Both the Silver Creek boys' and girls' teams are in first place with Forestville nipping at their heels. The Hornets are a mere one game back while the Lady Hornets sit just three games behind in the standings.
"Once the match starts," Langworthy commented. "the kids go into match mode. They realize that it's down to business."
Langworthy planned the perfect day for this year's event. Lucky Lanes is also the site of a Dunkirk-Fredonia bowling match today, which should essentially give four teams - along with their friends and family - the opportunity to join in the battle against cancer.
"Last year we were very successful," Langworthy concluded. "We're looking to do a lot of the same stuff. We plan on doing this every year."
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