The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is everywhere.
Justin Timberlake, Matt Lauer and Michelle Wie. Lil Wayne, Ethel Kennedy and John Elway. Matt Ryan and even Keith Olbermann are among the thousands to be doused with frigid cold.
The concept is simple: Dump a bucket of ice water on your head to raise awareness — and money — to the dreadful, deadly, incurable disease that has been traced back 75 years.
The video challenge, which began July 29, had helped raise more than $4 million to the
ALS Association as of Tuesday. It has trickled down to the high school sports level, as well.
You have to love
DeSoto (Texas) coach Claude Mathis, who accepted the challenge of
Cedar Hill (Texas) coach Joey McGuire and took four bucket splashes. He followed each with a robust "Woooo!" He challenged a pair of high school coaches and two college coaches, assistant Bruce Chambers at Texas and Urban Meyer at Ohio State.
That takes some stone cold guts to make those challenges. "I'm not going to lie," Mathis said. "Those were ice cold. All of them. But it was worth it. It was for a worthy cause."
That leads us to MaxPreps' own Chris Stonebraker, a constant giver who inspired the America's Source for High School Sports to take the group plunge.
MaxPreps host Chris Stonebraker takes an icewater bath from Nick Porrazzo after getting awhipped cream pie to the face.
MaxPreps photo
Stonebraker was challenged by friend Marissa Parent, and the popular MaxPreps host jumped right on it, not only leading the office in a chorus line ice dump, but then gallivanting off for a few more frigid adventures.
Can you say Ice, Ice Baby? Wait, has anyone challenged Vanilla Ice?
Despite the fun and frolic, the challenge strikes a deeper chord, especially for me.
In April, we lost one of the most courageous high school coaches I've covered in 30 years,
University (San Francisco) cross country and track coach
Jim Tracy, who succumbed to the disease after a four-year fight.
His story is part of an award-winning documentary — "
Running for Jim" — and his fight inspired the famous "
Crawl to the finish" by University runner Holland Reynolds in the 2010 state finals.
Her story – and Tracy's – went global, and New York Giants coach
Tom Coughlin used their courage to inspire his team to a 2012 Super Bowl title.
We won two writing awards while reporting on Tracy's courageous fight through the team. He was inspired simply by coaching high school sports, which inspires and helps employ all of us.
So, it was quite easy to accept and endure this challenge.
The MaxPreps team has extended its challenge to Jim Lanzone (president and CEO of CBS Interactive), Adam London and Joe Davidson (Sacramento Bee preps editor and MaxPreps contributor). Stonebraker has called out Bailee Baker, Vivek Ranadive and Kevin Johnson.
For more on ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) — also known as Lou Gehrig's disease — click HERE and HERE.
