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How Oklahoma State softball coach Kenny Gajewski's trick turned into team bonding moment

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How Oklahoma State softball coach Kenny Gajewski's trick turned into team bonding moment​

Portrait of Scott WrightScott Wright
The Oklahoman

STILLWATER — Knowing his players’ minds would be dialed into relaxation mode, Oklahoma State softball coach Kenny Gajewski strategically schemed a sneaky idea.

Gajewski and his staff hauled the team to Broken Bow in the far southeast corner of the state for the first of two such retreats the Cowgirls take each season. They’ll be back there next May, getting a break from the rigors of the postseason just before the NCAA Tournament begins.

But this trip is typically an exercise in team-building rather than a mental break from softball.

So when Gajewski told his players they were heading to Broken Bow High School to play ultimate frisbee, they had no reason to be suspicious.

“They were gooned out,” Gajewski said. “I could see them walking down the hill and I was like, ‘We’re about to ruin them.’”

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He aligned his players with their backs to the parking lot as two freshmen picked teams.

And as they did, Gajewski brought in his “guest referee,” a.k.a. Omri Rachmut, the president of the Program, a leadership development company Gajewski has utilized for team building the last few offseasons.


The Program uses a physically and mentally rigorous system of challenges to foster better unity and leadership within a group.

Like their Broken Bow trips, the Program has been a regular occurrence for the Cowgirls each fall. But never at the same time.

“Leading up until that moment, we all expected it,” sophomore slugger Karli Godwin said. “Before we got in line to pick our teams, we were like, ‘What if Omri just jumped out of a plane right now and landed on the field and we had the Program?’

“And not even five minutes later, they were like, ‘And we have our special guest, Omri!’”

The players’ excitement, however, didn’t quite match what Gajewski felt as he pulled off his scheme.

“The awkward silence, honestly, was a little disappointing,” Gajewski said with a laugh. “I was hoping they’d be a little more pumped.

“We got through it really well, and it really drew us close.”

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The Cowgirls opened their fall scrimmage season last week, and though this year’s team isn’t facing the dramatic turnover it had a year ago, the fall remains a crucial time to begin learning how the puzzle pieces will fit together in the spring.

OSU has reached the field of the Women’s College World Series five straight times, and nothing short of a sixth trip will please this team.

So while the Cowgirls weren’t as thrilled at first as Gajewski might’ve hoped, they settled into the Program.

“Some people were a little irritated about it, and yeah, it sucks, but it brought out a totally different team,” Godwin said. “And that’s where I realized this team is gonna be even better than we were last year. A lot of people were irritated that it was a surprise, but I think that’s one of the best ways they could’ve done it.”

Back at the players’ cabin that night, Rachmut led a discussion about fire — the spark, the fuel and the oxygen needed to keep it burning. And he likened it to a team’s drive for success over the course of a season.

Then he left the players with a challenge. Light a fire and keep it burning all night.

“When Omri and I drove back in at 7 a.m. the next morning, the whole team was out there,” Gajewski said. “They had been out there all night, I think, and they had taken turns to keep the fire going all night long.

“Omri tapped me and goes, ‘Hey, I think we got a good team here.’ So it was kinda cool.”

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