Ty the Titan shoots some hoops with some of the younger fans during halftime at Jam te Gym on Jan 21 (photo by Eugene Johnson)
What a night!
The fifth annual Jam the Gym, hosted by the Lane Community College athletic department on Jan. 21, has been a success every year, according to Athletic Director and women’s basketball coach Greg Sheley.
“Like the past couple years, we once again had a great turnout and were able to fill up three barrels worth of food,” Sheley said
Last year’s Jam the Gym event raised 430 pounds of nonperishable food, which was a mark that Brent Ellison, Lane’s recreational club sports and special events coordinator, was hoping to surpass this year.
Ellison’s wishes came true when he received a phone call from FOOD for Lane County, which reported that Jam the Gym raised 523 pounds, almost 100 pounds more than last year.
“That’s great,” Ellison said. “It’s awesome knowing we passed our goal of last year and hopefully next year we can continue to improve some more.”
The night turned into a great spectacle for everyone at the event.
The fans also got to see a thrilling women’s game, in which the Titans came out on top, 71-68, over rival Clackamas Cougars. They were treated to raffles and prize drawings, including a free-throw shooting contest for two lucky fans.
“John Scholl (head cross-country coach) did a great job putting all the activities together and running them for the night,” Sheley said. “I think all the fans, especially the kids, enjoyed that.”
In a partnership with Bi-Mart and FOOD for Lane County, the Titans asked all fans to bring nonperishable food items to put in barrels as they entered the gym. Fans who made a donation were granted free entrance and could participate in the activities.
Among the other listed activities available to all fans were opportunities to meet Ty the Titan, the college mascot, and several student-athletes from all sports at Lane. Also, the first 500 fans in attendance received free Jam the Gym T-shirts, courtesy of Bi-Mart.
Out of the estimated 800 people in attendance there were many student-athletes representing their respective teams and having fun.
“Jam the Gym is always a fun experience,” sophomore soccer player Kiki McDonagh said. “It gives us athletes time to get together and support each other while also helping out a charity.”
The entire baseball team showed up to support the basketball teams, as did most of the women’s soccer team. Also getting into the Titan spirit was the track and cross-country teams, as they helped work the front entrance and pass out T-shirts.
“It was great to see them out there supporting the cause,” Sheley said. “I’m sure they brought some cans, got a shirt and had a great time, so it was nice to see.”
This is the second benefit that Lane Athletics has held. On Oct. 26, the women’s soccer team supported breast cancer research, donning pink uniforms, giving out T-shirts to the first 200 spectators and accepting donations.
“We try to pick out one time each term to get everybody to come out and support whatever it is we have going on,” Sheley said. “We’ve done it with soccer, just did it for basketball, and now we have to figure out what to do for track and baseball.”
