By Chad Miller, Running Backs Coach
Northwestern College (MN)
Why is that player putting peanut butter all over his chest? Why is the team playing paper, rock, scissors, and then cheering for the person that just beat them? Are those duct tape swords? Just a few questions that you may ask if you join us, the University of Northwestern-St. Paul football team, in the first few days of camp.
What is “Breakaway”? We break away from a traditional football start and we break away from our campus (we take a bus to an overnight retreat center). We ask our senior leadership team to draft eight different teams, picking their team from the roster of players. They pick players based on athletic ability, creativity, size, their buddies, or just because they’re funny. No matter what the strategy, they put together a group of returners, freshmen and/or transfers with one of the goals being to get to know the people in their group. Each of the eight teams will compete in many types of games, not related to football, to build a relationship that will provide an opportunity for unity that will last throughout the season.
From the time the guys arrive at the camp they are together with their team. They’re in a cabin as a team, eating together, lining up for games and meals together, and competing together. We keep track of points for the different events the teams participate in and then it culminates in the big event where they display their acting skills. Acting? They aren’t the greatest actors, but over the years that is what alumni talk about when they get together, as the skits are usually more than hilarious. In fact, one of my former teammates just brought his daughters to summer camp and it happened to be the same camp where we had “Breakaway. It was my second year at Northwestern, 19 years ago. We reminisced about our times together at camp. Memories like that are what “Breakaway” is all about.
In the 20 years that Northwestern has had “Breakaway” the games have changed and so have the names. However, our purpose has not changed. We desire to grow and build men for life and football with an emphasis on building unity before we get on the field. We believe there is no better way to start a season.
If you have any questions or would like to know more about this, please feel free to call or email Kirk Talley (katalley@unwsp.edu) or Chad Miller (crmiller@unwsp.edu).