RVHS and CHS joining forces for Swim for Cure
WARSAW – The River View and Coshocton high school swim teams are going to start out their season by whiting out Melanoma.
“We are going to be one big community in the stands,” said Kristina King, River View’s coach.
She is organizing a Swim for Cure for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29 when the Black Bears open their season against the Redskins at Coshocton’s pool, which River View also uses as its home facility. The event will be in honor of River View’s Mike Burr, who is battling Melanoma.
“He’s our head varsity soccer coach, assistant varsity baseball coach, is a retired River View teacher and is just a big part of River View,” King said. “I’ve also worked closely with him as the athletic RN.”
Both schools have been selling white t-shirts in honor of Burr that say Swim for Cure or Cure for Burr and gathered prizes for raffles to be held the night of their meet, where there also will be a 50/50 drawing.
“I wanted the community to come together on this,” King said. “We are rivals, but friendly rivals. Most of these kids swim together with Rising Tide. They are teammates seven to eight months out of the year and only swim against each other three to four months.”
River View swimmers also have gotten behind the Burr family by selling Fight Like Mike bracelets in black, the ribbon color for Melanoma, and lanyards in blue because that is Burr’s favorite color.
“The kids have been awesome selling items and going out to businesses to get donations,” King said. “They have worked their tails off.”
Proceeds from all the fundraisers will got to the Burr family and their Relay For Life team.
“They are a very humble family and I know they have done Relay For Life for years,” King said.
She talks to Burr weekly and says he is doing really well.
“He had his surgery and is resting while they figure out what treatment they are going to do from here,” King said.
At the Nov. 29 meet, both teams will wear special caps for Burr. Coshocton’s will be red and River View’s will be gold and they will both have the black Melanoma ribbon on them.
“We do a lot in October for Breast Cancer and this is something different to help someone local and raise awareness,” King said. “It’s going to be awesome.”
Category: High School, Sports
