Photo by Logan Jones

Student Life kicked off the spring semester with a pep rally Thursday, Jan. 15 to raise awareness for the Coaches vs. Cancer basketball game.

The event kicked of at 12:30 p.m. in the outdoor quad and featured appearances by women’s basketball head coach Richard Villegas and members of both the men and women’s teams.

The event aimed not only at welcoming students back to campus after winter break, but also at bringing them to the third annual Coaches vs. Cancer game against the district rival Contra Costa College Comets. In addition, event planners hoped to drum up support for the Mustangs throughout the rest of the season, and help celebrate the 40th anniversary of the opening of LMC in its inaugural 1974-75 academic year.

The pep rally began with Student Life Adviser Demetria Lawrence hosting a quiz show to get people to participate. Quiz takers got a chance to win gift cards to places such as Cold Stone Creamery and AMC Theaters by answering trivia about LMC correctly. The rounds of quizzes continued in between events at the rally.

Villegas took the microphone next, talking briefly about the upcoming game and introducing various members of both teams. Each one came out to a round of applause from students and professors alike.

The dance club gave a performance next, dancing to a mash-up of hit current and classic pop songs.

Villegas indicated that ticket sales go directly to the Men’s and Women’s Coaches Association to represent LMC. The coaches association pools money from each school’s Coaches vs. Cancer game and donates it as a lump sum to the American Cancer Society.

Lawrence met with Villegas early in the fall semester to begin planning the pep rallies.

“The idea is to raise school spirit for the athletic teams,” Lawrence said. “We chose two events to highlight — homecoming and Coaches vs. Cancer.”

The co-sponsored event took a lot of behind-the-scenes planning with volunteers required.