UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – This past Sunday the Penn State track & field team hosted the sixth-annual "Fit for Fritz" event, a fundraiser for the Hope Lodge in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Fit for Fritz originally started out as the team's way of trying to raise money for a beloved coach who had been diagnosed with cancer in 2013. It has now become an annual event that raises money for the American Cancer Society. Fritz Spence, an assistant track & field coach, is honored that Penn State student-athletes continue this effort in his name.
"It means a lot to me that these student-athletes come together to raise money for a good cause. I know when I was sick, being at the Hope Lodge in Hershey, Pennsylvania, it was a comfort and it's free and they support you. Coming out of cancer, I wanted a final way to give back because they gave so much to me," Spence said.
The annual event, which is filled with games and activities, is held at the Indoor Multi-Sport Facility. Athletes who participate in the track & field program step up each year to help organize and promote the event and athletes who graduated still come back for support.
"Megan McCloskey paved the way for Maddie Holmberg to step into a role to run this event. A lot of my athletes came into the program not knowing what I went through but learn and I think that they did a great job communicating with the new class and that is how it continues to grow and stimulate the athletes," Spence said.
This year Fit for Fritz was able to raise over $12,000. McCloskey, a Penn State track & field alumna, came back this year to show her support for the event.
"It is always special being able to participate in Fit for Fritz. It is one of my favorite days of the year. I played a big part when I was a student athlete here. I'm glad I was able to come back up this weekend and still support our team, my friends, the American Cancer Society, and the Hope Lodge. I was involved for four years and I hope to stay involved for much longer," McCloskey said.
The event now features a dodgeball tournament, which manages to get many different Penn State teams involved.
"Every year it has gotten bigger and bigger and the dodgeball aspect of it makes it really exciting. My freshman year it was pretty small and we were just trying to raise money for Coach Spence, but now that it has grown to the point where we can get everyone else involved, we can start raising money to give back because Coach Spence is healthy now," McCloskey said.
McCloskey was happy to turn over the event to Maddie Holmberg, her friend and former teammate. They had been close friends at Penn State, having been on the same team for three years, and McCloskey was able to teach Holmberg the fundraising and planning ropes so that she could host the event.
Holmberg was glad that McCloskey returned to Penn State for the fundraiser.
"Megan is one of my best friends. In the past four years, she led this event. With her being a public relations major, she is so good at what she does and we have evolved. Having her here was just very comforting for me," Holmberg said.
Holmberg had the help of teammates Lauren Costa, Megan Fry and Olivia Giambra. They were able to assist in convincing different groups to join in on the fun.
"It is so heartwarming to see the other teams come out because it shows that we are really just one big team. It is nice to know that we know we have each other's backs. To see how each team supports one another, it is really cool and it gets super competitive because everyone is a division one athlete just playing a recreational game of dodgeball," Holmberg said.
"We are not asking people to empty their wallets," Holmberg said. "We are asking for effort so that people can raise awareness for this cause."