The winter and spring track & field teams gathered for a family reunion of sorts at an annual retreat in York, Pa. This team is one of the largest in LBC history, with a good portion of the team being new athletes.
This article was originally published in the LBC FOCUS student newspaper in mid-November 2024.
As the weather grows ever colder and anticipation of the holiday season fills the air, the track and field team at Lancaster Bible College is getting warmed up for the upcoming indoor season. With the first indoor meet set for Dec. 6 at Franklin & Marshall College, the student-athletes of the winter and spring seasons came together for a weekend of team building and camaraderie at the annual track and field retreat.
The team departed for Camp Friendly Acres in York, Pa., on Nov. 9. Once everyone arrived and unpacked their belongings, athletes could hang out around the cabin or go outside for rousing games such as football and gaga ball. After a hearty dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, the team participated in a fun-filled evening of activities such as track-themed trivia, a musical chair scavenger hunt and the unconventional roasting of s’mores over a fireplace.
In addition to these activities, the team gathered for a time of worship and devotionals, during which Track & Field Head Coach Melissa Baughman encouraged the athletes to be “Colossians 3 Teammates,” who are clothed with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Students gather around the fireplace to roast s’mores and hotdogs. While many were disappointed about not being able to have a campfire outside, it was certainly fairer weather indoors. / Photo by McKayla Vetterani (’28).
“I think having a team that is willing to walk beside each other and live life together, through both the good times and the bad times, is the biggest piece in creating a family culture,” Baughman said.
Students were also given an opportunity to share their testimonies and answer questions about themselves, allowing the team to bond on a deeper level.
“It was my favorite part of the retreat,” said Vera Innerst (’28). “Being able to hear other people’s experiences really helps us support each other as we deal with things we are currently going through or things we have gone through in the past.”
The following morning, after being introduced to the team book for the season, the track team separated into their support squads and competed in a series of quick activities in order to win a gift card to Sheetz.
As the retreat ended and students headed back to campus, they left feeling encouraged and with a greater sense of kinship with their fellow athletes. In this regard, the retreat functioned like a family reunion of sorts, with new and returning athletes coming together to build memories and encourage one another as the winter season comes swiftly around the bend.
(McKayla Vetterani is a Communication major from Coopersburg, Pa.)