The athletes will go bald with several other members of the Colorado Springs community tonight, Friday, April 6 at Armstrong Hall on the Colorado College campus. The weightlifters have scheduled their head shavings for approximately 7:00 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time. They will travel to the Colorado College campus following the conclusion of their practice session at the Olympic Training Center.

Helping in the fight against cancer has special meaning for the weightlifters as two are cancer survivors themselves. Schluender has battled testicular cancer and Ernst is a survivor of melanoma.

“Five years ago I had cancer and was very fortunate not to have to have chemo,” said Schluender. “I had surgery and had to have x-rays every month for an entire year and then once every two months. Looking back at that experience, anything I can do to help out in the fight against cancer and especially to help the kids that have the condition, I am happy to do.”

Kyle Ernst added
“I was diagnosed with melanoma – stage three in December of 2005. I was kind of lucky because with the treatment for melanoma you don’t lose your hair. The symptoms are flu-like and for an entire year I felt like I had the flu. I’ve put cancer behind me so, if I can be a bit of an inspiration to others to show that cancer is a disease that is definitely beatable.”

Zach Krych has not been personally affected by cancer, but is proud to be able to support the cause.

“I had my hair shaved last year for St. Baldrick’s. When I have the opportunity to do something like this to help out, I don’t even think twice.”

Those interested in donating to this worthy cause can do so in the name of these five athletes by visiting the following website:

Website: www.stbaldricks.org

Team Name: USOTC Weightlifting
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado 80909
Venue Name: Armstrong Hall

A group photo of the five weightlifters (pre-shave) is available for download at www.usocpressbox.org.

Front Row: left to right - Norik Vardanian (white shirt) and Zach Krych (red shirt)
Back Row: left to right - Kyle Ernst, Zach Schluender and Matt Devine

The five athletes will be available for interviews at the event. Directions to the event are available at www.usocpressbox.org. Dave Zumbrennen of the USOC Media and Public Relations Division will be at the event and will help to coordinate interview requests for the weightlifters.

About the St. Baldrick's Foundation
Since its inception in 2000, St. Baldrick’s has raised more than $20 million for the cause! Worldwide, 160,000 kids are diagnosed with cancer each year and despite tremendous progress, cancer remains the #1 disease killer of children in the U.S. and Canada.

St. Baldrick’s began as a challenge among friends and has grown into the world’s largest fundraising event for childhood cancer. Because treatment typically given to youngsters causes their hair to fall out, volunteers are recruited to have their heads shaved in public in return for pledges of financial support. Participants find that shaving their head is a small sacrifice in comparison to what these children endure, and want to raise money to help find a cure for children with cancer now and in the future.

The mission of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation is to raise awareness and funds to cure kids’ cancer by supporting cancer research and fellowships.

St. Baldrick’s began in 2000, when three reinsurance executives from New York City turned their annual St. Patrick’s Day party into a fundraiser, shaving their heads in an act of solidarity to children with cancer. Therefore, the name St. Baldrick’s is a fusion of ‘St. Patrick’s Day’ and ‘bald,’ as the original head-shaving event took place on St. Patrick’s Day.

St. Baldrick’s events have been held internationally in Argentina, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Canada, France, Hong Kong, Iraq, Ireland, Poland and the United Kingdom.

One hundred percent of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation’s donations are generated by St. Baldrick’s shavees, organizers, volunteers, staff and board members. Unlike many other charities, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation does not receive government grants and does not raise money through mass mailings or telemarketing.

St. Baldrick’s Foundation research grants help fill crucial funding gaps at medical institutions nationwide where children are treated for cancer. In 2006, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation granted over $4 million to a network of 230 institutions that work together to develop the most advanced treatment techniques. The Foundation also granted more than $1 million to other hospitals for research fellowships and projects to cure childhood cancer.

The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is an independent, IRS approved, 501(c)(3) organization, Federal ID # 20-1173824. The foundation’s audited financial statements, IRS 990 and annual report are downloadable from their Website, www.St.Baldricks.org.

The St. Baldrick’s Foundation adheres to the highest standards established by charity rating agencies. You can learn more about the St. Baldrick’s Foundation by visiting www.GuideStar.org, www.StBaldricks.org or calling 888-899-BALD.

For more information, please contact Cecil Bleiker, USOC Manager of NGB Media Services in the USOC Media & Public Relations Division at 719-866-4608. This press release is also available on the USOC’s media specific website at www.usocpressbox.org.