The Mounds View Girls Basketball team faces other schools twice a week. From different outcomes of wins and losses, the players know the feeling of facing challenges and overcoming failures. From getting closer to their own teammates and committing themselves to supporting local cancer patients, the athletes are dedicated to giving back to the community that supports them.

Developed by the coaches, the “ALL 1N” program has characterized the team for three years now. The head coach, Dave Bratland, created the slogan “ALL 1N” to encourage the players to put their all into whatever they do.

While the original goal of the “ALL 1N” phrase encouraged and connected the staff and students, it soon became a fund after the passing of the wife of Dave Bratland and the mother of one of the players, Emma Bratland. After a diagnosis of metastatic colon cancer in 2020, Erica Bratland endured 58 chemo treatments, two radiation procedures and a multitude of surgeries up until this past summer, when she passed after her battle with cancer. 

“It’s kind of hard to go back into a sport right after your mom or anyone passed away,” said Emma Bratland, senior. 

But the team was there to support her, leaving hundreds of cards and words of support towards the family. “They were always checking up on me and they were always asking me to hang out with me to get my mind away from what happened,” said Emma Bratland.

While the coaches had always wanted to financially give back to the community, the passing of Erica Bratland pushed them to kickstart a fundraiser to help other families that were struggling with cancer. 

Over the summer, the team raised money with donations from multiple sponsors and fundraisers. For instance, the team held a huge t-shirt sale and bagged groceries at Kowalski’s. In the end, they raised over five thousand dollars before the basketball season began. 

On Dec. 9, the money raised was given to the Leiser family, who were close friends of Dave Bratland, after Elyse Leiser was diagnosed with breast cancer. 

The team hopes to continue raising money to support other families affected by a health crisis. Since the season began, the players have nearly doubled their original goal of five thousand dollars, and the team is already searching for more local families to help.