LAKESIDE – Lakeside Chautauqua will host Chris Holtmann, The Ohio State University’s men’s head basketball coach, as keynote speaker of the annual Prayer Breakfast at 8 a.m. Friday, Aug. 2 in Wesley Lodge. Holtmann will be joined by Susan Stewart, former Canadian Olympian basketball player, to share their faith journeys. Breakfast includes scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, hash brown casserole, Danish, fresh fruit, coffee and orange juice.
Early bird tickets — before June 1 — are $20 per person. Tickets purchased after June 1 are $30 per person. Purchase tickets at www.lakesideohio.com/prayerbreakfast. The cost does not include ticket processing and shipping. Admission to Lakeside and parking are included in the Prayer Breakfast ticket and is valid until noon.
During his visit, Holtmann will also lead a special huddle for youth and teens at the basketball courts in Bettinger Park at 10:45 a.m. He’ll reflect on his athletic career at the noon luncheon in Wesley Lodge.
Early bird tickets — before June 1 — for the luncheon are $25 per person. Tickets purchased after June 1 are $35 per person. Purchase tickets at www.lakesideohio.com/luncheon. The cost does not include ticket processing and shipping fees. Admission to Lakeside and parking are included in the luncheon ticket and is valid until 2:30 p.m.
Holtmann started his athletic career at Taylor University, earning All-American honors and helping the Trojans reach number one in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics rankings. After graduation, he served on Taylor’s coaching staff for five years before assistant coaching at Gardner-Webb and Ohio University.
After a successful head coaching job at Gardner-Webb, and earning the Big South Coach of the Year Award, Holtmann joined Butler University’s coaching staff as an assistant, and was promoted to head coach in 2014. Three years later, he was distinguished as Big East Coach of the Year.
Following the season, Holtmann became the head coach at The Ohio State University where the Buckeyes finished second and were the No. 2 overall seed in the Big Ten Tournament. This revival of the Buckeyes earned Holtmann Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2018.
Stewart is a former Canadian Olympian basketball player that competed in the 1996 Olympic Games. As a member of the Laurentian University Women’s Basketball Team, she won two Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) titles and five Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championships. Stewart was recognized as both a CIS and OUA Player of the Year, as well as a First-Team All-Canadian in addition to earning several OUA All-Star honors.
She went on to coach grassroots and university level basketball. In 2005, her life took a sudden turn while coaching. That’s when she slipped and hit her head in the shower and later fell into a coma that nearly took her life. She goes into great detail about the experience and her journey through rehabilitation in her autobiography, Unbreakable.
Stewart woke up after her last rites were read. She took that as a sign that she should give back in any way possible. She’s now a motivational speaker who weaves together her faith community and athletic community with her incredible story.
Lakeside Chautauqua is a family destination that has pioneered the act of nurturing mind, body and spirit since 1873. As one of the most popular Chautauqua communities in the U.S., Lakeside offers a variety of spiritual, educational, cultural arts and recreational opportunities. Located between Cleveland and Toledo on Lake Erie’s south shore, Lakeside is a gated community that provides rest and renewal in addition to hundreds of enlightening and entertaining experiences. For more information on vacationing or living the Lakeside Chautauqua experience, visit www.lakesideohio.com or call 419-798-4461.
