Liberty University Club Sports Athletics
Club Sports Spiritual Development Coordinator Heather Gollnick (left) and a group of spiritual leaders prepare to compete on the high and low ropes challenge course at Smith Mountain Lake.
Club Sports spiritual leaders build rapport, train for upcoming seasons at Smith Mountain Lake retreat
8/18/2023 5:00:00 PM | General
Approximately half (35 of more than 70) Club Sports spiritual leaders for the 2023-24 season made the trip on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Equipping Club Sports student-athletes who will serve their respective teams as spiritual leaders for the 2023-24 season was the goal of this week's retreat to the Smith Mountain Lake Skelton 4-H Educational Conference Center in Wirtz, Va.
According to Club Sports Assistant Athletic Director for Spiritual Development Reese Braband, that mission was accomplished, with relationships strengthened between the 35 student-athletes as well as Club Sports support staff who attended the event on Tuesday and Wednesday.
"That peer-to-peer connection is helpful for them to learn how they're discipling one another and just to encourage one another," Braband said. "And they can come to us because they've got a relationship now that they feel comfortable with … asking for whatever and we can ask them, 'How can we pray for you?'"
Braband said that while about half of those on the retreat were returning spiritual leaders from last year, only seven of them had attended last summer's retreat. He credited Club Sports Spiritual Development Coordinator Heather Gollnick, who also serves as head coach of the men's and women's triathlon teams, for organizing and facilitating the event.
"Heather's main goal over the summer is really to plan this two-day retreat from a logistical and spiritual standpoint, so huge shout out to her for planning all the games," Braband said. "She made it super fun."
The spiritual leaders, including Jackson Vercellono, a forward on the Flames' Division I men's hockey team who will serve as the staff's graduate assistant intern for the year, were divided into four teams for competitions throughout the two days that helped keep them engaged.
"The retreat is a great time for us to set the new year in the right direction and I love it," Gollnick said. "We did some low-ropes team building, canoeing, relay races in the water, and other games and activities."
On Tuesday night, the teams gathered around a bonfire for a wonderful time of worship, testimonies, and powerful prayer, with junior triathlete Skylar Waechter playing the guitar and junior figure skater Emma Richards leading the singing, as she did last year.
Gary Steffes, founder and director of the sports ministry Pure Encouragement who has worked with players from Liberty's hockey teams in recent years, led four training sessions throughout the retreat — the first on soul care and abiding in Christ; the second on playing with confidence and finding identity in Him; the third on spiritual leadership; and fourth a Q&A session during which he shared encouraging testimonies from his life as a professional hockey player.
"You can't lead anyone else if you're not already … setting aside a time to spend with the Lord," Braband said, noting that student-athletes should find confidence in Christ and boast in Him, rather than their own performances."We're not athletes who are Christians; we are Christians who are athletes."
"We have to be intimately connected to the Power Source (because) apart from Him, we can do nothing," Steffes added.
In sharing spiritual leadership tips, Steffes honed in on five essentials: abiding in Christ; passionately pursuing Jesus; praying like a spiritual giant; following the Holy Spirit; and pouring Jesus into people.
"We talked about removing hindrances and how we can stay intimately connected with Christ, because ultimately, these athletes are spiritual warriors in a spiritual fight and it requires spiritual weapons," he said. "They can't go as a spiritual leader if they think it's going to be a physical fight. We have to be connected to Jesus and we have to think differently to reach our teams and reach their hearts."
He had the student-athletes act out practical applications and exercises in the third session, demonstrating how to communicate the Gospel and share personal testimonies of God's transforming work as well as how to build relationships with teammates by learning how to ask questions.
"If you're trying to pour into a teammate and love on them, you've got to get to know them," Braband said.
Steffes was inspired and encouraged himself after getting to know and hearing the hearts of the Club Sports spiritual leaders.
"It was fantastic," he said of the experience. "It was an honor to be able to join, and it was an incredible blessing. I'm incredibly impressed with the student-athletes, the spiritual leaders on those teams are absolute rock stars. The leadership group is great and they're fighting to make an eternal impact. It's not just about being a great athlete and competing with excellence. It's about making an eternal impact. They're going to spearhead the charge and they're incredibly gifted to do it."
Braband said he and his staff — which includes Spiritual Development Coordinator Josh Graham, who will lead the monthly meetings with the spiritual leaders throughout the year — follow the model of the LU Shepherd office for discipling the 700-plus student-athletes who will participate on Liberty's 44 Club Sports teams in 2023-24.
"These (spiritual leaders) are similar to what a CGL (Community Group Leader) would be on a dorm, and we would be the LU Shepherds over them, so we're just here trying to be faithful," Braband said. "We're in the business of Training Champions for Christ. That's what we're here for, and this is just an awesome way that Liberty and Club Sports has decided to utilize the athletes. We've got the coaches and a lot of our staff doing incredible things, and then here we are pouring into athletes that are pouring into more athletes."
He noted that the LU Shepherd office has its goal to account for every student on campus, relying on the Resident Shepherds and CGLs to engage them on a personal and spiritual level.
 "We want to account for every spiritual leader so at the end of the year, we should be able to look back at our spiritual leadership list and say, 'I know how that student-athlete is doing spiritually, physically, academically, athletically, socially'" Braband said.
