Bugher's Athletes in Action Adventure

Greetings Falcon Fans!

I hope everyone is having a great summer so far. Mine has been pretty busy, but definitely fun. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend the Athletes in Action Ultimate Training Camp, which took place at Colorado State University. I wanted to take the time to share some of the experience with you. I apologize if this seems long – but it was such an amazing experience I wouldn’t know what to leave out! It was definitely a great opportunity and I am so glad I went. I would recommend it to any college athlete that has the chance to go.

Back in April, a former AAU teammate of mine asked if I wanted to go with her out to this camp, and before I knew it, I was fundraising and part of the group! I did not know what to expect – all I heard was this camp was for college athletes, it focused on how to incorporate God in your sport, and it was “really intense.” It ended up being one of the best experiences of my life. I went out to Colorado with a group of about 12 people from Miami (OH) since that is where my friend attends and participates in Athletes in Action on their campus. We drove a solid 20 hours, staying the overnight at a friend of the group’s house in Kansas. We were either sleeping, playing Catch Phrase, Apples to Apples, or watching a couple of the guys karaoke to the Backstreet Boys the entire way.

The camp started on May 23rd and lasted a week. There were athletes from all over the country – including Maya Moore, who was an intern. The very first night we dove into the first of the five principles taught throughout the week. It was called “Audience of One,” and we talked about potential idols and how to compete for God, turning sport into worship. Monday, the topic was “Inside Game,” where we talked about what motivates us and how our identity in Christ frees us to compete with a new motivation – a “thank you” response. On Tuesday we talked about “Holy Sweat” and learned a variety of resources for spiritual training such as solitude, prayer, the Bible, and being a part of a community. The next principle, “Hurtin’ for Certain,” was about how God uses pain and trials to deepen character. The last principle was “Victory Beyond Competition” in which we learned about the importance making an impact with the talents that God has given you. Monday through Thursday, after the seminar, we went outside to practice what we learned by playing volleyball. It was pretty tough to apply the principles and still be competitive, but we all realized it would be even harder to do on our campuses. It was still fun though, and one day, my team won the trophy that the team with the winning record got to keep until the next day’s matches!

Sunday through Wednesday were pretty relaxed. We had the seminar, played volleyball, and had evening discussion groups after worship with Chazz, a very energetic and talented musician. One afternoon, I went hiking with the Miami group for 4 hours. It was gorgeous! I am pretty sure we got lost though because we had to cut straight down one of the mountains until we found a path… Anyway, we also went to a Colorado Rockies game one night and bowling another, and had a women’s luncheon one afternoon. So I began wondering, “When is the intense part going to come?” And then there was the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. on Thursday… The idea of the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. (Scriptural Principles plus Exhaustion equals Confidence In Almighty Lord) is to engage you in competition for so long that you cannot rely on your athletic ability any longer to get you through – you have to rely on God and the support of your teammates. It was a very powerful experience. We were drafted onto teams – my team was the T.H.U.G.s (Totally Humble Under God) and just for the record, we won first place. From about 1:00 pm Thursday until 1:00 pm Friday, we competed in ultimate frisbee, tug of war, a push up relay, basketball, swimming, a test over the principles, a campus wide obstacle course (in which we had to run to stations all carrying a board amongst our team with a tire looped around the middle), sprint relays, and the climax – “Golgotha.” (more on that in just a bit) Everyone started hitting their wall around 10:00 p.m. when we were playing basketball. Many people looked like they were ready to collapse and there were huddles for prayer before each game. People had been cramping up all day and it just got worse in the pool. I don’t think I will ever forget how each team fearlessly came together in prayer on such a frequent basis, or lay hands on a teammate who was cramping or hurting. Everyone went to bed after the test – around 1:30 am. The last place team started their obstacle course at 4:30 a.m., while the first place team (that would be ours J) started at 6 am. I had never been so excited to sleep until 5:30 am in my life! Before we completed the last event, Golgotha (which did not count in the points of the competition), we drove up one of the foothills that overlooked a lake and listened to the most dramatic reading of the crucifixion I have ever heard. I don’t think there was one dry eye in the crowd. After that, one person at a time from each team ran a half mile down the hill carrying a wood 2x4 and carried it back up on their shoulders, like a cross. Going up, if you looked down at your shadow, it was like seeing Jesus on the cross – a reminder of our importance in His eyes. It was so powerful to watch everyone, even the big tough football players, cross the finish line and fall into their friends’ arms crying – whether it was from the feelings of accomplishment, gratitude, or pure brokenness and surrender. That night we had a bonfire where many people accepted Jesus as their personal Savior – we heard about them the next and final night, when we were given the opportunity to share our testimony if we wanted.

We left the camp that night/morning – around 2:30 a.m. to drive back home – and drove straight through. I had such a great time and met many amazing people. I think what made it so memorable was all the small group situations we got put into – the volleyball team, S.P.E.C.I.A.L. team, and small groups for discussion. I am keeping in touch with many of the people and plan to do so in the future. Neither this lengthy blog nor the pictures can do justice as to how awesome the Ultimate Training Camp was.

Thanks for letting me share with you and I look forward to seeing you soon!Enjoy your summer!

Laura Bugher