The Western Michigan University Grand Rapids Alumni and Friends Golf Outing took place on Monday and gave Broncos a chance to see each other for the first time, in some cases, in over a year.
That includes the likes of head football coach Tim Lester and head women's basketball coach Shane Clipfell who were both on hand at Egypt Valley Country Club.
"More than ever, just being around alumni and people that love Western Michigan University and just people in general, it's fun," Bronco head football Lester said. "I've said hi to everybody and kind of said, no seriously it is great to see you, to be out and getting back to normalcy, I know we're not there, but man it feels great."
"Face-to-face is just something that's still almost awkward, it's been such a long time," Clipfell added. "For us to see Broncos face-to-face and person-to-person again and get to interact and mingle, it is hard to describe. We get to start recruiting again soon out on the road and we are pretty fired up about it."
There is tremendous excitement for the 2021-2022 athletic season.
WMU has already announced that is that it will allow full capacity at Waldo stadium this fall for football games.
"We had a game last year against Toledo which was one of the better games I've ever been apart of and there were 500 people in Waldo," Lester said about his team's 41-38 win last November. "That place would have been electric. It was one of the most unique endings I have ever been apart of, I was proud of the way we executed and I just wanted the place to be shaking and it wasn't. They missed out a little bit but getting back together again and having that place be a major advantage for us in our league which it always has been, is going to be big."
"Having fans at University Arena for us. It took us awhile to finally get our parents into the seats last year which is helpful but these kids have had a long time of, the same as us, normal was anything but normal and I think for these kids to have a chance for family and friends and the cheer and dance to be in the crowd is just something you don't realize how important it us until you don't have it."
The football team starts fall camp in just 44 days, while the basketball teams start up at the beginning of October.
