The Walk is being spearheaded by the Gaiters' Samantha Juraschka (Waterdown, Ont.), a second-year midfielder, and is the resumption of a tradition of support for ALS research by the Women's Soccer team. The 2007 Women's Soccer team participated in the Montreal Walk for ALS, in support of teammate Lauren Proudfoot '08, whose father has been diagnosed with ALS, just prior to playing at McGill.

Members of the 2007-08 team also organized a run for ALS in the spring of 2008. "I was disappointed to hear the ALS run had stopped after the students directly impacted by ALS graduated," said Juraschka. "We needed to bring back that tradition." She added that a walk was chosen, rather than a run, so that it could include as many people as possible.

Nearly 200 people have already registered for the Gaiter Walk, which costs $15 ($5 for children 12 and under). Advance registration is available this afternoon in the Student Union building, or can be done online at https://event-manager.compete-at.com/Manager/event/home.do?eid=1528. Participants can also register on site on Saturday morning, starting at 9 a.m.

Registrants will receive a "Grill McGill" t-shirt, which teammate Teresa Julian has called "the perfect accessory for any Homecoming tailgate party."