New Traditions and Spaces Highlight Homecoming & Family Weekend

msk23@calvin.edu — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 19:14:27 +0000

New Traditions and Spaces Highlight Homecoming & Family Weekend msk23@calvin.edu Tue, 10/01/2024 - 15:14

On Friday, October 4 and Saturday, October 5, ��app welcomes alumni, families, and the broader community to its Grand Rapids campus for Homecoming & Family Weekend.

The weekend is full of familiar traditions like the ��app Classic 5K & Youth Run, the Fall Music Festival, and the Grand Prix Bed Races. And this year, ��app is set to kick off some new traditions, including the university’s first-ever Homecoming football game.

“We are excited to celebrate longstanding traditions at ��app, while welcoming in a new hallmark staple of our future homecoming celebrations,” said Jeff Haverdink, executive director of alumni & family engagement. “We are beginning a whole new chapter of what it looks like to celebrate homecoming at ��app, and we are excited to give our alums yet another reason to come back to campus to see all of the exciting things happening here.”

��app has quite the lineup of events planned. On Friday, guests can enjoy the Grand Prix Bed Races, a cookout on the lawn outside Knollcrest Dining Hall, the ��app Music Festival, and the first-ever cornhole tournament with $1,500 in cash prizes.

Saturday’s festivities include the ��app Classic 5K & Youth Run, the inaugural homecoming football game, and a soccer doubleheader which includes the dedication of the new stadium. An on-campus farmer’s market and improv show round out the weekend festivities.

While the lineup of activities is impressive, what many guests will discover as they move around campus are the new spaces that have opened up in the past year, including the first phase of Commons Union, the new state-of-the-art soccer stadium, and the brand new track & field complex located on the far east side of campus, to name a few.

“If you haven’t been back to ��app for a few months, you’ll want to come check out the campus and all the new and reimagined spaces,” said Haverdink. “The weather is looking great and I’m not sure there’s a better time of year to take in the beauty of our campus.”

Check out the full schedule of events at calvin.edu/homecoming.

Tue, 10/01/2024 - 12:00

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Football Team Awestruck By Locker Room Reveal

msk23@calvin.edu — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 01:00:56 +0000

Football Team Awestruck By Locker Room Reveal msk23@calvin.edu Tue, 08/13/2024 - 21:00

“Woah!”

“I like this. I like this.”

“Where’s my name?”

Great Anticipation

On Tuesday, August 13, 2024, dozens and dozens of football players rushed through the doors in great anticipation.

“Today, we woke up and it was like Christmas morning,” said Trent Figg, ��app’s head football coach.

The gift the football team was taking all in had been delivered … and just on time.

“I think just this morning we got the occupancy permit,” said Jim Timmer, director of athletics at ��app.

The players of the inaugural ��app football team were taking in their new home.

“Let’s go baby, let’s go!”

“This is insane.”

Exceeding Expectations

The joyful and jaw-dropping expressions seen and heard from the players as they filed in clearly communicated they were not left wanting.

It's unreal,” said Winton Napier, a freshman offensive lineman from Twin Lake, Michigan (Whitehall High School). “This is incredible. Everything about this is top tier.”

“This blows me away, the way it came together with the graphics, the colors. We have great lighting and with the dark ceiling up there it gives it this really cool modern look,” said Paul VanderPloeg, a junior defensive back from Hudsonville, Michigan (Unity Christian High School). “I was blown away as soon as I entered the doors. Just so epic, and so intentional too.”

“This locker room is from a facilities standpoint as nice as you’ll find. ��app has provided an incredible place for our players, for our student-athletes to call home,” said Figg.

Building Champions

“When Trent arrived on campus the energy that was already here for football increased ten-fold,” said Timmer. “I don’t think you put up a building like this without some confidence of where we are going at with the program.”

And the direction is clear: build champions.

“It says Champions really big on the wall,” said Figg. “In our program, we talk about being champions for life. When our kids graduate, we want them to walk out of our doors prepared to be a champion for the rest of their life. We talk about that in four areas, we talk about that on the field, in the classroom, in the community, and champions of their faith. We firmly believe that’s what it takes to build a well-rounded champion, and then you can talk about championships once you build individual champions.”

The inaugural football team will begin practicing on Thursday, which is 23 days from their Saturday, September 7 home opener against Oberlin College.

“We have 112 players that all reported to campus today. And I don’t know if I’ve ever been more excited for a fall camp,” said Figg.

Tue, 08/13/2024 - 12:00

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