Issue link: http://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25120
BBe, then, is a matter of survival. For Kathleen Gasperini, Launched in memory of Monica Steward, a prominent snowboard industry insider who was diagnosed with breast cancer at 26 and died a year later, Boarding for Breast cancer (BBC) is an all-day boarding jamboree with big-air and half-pipe exhibitions and concerts by the likes of Luscious Jackson, the Beastie Boys, Primus and the Foo Fighters. In the words of Igna Muscio, music editor of WIG (Women in General) magazine, the event is more than cool and hip; organizers present information about breast cancer without being preachy or annoying. Let's look at some of the statistics. Breast cancer in North America is a bad situation getting worse. Every 11 minutes, the disease claims another woman's life. This year, 182,000 women will discover they have the disease. The risk of breast cancer has more than doubled in the past thirty years and, for women between 30 and 34, the incidence rate has more than tripled since 1973. WIG magazine co-founder, and snowboarders such as Tina Basich and Shannon Dunn, starting the event was a deeply personal affair involving the death of a close friend. Their efforts have paid off: In the past three years BBC has rounded up more than $237,000 to fight breast cancer, with proceeds going to the Breast Cancer Fund and the Susan G. Komen foundation-two organizations dedicated to detecting, treating and curing breast cancer through cutting-edge research and educational programs. The causes of breast cancer are still not clear but they are believed to be a combination of environmental and lifestyle factors, including diet and exercise. If last year's sun-drenched affair is any indication, April 17th will always be remembered as a day when the love of breasts and, consequently, the love of life, is in the air. -Michael Cervieri I THE 4TH ANNUAL BBC SNOWBOARD AND MUSIC FESTIVAL WILL BE HELD ON APRIL 17. 1999 AT SIERRA-AT-TAHOE. FCiR TICKET INFORMATION GO TO WWW.TWSNOW.COM/BBC. FOR MORE INFORMATION BREAST CANCER SEE WWW.BREASTCANCERFUND.ORG PHOTOGRAPHY, MICHAEL CERVIERI