The Importance of Relationships: Evelyn Waymire & Gabby Bogear

By: Emily Lehner

Evelyn Waymire
Evelyn Waymire

As I entered Evelyn Waymire’s office, I saw her and Gabby Bogear sitting at her desk, eyes focused on the IWU Softball Team’s twitter feed. The feed was showing updated plays and scores from the team’s game that was happening in Michigan at the moment. This is just one example of the passion that these two ladies have for the IWU Women’s Softball Team.

Both alumni of Indiana Wesleyan, Waymire works as the team chaplain, and both her and Bogear are assistant coaches for the team. The positions were unexpected for both of them, but they are certain that this is exactly where God wants them to be right now. Waymire graduated with Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Social Work and was a part of the John Wesley Honors College. She holds an Admissions Counselor position for the university. Bogear is a 2016 graduate with an impressive athletic resume and Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and a minor in Adolescent Ministries.

Waymire cherishes her memories from being a student at IWU, and since working on campus, she stated, “One of the thrills of being an admissions counselor and coaching is seeing the students go through the same walk I did. It is the memories of going back and continuing relationships with professors and friends and the reminiscing that goes along with returning.”

Waymire believes the personal relationships she obtained during her time at IWU prepared her for the next step after college and allowed her to make her faith her own.

Gabby Bogear
Gabby Bogear

Bogear believes that the people at IWU influenced her greatly. “The whole atmosphere of meeting people who are different than you: different majors, different interests, different walks of life,” she said.

IWU allowed her to find the value in people, instead of only seeing value through school work or athletics. Bogear stated that IWU allowed her to develop a personal faith that was deeper than what she had before she arrived on campus.

IWU cultivated a home for Bogear and Waymire, giving them the desire to return here upon graduation. “I knew that IWU was where I wanted to be to determine where I wanted to be,” said Bogear.

Waymire, a member of Grant County from birth, said, “I was set to go to graduate school after college, and God redirected my path. So, it was humbling for me to see plans be halted and reformed in front of me. I received a job in Admissions, and I was excited because I got to be at a place that I love and talk about this place that shaped me and formed who I am today.”

When asked about their goals for the softball season, both Waymire and Bogear made eye contact, smiled and said, “Well, of course we want to win a National Championship!”

The ladies continued to talk about their goals and the lessons they have learned about taking time to read Scripture, be still, or even simply listen to the hearts of their players. Waymire said, “One thing I love about this athletic department is the focus on Christ and our duty to serve Him with the gifts He has given us as the coaching staff.”

Bogear believes that she has the ability to use her experience to comfort or relate to the players. “I, personally, had a really difficult time moving away from home, and it really hit me that the girls on the team were my family away from home. That stands true still today,” she said.

Both Waymire and Bogear aim for excellence in their coaching careers. The two reflect greatly an attitude of hope and servanthood for the rest of their players and coaching staff. The IWU Women’s Softball team will host their first home game of the 2017 season on March 10th.

 

Written by Emily Lehner, writer for the Alumni Center and a sophomore Writing major at IWU. She is active on the cross country and track teams. She is passionate about using her writing skills to share the good news of Christ with others and writes often on her personal blog at www.emilylehner.wordpress.com.