Father/Son retreat
September 26, 2016
What began five years ago as an idea to connect fathers with sons and give dads a behind the scenes look at the program their sons play in has turned in to one of the highlights of the year. Whether it is going to a Cubs game, playing basketball with an NBA player, or white water rafting in West Virginia, relationships in our program have deepened as we have welcomed our dads to peek behind the scenes of the IAm3rd Way. This year's Father/Son Retreat was spent in Brown County and Bloomington, where the dads got to watch the teams first practice and then take their sons on in paintball. Joel Okafor, a Sophomore transfer from Bradley University, shares his thoughts on his first F/S Retreat. Read last year's blogs from the trip here.
I have learned quickly that the culture and environment of IWU is different from others that I have experienced, and the Father/Son Retreat is one example. I knew that I was in a unique position because my dad could not make it from Nigeria. As I prayed about asking someone I respected to fill in, Dr. Keith Newman immediately came to mind. We become close while I was on campus during the summer. There were a few times where we both were at Baldwin alone and we ate lunch together and talked a lot about our stories.
In our conversations, Dr. Newman and I immediately formed a connection and the way the conversation went was like a father and son kind of conversation. I came in unsure of what I wanted to study and he gave me lots of advice about my career path and areas I could consider. Dr. Newman talked to me about taking the strength finder test online and convinced me to take the test. After I took the test we met again and talked about how the results fit into me and also talked about the ones I can keep building on. He also told me about how each week he picks his five favorite things that happened and by doing this he has learned more about what he enjoys. Doing this has helped me have greater insight into what I enjoy and what I may want to study. Through these conversations, I began to see Dr. Newman more as a father figure than just a vice president of our school.
The Father/Son Retreat ended up being a neat experience for me. I have never done anything like that. I was kind of nervous going in because when most dads hang out with their son, they talk about sports, school, jobs and things of that nature. During the Father/Son Retreat, there was a lot of that talk, but also time building Christ-centered relationships and getting to know teammates and dads on a deeper level. On Saturday morning during breakfast, one of the dads got up without being asked and shared how the retreat the previous year had led him to grow in specific ways related to his business. On Sunday morning, Coach T gave a devotional and then some dads started sharing. It was a special time. One of the dads said he has been nervous about where the world is headed but spending a weekend around young men like us give him hope for the future. Another dad of a freshman shared how much easier it was to have his son leave home when he was entering an environment like our team had. The words that the dad’s spoke made me want to pour more in the word of God and use it to change lives.
As I look back, I know the retreat will help us grow as a team and build chemistry in new ways. Having all of this off the court trust will only translate into more trust on the court. I am anxious to see it all unfold as practice begins!