Alabama
Florida
Alabama Gymnastics Hosts 13th Annual Power of Pink Meet Friday
2/1/2017 4:35:00 PM | Gymnastics
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – On Friday, when No. 6 Alabama gymnastics faces No. 3 Florida in the Crimson Tide's fourth top-10 competition of the season, Coleman Coliseum will filled with pink instead of the traditional crimson and white.
That's because Friday is also Alabama's 13th annual Power of Pink meet, designated to help raise awareness in the fight against breast cancer. Both teams will set aside their traditional colors and wear pink leotards for the meet.
Tickets to the meet are available through the Alabama Ticket Office (205.348.2262) located in the lobby of Coleman Coliseum and online at RollTide.com.
Friday's meet between Alabama and Florida is the Crimson Tide's 25th "pink meet" overall. It also marks the second time the Tide has compete in pink against Florida. Overall, Alabama has competed against 12 different teams in pink meets.
The initiative started by former Alabama head coach Sarah Patterson in 2004 expanded to include all Alabama women's sports in 2009. Starting in Coleman Coliseum, pink meets have spread across the nation in the years since.
Patterson said at the time of the Power of Pink's inception - "I?realize that I am very lucky, not only to be healthy, but also that I have access to excellent medical care. Not everyone is so fortunate, and I wanted to do something that would help those who need it most."
Patterson picked the Alabama-Auburn meet on Feb. 4, 2005 as the first Power of Pink meet, and asked everyone to mark the date and to "Think Pink, Wear Pink." Since that first meet, the numbers have been staggering.
Over the past dozen years more than 175,000 fans have filled Coleman Coliseum with pink for the annual gymnastics events, including a standing-room only crowd of 15,162 against Florida in 2006, which is an Alabama and Southeastern Conference record. The Power of Pink gymnastics meets have also drawn matching sell-outs of 15,075 in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014.
For the eighth year in a row, this year's crowd will include approximately 20 breast cancer survivors from the West Alabama area who will be introduced in the spotlight in conjunction with the gymnasts prior to the meet.
Another Power of Pink tradition that continues this year as the Coliseum along with several campus and Tuscaloosa landmarks will be lit in pink. For the seventh year in a row, UA professor Craig Wedderspoon along with Assistant Vice President for Facilities and Grounds Operations Duane Lamb and his staff are working to turn the Tuscaloosa sky pink. This year's pink installations include the Sarah Patterson Champions Plaza, the River Walk, the Lewis and Faye Manderson Cancer Center at DCH Regional Medical Center, the Kentuck Museum, Tuscaloosa City Hall, Dinah Washington Cultural Center and the Capstone College of Nursing among a host of other sites.
For the latest information on Alabama gymnastics, follow BamaGymnastics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and head coach Dana Duckworth on Twitter and Instagram at @UACoachDana.
