Great Bend’s Allen Winder spent his holidays in Innsbruck, Austria.
Winder, the director of operations for Team Meadowlark Ministries, joined his lifelong friend Hall of Famer Meadowlark Lemon in Austria over the holidays.
You could call it Winder’s “European Vacation,” but it was far more meaningful than that.
Winder was a  leader of Lemon’s Team Meadowlark for Military Teens project. Sons and daughters of military personnel in Europe attended Camp Meadowlark with help from Military Youth Ministries and Club Beyond. Winder’s 16-day journey started in Austria and also traveled to Germany.
Winder communicated with his wife, Kayla, a registered nurse at Great Bend Regional Hospital, through Skype and Facetime.
“Kayla is such an important part of our team,” Winder said. “She really supports us all and does a great deal of work behind the scenes.”
Winder will share his story at Monday’s Great Bend Rotary Club meeting at noon at the Heritage Room at the Highland Hotel. The program starts at 12:30 p.m. after a lunch. Winder will talk to the Lions Club April 15 and also plans to meet with local Kiwanis and Optimist clubs.
“What really made this one magical was our ability to carry on our coaching and counseling on-and-off the court,”  Winder said. “We continued from the gym to the lobby of the hotel back to the gym. There was a lot of learning, understanding, appreciation, love and tears from all involved!”
The kids generally spend their time on military bases, often away from one parent. They often are isolated and encouraged to not advertise that they are American born citizens.
“Their parents are often separated from them and they may not hear from their mom or dad when they are on military duty,” Winder said. “Their families are usually displaced and they have to move away from their friends and make new ones.”
Winder said he’s sympathetic to the youngsters’ life with military parents.
“There are moments when their feelings that we describe in our literature and videos come off the page,” he said. “You understand the challenges they face first hand when they leave their friends behind. But you are able to understand their feelings and how they worry about things. We had a positive environment where they were able to open up and talk about things.”
Winder said the best part was uniting these kids from 22 countries who had a common challenges and bonds into one place.
“Somewhere, they could look someone else in the eye and say ‘You get it.’ They had similar lifestyles and challenges,” Winder said. “At times, there was crying and strong emotion. But they also were able to relax and understand they were not alone in feeling a certain way. There was strength in realizing that others were experiencing the same thing.”
More than 400 teenagers from 22 countries were in Innsbruck, which featured specialized camps for skiing, snowboarding and basketball — Winder’s passion. The Olympic Village at Innsbruck features 10 basketball courts. The Harlem Globetrotters donated basketballs for every camper.
“It was a perfect setting and a great experience,” he said.  
Winder enjoyed the variety of basketball ability from teenagers who had no experience to those with collegiate ability.
“It’s a challenge because you work with some kids who have a hard time dribbling a basketball to those more talented players, who I was able to teach some advanced skills and drills that would make them better  and more aware players,” he said.
He enjoys working with players of all ability. Drills focused on the fundamentals of the game, but Winder provided specialized instruction to the best players.
“It’s always fun to show some strategic moves and how movement and angles of your arms and legs can give you an advantage,” he said. “I tried to show them several tricks of the trade that some refs can’t see.”
They visited Ramstein Air Base in Germany and drove on the Autobahn. They met Lt. General Tom Jones, vice commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. They signed autographs with military personnel. They met with Wounded Warriors at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.
Winder’s began his professional basketball career playing exhibition basketball for Meadowlark Lemon’s Bucketeers, which featured Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain and Marquis Haynes. Lemon will be featured in April on an upcoming “30 for 30,” program on ESPN. The documentary “30 for 30,” films highlights people and events in the sports world.
Winder was nicknamed the “Blue Eyed Soul Brother,” by Bruce Jenner after appearing on a Sports World Appearance in 1980. Winder caught Lemon’s attention when he dunked on Chamberlain during a practice session.
That’s when Meadowlark decided to break the color barrier in reverse as Winder became the first white basketball player to play on the same team with Meadowlark.
Winder said his job is to raise awareness for the Military Teens project and meet with project donors.    
“Club Beyond is our partner for the military kids and camps world-wide,” Winder said. “The project scope keeps expanding and it’s pretty exciting stuff.  We’re making good progress. We’re setting up funds, grants, scholarships, camp expenses and special projects like Habitat for Humanity.”
Winder said his shared time with Meadowlark Lemon is always special.
“It’s always good reconnecting with Meadowlark,” Winder said. “When you hear that recognizable voice, see his face and hear that chatter, it makes you feel at home.”
Lemon’s camp teaches basketball through four topics — physical, psychological, social and spiritual.
“You’ve got to be physically in shape, psychologically tough to work hard at your game and social with the teamwork aspects of the game to enjoy the camaraderie of basketball,” Winder said.
A video on the camp is available at http://youtu.be/kR_UtqwYnXs