UREC hosts virtual Zoombathon
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Paulina Longoria | THE RIDER
University Recreation will host its annual Stronger Than Cancer Zumbathon for Breast Cancer Awareness Month from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday via Zoom, where the UTRGV community can dance, learn about self-examination and win prizes.
This year, “an estimated 276,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the U.S., as well as 48,530 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer,” according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation Inc. website.
Men can get breast cancer, too. The website states that “an estimated 2,620 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year in the U.S. and approximately 520 will die.”
Fay Kennan, the fitness and wellness coordinator for University Recreation, said every year the department hosts a breast cancer awareness event at its facility, but now it will be virtual.
“This year we’re gonna go virtual considering that we are dealing with COVID-19, and we don’t want anyone exposed and we want to follow protocols,” Kennan said.
In collaboration with Student Health Services, Health Education Coordinator Eddie Quintanilla will provide information about wellness at the beginning of the Zoombathon.
“We just want to tell the students that we have health services here for them,” Quintanilla said. “If they want to learn more about information on breast cancer, or they have any concerns, they can come to the [Health Services Clinic] and find out more about it to talk to a professional.”
He also said the event is an opportunity for him, as the only health education coordinator of the university, to invite students to go to the Health Services Clinic and find out about the services that they provide and how to reach out for help.
A short YouTube video will also be shown to make students aware of self-examinations to detect breast cancer.
Fitness Instructors Kusy Zarzosa, Jessica Maltos and Shelby Flores will conduct the Stronger Than Cancer Zoombathon.
Zarzosa said this is the first time the Zumbathon goes virtual.
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“It’s always a big event of the fall semester,” she said. “We usually have a big Zumbathon in the basketball court, but because of the pandemic and trying to keep everybody still active and still aware of October being for cancer awareness, the best we can promote … to our students is [to] continue doing this Zumbathon.”
Zarzosa said there will be a variety of music to dance to, which ranges from salsa, merengue and reggaeton to bachata and hip-hop.
“We have three instructors teaching that class, so each of us will bring their own style,” she said. “We will be motivating, like as if you guys were in the studio with us.”
Kennan said the Zoombathon is for all fitness levels.
“Anybody can join,” she said. “They do not have to have their camera on. They do not have to have the mic on. Only those that want to show off their fancy moves can keep their camera on during the session.”
She said it is not mandatory to stay the whole hour, but she recommends that attendees wait until the end of the event for a raffle.
At the end of the event, the names of the attendees will be entered in a drawing for up to 30 prizes, including T-shirts, towels, breast cancer awareness pins and more.
“It’s important for us to raise awareness because we are in the industry of wellness and fitness,” Kennan said. “It’s important for us to disseminate this information so that our students are aware of the demographics. … We have younger demographics, so it’s very important to get a screening early on.”Students can RSVP to the event on the University Recreation VLink. Click here to enter the meeting at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.
