What happens when you gather 33 athletic leaders together?

When the Student Life Division of Calvin College decided to pose this question, the results were better than they could have hoped for.

For one week in August, 33 student leaders representing Calvin's varsity athletic teams traveled to the Gainey Ranch in southwest Montana. The retreat was created to train and equip these highly capable leaders with the necessary skills to make a huge impact at Calvin College.

The goals of the week were to provide a time and space for student-athletes to focus on knowing God and themselves better, to equip varsity leaders with the knowledge, skills and resources needed to effectively lead their teams, and to create a Christian community among student-athletes that extends beyond individual teams.

The first half of the week focused on leading the self, and the second half took students through the team building series, which is offered by the Office of Christian Formation for Athletics and Team Building.

The retreat ended with a commissioning service. Student-athletes were challenged to return to the Calvin community and use what they had learned to make a profound impact on their teams. In fact, many athletes reported a great improvement in their team cultures as a result of this retreat!