The Falcon Report: Cup Crusaders ‘Pink the Rink’ Continues Success

Kathy Dirusso, director of the non-profit breast cancer awareness organization, the Cup Crusaders, certainly knows how to make an entrance. If one met with Dirusso, she would stick out from the crowd and become immediately noticeable. She's recognizable not by formal introductions, but because of her wild pink hair, pink vest, and pink sunglasses. If someone asks her about her eccentric outfit, they would learn that despite her pinked-out appearance, she has strong reservations about wearing pink.

"People that see me go, 'oh you got all your pink,' and I think inside my head I hate pink, because of the disease. I've lost people," Dirusso said.

As director of Cup Crusaders, Dirusso has been instrumental in making Pink the Rink happen, a day of hockey games that has made its home at the Wallace Civic Center for the past two seasons with the purpose of raising money to defeat breast cancer. Fitchburg State's hockey team, along with other local high school teams are showcased at the event where pink is always in full display. Fitchburg State wore customized pink uniforms. The ice itself was painted pink. There were booths to dye your hair pink, and pink t-shirts being sold in the main lobby of the facility. Fitchburg State's acapella group, Harmonic Velocity delivered the national anthem before the game which was played in front of a pinked out packed-house.

Dirusso explained the Cup Crusaders as, "a group of men and women who walk in the Susan G. Komen breast cancer walks." The money they raised at Pink the Rink goes directly to the Komen foundation. "Komen is number two only to the US government in raising money for research for a cure for breast cancer," Dirusso said.

A staple of hockey is the toughness of its players. Skaters take grueling checks, condition themselves in practice, and are willing to play with injuries. Breast cancer survivors mirror that same toughness and perseverance in dealing with the deadly disease and the treatment. Dirusso believes that those that support the breast cancer cause are themselves athletes.

"Half the girls on my team that are survivors, in my mind, are athletes because they walk sixty miles," she said.

The walk Dirusso refers to is the Susan G. Komen 3-Day, a walk that spans sixty miles. In 2017. San Diego, Dallas, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Seattle are just a few cities that will host a walk.

This was the second year that Cup Crusaders have partnered with Fitchburg State for Pink the Rink and Dirusso says that the partnership has been, "phenomenal."

Before working with Fitchburg State, the now defunct Worcester Sharks professional hockey team had worked with the Cup Crusaders. Dirusso said that when the team left Dean Fuller, Fitchburg State's winningest-hockey coach, pursued the event for his team.

"Dean Fuller came for it. He knew about the fact that the Sharks were leaving, and one of the girls on the breast cancer team, Tara Manzello (Associate Director of Admissions at Fitchburg State), I believed he approached her and asked, 'what are you doing now that the Sharks are leaving?' He said we'd like to try doing it at the school."

When asked if she and her team would like to continue the partnership with Fitchburg State, Dirusso seemed hopeful for the future saying, "If someone approached us and said, 'hey we want to do a baseball thing in October and we want to wear pink socks. Could you come and do a raffle, and we'd like to give the money to your team,' I'm there."

In the conversation with her, Dirusso proved that she is passionate about her cause and that she was enthusiastic and optimistic about working with Fitchburg State in the future. And with good reason given how successful the event was this year, raising an estimated $13,146 according to Dirusso, making it the second year in a row the Cup Crusaders eclipsed the $10,000 mark while holding the event at Fitchburg State University. The partnership between the school and organization have been able to raise a great amount of money for research to eliminate breast cancer and creating better lives for those with the disease. 

Hopefully, Fitchburg State and the Cup Crusaders continue to work together in this fruitful relationship.     

Release courtesy The Falcon Report – Conner Ghiz