14th annual Spiking Out comes with a twist

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Story by Kallie Fischer, Writer

Sigma Phi Epsilon will be hosting its 14th annual Spiking Out sand volleyball tournament on April 25 to raise money for the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Douglas County. Games will begin at 9 a.m. and continue until 7 p.m.

The fraternity has added a twist to the event for this year: There will be a professional barber shaving heads following the sand volleyball tournament to benefit the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a charity committed to finding cures for childhood cancer.

“Each member of the house agreed to either raise money or be a member who gets their head shaved,” sophomore Tyler Randall said. “You raise money and ask for donations and people can donate toward each participant shaving their head, and for the members not shaving their head they still raise money and can get donations in behalf of a fellow head-shaving brother.”

Freshman Gage Peters believes that shaving his head will be a great way for people to learn about the St. Baldrick’s Foundation.

“I chose to shave my head because we are raising money for cancer research, and (when people) ask me why, I will inform them about the foundation,” Peters said. “It’s a great way for people to get more information about this cause.”

Sophomore Kyle Fecteau is assisting the vice president of programming, sophomore Chad Phillips, in putting this event together.

Fecteau said that the men expect to raise $2,000 in shaving heads alone, plus an additional $2,000 for the tournament.

“I have full confidence we will raise more (than previous years) on both spectrums,” Fecteau said. “We are just under a month until Spiking Out and we are approaching $1,000 for Shave a SigEp already.”

Freshman Tyler Summers is looking forward to Spiking Out.

“I have not participated in this event before, but I will be participating enthusiastically,” Summers said. “I think this will be a great way to spread the word about the foundation. I will probably go for a very short buzz cut.”

Phillips is in first place at Sig Ep in raising the most funds. Fundraising is not limited to the fraternity members, though. Anyone can donate and everyone is encouraged to do so.

“First off, helping this cause is its own reward, and every time I look in the mirror and see my bald head I will know I did something that can help others in a way I never thought I could,” Randall said. “I have reached out to friends, family and fellow students here at Baker University, and the support has been tremendous.

Teams must pay an entry charge for Spiking Out, and the winners of the tournament will receive prizes ranging from gift cards to other items donated by local businesses.