More details revealed on Michigan's summer trip through the state
Michigan football will be making a trek through the state it calls home this summer, it was announced this offseason. Now we have an idea of what exactly is on the agenda.
Michigan football communications director David Ablauf was on the “In The Trenches” podcast this week to discuss the summer trip, which will focus on “experiential and educational learning.”
The Wolverines will be making day drives to Flint and Detroit before they leave on a weeklong trip (July 22-29) through the state of Michigan.
Other spots mentioned during the podcast were stops in Idlewild, Grand Haven, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Traverse City, Lake Charlevoix, Mackinac Island, Pictured Rocks, Tahquamenon Falls and Sault St. Marie.
Detroit and Grand Rapids are potential stops on the trail
One of the events in mind for Michigan on the Detroit trip is a young football camp on historic Belle Isle.
“We really want to spend some time down there,” Ablauf said. “We’re working on putting together a youth football camp in the city of Detroit, maybe out on Belle Isle. We want to get down in the community and impact those young people from a football standpoint but also an educational learning standpoint.”
A western leg of the trip could run through Grand Rapids after a potential stop in Lansing. Grand Rapids features the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum. The former U.S. President was a former Wolverine standout.
“Go see one of our great alums and see some of the things he did,” Ablauf said. “There’s a lot of diversity and things he did during his playing career and as president that we want our players to understand and be educated on.”
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The benefits of a trip through Michigan
Michigan’s previous team trips have seen them go to Italy, France and South Africa. A trek through the Mitten State might be lacking for some. However, Ablauf said that most players are expected to participate.
“That’s what we were hoping for,” he said. “It is a great opportunity to see something that you probably haven’t seen — or very few on the team have. It’s a great team bonding opportunity as well. That’s what we want to be able to provide.”
The itinerary is still being put together, but Michigan is hoping for a fun and fulfilling experience for all involved.
“I can’t tell you the number of people that have reached out to us with ideas and things we can do. We could spend a month in the state of Michigan because there’s so many great things to do,” Ablauf said.
As long as head coach Jim Harbaugh is at Michigan, the team trips will seemingly be a fixture.
“Harbaugh believes that not all learning is done in a classroom. These trips serve not only to educate the players about the customs and lifestyles of other cultures and areas, but also provide the opportunity to give back to those local areas,” a release said this spring. “Michigan Football wants to be ambassadors to communities across Michigan and around the world.”
