Extra Effort: IVC’s Lizzy Short coming up big with cancer awareness track meet

CHILLICOTHE, Ill. (WMBD/WYZZ) — She’s an honor roll student taking college-level classes.

And multi-sport athlete Lizzy Short is enjoying every minute of her final year at IVC High School.

“It has definitely been a good senior year, one of the best years I’ve had,” said Short. “I’m definitely exited to go to college but I’m savoring every moment of my senior year.”

It’s also been an emotional year. This fall, Short signed to play college volleyball at the University of Indianapolis.

But one of her biggest fans, her 72-year-old grandmother Debbie, wasn’t there for the signing. She had just died of breast cancer.

“I decided I was going to do something. I really wanted to do something during volleyball season but I didn’t have the chance,” said Short. “I thought about this for a while and I wanted to do something to honor her during track season.”

So Short, who competes in the discus and shot put for IVC, came up with the idea of “Pink the Track” night. She has planned bake sales and raffles at the meet to raise money for the fight against breast cancer.

She also created shirts that with “together we fight” on them. Short also lined up sponsors for the meet.

“To be honest with you, this is year 25 for me (in coaching). We’ve never had a kid do that,” said IVC girls track coach Matt Russell. “We’ve had lots of great kids, but she’s the first to do something like this. We let her run with it. It’s been 100 percent her. Neat to watch.”

The meet was scheduled for April 2 but was rained out. But her sponsors, Faraway, Tanners Orchard, High Five, Stems by Allison and Nat’s Place, are sticking with Short as she’ rescheduled the “Pink the Track” meet for April 8.

It’s a frosh-soph meet, so she won’t compete but she may be able to better oversee the event now. And she hopes it’s leas to other track meets in the future that can serve as fundraisers for organizations like the Susa B. Komen Foundation.

“I hope other (students) will continue it. I have the building blocks for them,” said Short. “I hope people do continue it because it’s for a good cause.”

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