Breast cancer awareness is an important cause that is near and dear to my heart not only because it is the national platform for Miss USA, but more importantly because I and just about everyone that I know has been affected by the deadly disease, so what better
cause could there be for Miss DC USA?!The National Race for the Cure drew hundreds of metro DC residents and companies who donated both their time and money in an effort to help Susan G. Komen for the Cure raise money for breast cancer research and awareness. I, for some strange reason, signed up to participate in the 5K run (instead of the nice, calm fun walk) that started at 8:00 am! But...even though I haven't really been in the gym working out since I returned from Miss USA AND even though it was definitely 90+ degrees outside that morning at 8 am, I managed to finish the race (yes, running the WHOLE way) in 30 minutes and 39 seconds. Now, true that is nothing like my time when I used to run distance in high school, but then again...it's been quite a while since I've been that young and that in shape! So, 30 minutes (and not passing out at the finish line) works for me!
Plus, after the race, I met some really awesome survivors and their families who had incredible stories to share. And in return, I told them about the three people close to my heart that I ran for-- my aunt Eleanor Taylor and my friend's mother that I never even got to meet, but have heard so much about, Vivian Burley, and a very close friend of mine who is a 5 year survivor, Donna Lindsay. And honestly, every time I got tired and wanted to slow down, I saw someone in a pink survivor shirt in the crowd running, and I said to myself, "If they can do it, then the
least I can do is finish this race!" And I did!Afterwards, I even saw Miss DC USA 2007, Mercedes Lindsay, who represented for Team 17 with her boo, Redskins star Jason Campbell, and some of the Redskin cheerleaders who also participated. The post-race party was pretty fantastic too with New Balance and Energizer giving away goodies, a dance troupe performing, and several survivors sharing their inspiring stories. Then the kids had the opportunity to get some exercise in the Kids for the Cure race where I got to cheer the children on and even met a real, live survivor queen herself! She was just as excited to see me as I was to see her (queens are drawn to each other! :-) )
Now, this may come as a surprise to some of you, but besides my lawyer- turned- beauty- queen- slash- distance- runner lifestyle, I also am a pretty good (ok...decent?!) basketball player. No lie! Yeah, I'm not the best with three pointers, but I have a mean show from the free throw line! And I got to show off at the 13th Annual Hoop Dreams Scholarship Fund Celebrity Basketball Game on Pennsylvania Ave on yesterday. Now, I've imagined myself doing a lot of things in DC... shooting a basket in the Verizon Center during halftime at the Wizards game, catching a fly ball during a Nationals game, or even standing behind the President's podium during a press conference (optimistic, I know) in the White House... but never did I imagine that I, Chelsey Rodgers, would play basketball in the middle of the street just a few blocks down
the street from where the President lives! And boy was it an awesome experience!I played on the blue team which was coached by my new friend and DC native, Vernon Davis, who graduated from Dunbar High School (where I guest taught a law class... small world!) and now plays football for the 49ers. Our "assistant" coach was none other than Wizards guard Roger Mason, who led our BLUE team to victory over fellow Wizards forward Andre Blatche's RED team, who had a lot of bragging to do but took a pretty stinky butt-whoopin to our team on the court! Also on our team was who I would call our MVP, none other than "White Chocolate" from AND1 (and yes, that really is his name). On the red team was fellow pageant queen and my dear sister, Jasmine Alexis, aka Teen Miss DC USA 2007, and the newly crowned Miss District of Columbia's Outstanding Teen 2009.
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