Apogee baseball camp geared toward teaching leadership

There is an “I” in the word “team” if you know where to look.

The Apogee Baseball Camp hosted by Brad Eppler and his Granbury High School staff June 14-15 focused more on life skills and decision making than pitching and catching. As a result, the camp isn’t as much about baseball as it is about leadership.

The five-year-old program was started by Eppler when he became concerned with the lack of leadership that he saw on his team. Rather than complain to a 17-year-old that he didn’t see leadership, he sought ways to inspire it.

He came up with a leadership program for all his baseball players, who are assigned one of four different books at the start of the school year. The variety of books keep the leadership learning fresh, so a player doesn’t have to repeat a book.

For the next 18 weeks, the athletes will focus on one lesson each week while also keeping a journal that will include photos and thoughts of the players. The intended result is students achieving their highest point, “Apogee,” in their leadership development through a culmination of their studies.

“When we are done, there is a spot for a dedication in the journal that an athlete can give to a grandparent or a mom who has been driving them to practice all of these years of school,” Eppler said. “They get to choose who it will go to all on their own.”

Eppler said that students could come away with either a negative or positive perception following each of the lessons designed to promote sound decision-making and point toward taking a leadership role.

The word “TEAM” doesn’t appear to contain an “I” but one of the books illustrates the fact that you can find one in the letter “A.” You have to use a little imagination, and that’s what Eppler wants his players doing — imagining themselves in leadership roles and carrying that through.

“There is an ‘I’ in the word team,” Eppler said. “I’m looking for 18 guys who have the ideas like these: I want the ball in my hands. I want the RBIs. I will be the first player to arrive at practice. I will be the last one to leave. When you have that kind of “I” on your team, you are going to win on more than just the baseball diamond.”

The camp offers “teachable moments” that aren’t generally found in an athletic camp. Watching the students balance their baseball gloves while jotting down notes underscores Eppler’s find-a-way approach.

“We want to lay the groundwork that prepares their mental approach to baseball and beyond,” Eppler said. “Each level of baseball they play is going to come with a different set of rules. It’s still the same game, but the approaches they will be taking mentally won’t be the same. That’s where the lessons we learn today will pay off in the future.”

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