By Tracy Voncannon
Scott Larson peered at the five rocks that lay ahead of him wondering if he had what it took to reach all of them.
The Stonehouse Challenge, located in Green River, Utah, was not an easy one. The challenge consisted of jumping onto five different rocks in the river while battling the ragging currents.
As Larson attempted to jump from the third rock to the fourth, he could only hear the cheering of those around him encouraging him to make it to the fourth rock.
It was then Larson realized that he had already accomplished much more than making it to the fourth rock. He gained closeness with those around him, one of the goals of BYUSA”s leadership retreat held June 24-26.
Larson, an executive director of public relations for BYUSA, said the Stonehouse Challenge was one of the highlights of the retreat.
“One of the really great things about the Stonehouse Challenge was to be able to help each other out and realize how you can help motivate each other,” Larson said.
BYUSA executive directors and vice presidents attended the leadership-training conference at Green River to help build unity and teach planning skills for the upcoming school year.
The weekend included many activities each with a different focus. In addition to the Stonehouse challenge, the trip included a service project at a local museum in Green River.
Another activity was giving the executive directors and vice presidents an hour to create a commercial. Each of the four areas of BYUSA: SAC, Public Relations, Activities, and Clubs put together a commercial detailing what their area does and then performed it.
Julie Hatchett, a faculty adviser over BYUSA activities, said the leadership retreat had a completely different focus than the leadership training conference at the College of Eastern Utah held earlier this spring.
“This retreat was hosted by BYU and we talked about the charter and vision of BYU and what roles they”re expected to play,? Hatchett said. ?The retreat helped in building a sense of belonging.”
One of the main goals included building unity and a sense of belonging, as well as helping the executive directors and vice presidents to gain a better grasp over the planning process.
“The coordinators of the retreat were trying to help us learn about the planning process-that was one of the underlying themes, was how to plan correctly,” Larson said.
The executive directors at BYUSA just started working together this summer and the retreat was one of the first times they were all together.
France Nielson, BYUSA president, attended the retreat and said it was a good bonding experience.
“The retreat went well and helped everybody to bond together,” Nielson said. “After the retreat, we”ll be able to better work together this year.”
