The Skin Cancer Foundation Launches Team SCF

New York, NY (June 18, 2010) – In an effort to promote sun safe behaviors among active people, The Skin Cancer Foundation has launched Team SCF. The idea for the Team was developed after a variety of professional athletes approached the Foundation with the common goal of raising skin cancer awareness.

Team members include:

• PGA Tour golfer and skin cancer survivor Brian Davis
• Thirteen members of the World Professional Surfers (WPS) organization, including 2009 World Champion Mick Fanning
• Soccer players and Olympic Gold Medalists Christie Rampone and Lindsay Tarpley
• Record-setting angler Preston Clark
• Snowboard champion Shayne Pospisil

Each team member is an accomplished athlete who understands the importance of protecting his/her skin from the sun. Almost 90 percent of nonmelanoma skin cancers like basal and squamous cell carcinoma, the two most common skin cancers, are associated with exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. And recent research has found a strong link between UV radiation and melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

“The members of Team SCF are champions for sun safety, and with the support of these fine athletes, we hope to encourage people to take the necessary precautions to help avoid this very preventable cancer,” said Perry Robins, MD, President of The Skin Cancer Foundation. “If professional athletes can take the time to protect themselves, everyone can.”

PGA Tour golfer Brian Davis, age 35, has already been treated for two basal cell carcinomas and a squamous cell carcinoma. The first European to win the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, Davis is now always cautious when it comes to the sun.  “Sunscreen is a part of my equipment, my routine, and who I am and what I do. If it allows me to play golf, it’s good.”

Top-ranked surfer Mick Fanning, the two-time and current Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Champion, grew up in Australia with good sun protection habits, and today he continues to wear a high-SPF (Sun Protection Factor) sunscreen and long-sleeved rash guard when surfing. “I avoid surfing in the middle of the day, when the sun is most intense, and every time I get out of the water, I reapply sunscreen.”

Team SCF initiatives will include a national print PSA campaign, web and social media programs, and in-school children’s educational outreach. For more information about Team SCF, visit www.SkinCancer.org/TeamSCF.

The Skin Cancer Foundation is the only global organization solely devoted to the prevention, detection and treatment of skin cancer.  The mission of the Foundation is to decrease the incidence of skin cancer through public and professional education and research.  For more information, visit www.SkinCancer.org.