On Monday, Aug. 28, from 7:30-9:30 a.m., Club Sports will open its large conference room in the front of the LaHaye Ice Center for all coaches and staff to pray over the upcoming year and for all of the student-athletes.
"Prayer was a big part of the whole two days," Braband said of the retreat. "We were constantly praying and asking God for wisdom, to bless this year, and bless their teams. We are super excited to see what God will do."
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
ÂGallery: (8-18-2023) Spiritual Leaders retreat
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According to Club Sports Assistant Athletic Director for Spiritual Development Reese Braband, that mission was accomplished, with relationships strengthened between the 35 student-athletes as well as Club Sports support staff who attended the event on Tuesday and Wednesday.
"That peer-to-peer connection is helpful for them to learn how they're discipling one another and just to encourage one another," Braband said. "And they can come to us because they've got a relationship now that they feel comfortable with … asking for whatever and we can ask them, 'How can we pray for you?'"
Braband said that while about half of those on the retreat were returning spiritual leaders from last year, only seven of them had attended last summer's retreat. He credited Club Sports Spiritual Development Coordinator Heather Gollnick, who also serves as head coach of the men's and women's triathlon teams, for organizing and facilitating the event.
"Heather's main goal over the summer is really to plan this two-day retreat from a logistical and spiritual standpoint, so huge shout out to her for planning all the games," Braband said. "She made it super fun."
The spiritual leaders, including Jackson Vercellono, a forward on the Flames' Division I men's hockey team who will serve as the staff's graduate assistant intern for the year, were divided into four teams for competitions throughout the two days that helped keep them engaged.
"The retreat is a great time for us to set the new year in the right direction and I love it," Gollnick said. "We did some low-ropes team building, canoeing, relay races in the water, and other games and activities."
On Tuesday night, the teams gathered around a bonfire for a wonderful time of worship, testimonies, and powerful prayer, with junior triathlete Skylar Waechter playing the guitar and junior figure skater Emma Richards leading the singing, as she did last year.
Gary Steffes, founder and director of the sports ministry Pure Encouragement who has worked with players from Liberty's hockey teams in recent years, led four training sessions throughout the retreat — the first on soul care and abiding in Christ; the second on playing with confidence and finding identity in Him; the third on spiritual leadership; and fourth a Q&A session during which he shared encouraging testimonies from his life as a professional hockey player.
"You can't lead anyone else if you're not already … setting aside a time to spend with the Lord," Braband said, noting that student-athletes should find confidence in Christ and boast in Him, rather than their own performances."We're not athletes who are Christians; we are Christians who are athletes."
"We have to be intimately connected to the Power Source (because) apart from Him, we can do nothing," Steffes added.
In sharing spiritual leadership tips, Steffes honed in on five essentials: abiding in Christ; passionately pursuing Jesus; praying like a spiritual giant; following the Holy Spirit; and pouring Jesus into people.
"We talked about removing hindrances and how we can stay intimately connected with Christ, because ultimately, these athletes are spiritual warriors in a spiritual fight and it requires spiritual weapons," he said. "They can't go as a spiritual leader if they think it's going to be a physical fight. We have to be connected to Jesus and we have to think differently to reach our teams and reach their hearts."
He had the student-athletes act out practical applications and exercises in the third session, demonstrating how to communicate the Gospel and share personal testimonies of God's transforming work as well as how to build relationships with teammates by learning how to ask questions.
"If you're trying to pour into a teammate and love on them, you've got to get to know them," Braband said.
Steffes was inspired and encouraged himself after getting to know and hearing the hearts of the Club Sports spiritual leaders.
"It was fantastic," he said of the experience. "It was an honor to be able to join, and it was an incredible blessing. I'm incredibly impressed with the student-athletes, the spiritual leaders on those teams are absolute rock stars. The leadership group is great and they're fighting to make an eternal impact. It's not just about being a great athlete and competing with excellence. It's about making an eternal impact. They're going to spearhead the charge and they're incredibly gifted to do it."
Braband said he and his staff — which includes Spiritual Development Coordinator Josh Graham, who will lead the monthly meetings with the spiritual leaders throughout the year — follow the model of the LU Shepherd office for discipling the 700-plus student-athletes who will participate on Liberty's 44 Club Sports teams in 2023-24.
"These (spiritual leaders) are similar to what a CGL (Community Group Leader) would be on a dorm, and we would be the LU Shepherds over them, so we're just here trying to be faithful," Braband said. "We're in the business of Training Champions for Christ. That's what we're here for, and this is just an awesome way that Liberty and Club Sports has decided to utilize the athletes. We've got the coaches and a lot of our staff doing incredible things, and then here we are pouring into athletes that are pouring into more athletes."
He noted that the LU Shepherd office has its goal to account for every student on campus, relying on the Resident Shepherds and CGLs to engage them on a personal and spiritual level.
 "We want to account for every spiritual leader so at the end of the year, we should be able to look back at our spiritual leadership list and say, 'I know how that student-athlete is doing spiritually, physically, academically, athletically, socially'" Braband said.
On Monday, Aug. 28, from 7:30-9:30 a.m., Club Sports will open its large conference room in the front of the LaHaye Ice Center for all coaches and staff to pray over the upcoming year and for all of the student-athletes.
"Prayer was a big part of the whole two days," Braband said of the retreat. "We were constantly praying and asking God for wisdom, to bless this year, and bless their teams. We are super excited to see what God will do."
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
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