Wolverine Athlete Spotlight: Game for Change Edition
4/2/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
April 2, 2015
In this special edition of Wolverine Athlete Spotlight, MGoBlue.com caught up with three members of the women's lacrosse team who have been instrumental in the planning of Sunday's (April 5) Michigan Lacrosse Game for Change "United Against Relationship Violence." Sophomores Sophie duPhily, Tess Korten and Lauren Pryor will give an inside look at what the event means to them and the impact they hope to make.
» Release: Michigan to Hold First Game for Change at Sunday's Doubleheader
 | Sophie duPhily Sophomore Chadds Ford, Pa. |
On how they first game up with the idea of the Game for Change ... "It all started with the One Love Foundation. We saw the progress that the Foundation was making within the lacrosse community and we wanted to be a part of it. Everyone on the team remembers hearing Yeardley Love's tragic story when we were in high school, so when different college teams started promoting One Love we wanted to join the cause and take it one step further by collaborating with the men's lacrosse team."
On using their platform as U-M student-athletes to bring awareness relationship violence ... "Not only is it awesome to get Michigan Lacrosse involved with One Love, but it is also very important to us to promote awareness for the overall issue of relationship violence on campus. This is something that is very relevant to people our age, and in our opinion, there is a lack of information provided about this issue on college campuses. I think what makes this event so special is that it involves both male and female student-athletes joining together to show that this is not a one-sided gender issue. We want to take advantage of every opportunity that we can as student-athletes to encourage people in difficult situations to seek help."
 | Tess Korten Sophomore Glen Head, N.Y. |
On the goal of the Game for Change ... "The goal for the Game for Change event this Sunday is to raise awareness around the prevalent issue of relationship violence. For such a large University, this issue is not spoken about nearly enough so we decided we needed to create the change. The first step in creating awareness is to start a conversation around the issue and that is what we will be doing on Sunday. When encouraging people to #Be1For Change, we are hoping that more and more individuals will feel confident enough to take initiative when noticing signs of relationship violence either in their own relationship or in their peers. In the upcoming seasons, we would like to continue this event so that we can continue raising awareness and changing the statistics on relationship violence."
On Sunday's doubleheader event ... "On Sunday afternoon there is the last doubleheader of the season with the men's team playing at noon and the women's team playing at 3 p.m. in the Big House. This is a great opportunity to support not only the Michigan lacrosse program, since both teams will be playing, but to also support the cause we are promoting. We would like Michigan students and fans to take a stand against this issue, and by coming to the games, you will be taking the pledge to #Be1ForChange and showing your support!"
 | Lauren Pryor Sophomore Darien, Conn. |
On all teams involved wearing identical T-shirts during warmups on Sunday ... "All too often, women feel victimized and men feel like the accused in society regarding issues of relationship violence. Both the Michigan men's and women's teams are wearing One Love warmup shirts to signify that the bigger issue of relationship violence is a non-gender issue. We feel that to make an impact it is necessary to have both men and women involved, and united on the issue. In addition, all four teams are wearing the warmup shirts to signify that the issue of domestic violence is bigger than the game of lacrosse."
On the importance of community service ... "Community service is important to me because as a student-athlete at the University of Michigan, I feel so fortunate to have some of the best resources and facilities in the country. The Michigan men's and women's lacrosse teams are proud to give back to the community that enables us to do so much. Being student-athletes enables us to have a unique platform to inspire and create change on this issue that is all too prevalent on college campuses."
• Previous Spotlight: Jess Angerman
