Sports
Team Player — Amy Vermeulen
Five things to know about Amy Vermeulen, a sophomore who plays both hockey and soccer for the Badgers:
The folks in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, could tell you just how multitalented Vermeulen is. In high school there, she played soccer and hockey, was the basketball team's MVP, won a title throwing the javelin, and was half of the city's two-time championship badminton doubles team.
In November, she scored a decisive goal to help the UW soccer team win in the first round of the NCAA championships.
One week later, she scored again - this time on ice — to salvage a tie for the UW hockey team against Ohio State.
Hockey is her first love and pays her UW scholarship, but her biggest achievement thus far may have been on grass. Last summer, she played before more than thirty thousand fans as a member of Canada's Under-19 FIFA World Cup team, which won the silver medal.
The folks in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, could tell you just how multitalented Vermeulen is. In high school there, she played soccer and hockey, was the basketball team's MVP, won a title throwing the javelin, and was half of the city's two-time championship badminton doubles team.
In November, she scored a decisive goal to help the UW soccer team win in the first round of the NCAA championships.
One week later, she scored again - this time on ice — to salvage a tie for the UW hockey team against Ohio State.
Hockey is her first love and pays her UW scholarship, but her biggest achievement thus far may have been on grass. Last summer, she played before more than thirty thousand fans as a member of Canada's Under-19 FIFA World Cup team, which won the silver medal.
Participating in two sports, while majoring in kinesiology, might be hard for some — but not Vermeulen. "It's just kind of like being in season all the time," she says. "I love being around my teammates. I couldn't imagine going to school and not having those two families to support me."
— M.P.
— M.P.
Coach for a Day
At the Kohl Center one evening in February, as the Badger women's basketball team warmed up before a game against Michigan State, Professor William Van Deburg sat a few yards away, reflecting on what an unusual day it had been. A few hours earlier, he had sat in on a team meeting, shared in the players' pregame meal, and even lobbed passes to them during an afternoon shoot-around.
For a guy who spends most weekdays researching and teaching Afro-American history, it was all a bit extraordinary. "Usually, at two o'clock on a Thursday, I'm proofreading footnotes," he said shortly before game time. "Today, I was watching game film."
Not many people get a chance to swap their own routines for those of a student athlete. And, for that reason, the rigors of a typical college athlete's schedule aren't widely appreciated. Even Van Deburg, who has taught members of UW-Madison sports teams in his classes for nearly three decades, knew little about how student athletes spend a day — until he spent one with them.
For a guy who spends most weekdays researching and teaching Afro-American history, it was all a bit extraordinary. "Usually, at two o'clock on a Thursday, I'm proofreading footnotes," he said shortly before game time. "Today, I was watching game film."
Not many people get a chance to swap their own routines for those of a student athlete. And, for that reason, the rigors of a typical college athlete's schedule aren't widely appreciated. Even Van Deburg, who has taught members of UW-Madison sports teams in his classes for nearly three decades, knew little about how student athletes spend a day — until he spent one with them.
Van Deburg was invited by the team to serve as a "guest coach," part of a new program that offers selected faculty a chance to experience all the rites and rituals of pregame, from meetings to meals to locker-room pep talks. The program is an attempt to "build bridges between the world of academics and the world of athletics," says David Harris, the athletic department's director of academic affairs, who introduced the concept when he joined the university last fall.
"Student athletes go through a great deal in the time that they are representing the university, and it's not just on the court," he says. "We think it's a good idea to let faculty come in and see what they go through on a daily basis to meet what is expected of them."
Guest coaches are nominated by team members; in Van Deburg's case, it was Ebba Gebisa x'05, who came to know the professor during an Introduction to Afro-American History course last fall, who issued the invitation. The women's basketball team has hosted three such guest coaches this season, and the football and men's hockey teams have also participated. (The volleyball team had a similar program in place before Harris arrived.)
"Student athletes go through a great deal in the time that they are representing the university, and it's not just on the court," he says. "We think it's a good idea to let faculty come in and see what they go through on a daily basis to meet what is expected of them."
Guest coaches are nominated by team members; in Van Deburg's case, it was Ebba Gebisa x'05, who came to know the professor during an Introduction to Afro-American History course last fall, who issued the invitation. The women's basketball team has hosted three such guest coaches this season, and the football and men's hockey teams have also participated. (The volleyball team had a similar program in place before Harris arrived.)
The role requires no actual coaching — which came as good news to Van Deburg, who confesses that he might not know a pick-and-roll from a pecan roll. But it does require a healthy investment of time. For the women's seven o'clock game, the professor reported to the Kohl Center at 1:30 p.m., joining players as they prepared, mentally and physically, for the Spartans.
Van Deburg sat alongside the players as assistant coaches showed video highlights of Michigan State players, drawing attention to their tendencies, strengths, and weaknesses. During the game, he took a seat directly behind the bench, where he could hear coaches instruct and make adjustments during time-outs.
"What surprised me most is how much of a teaching-and-learning situation the whole experience is," he says. "Before the game, each player received a packet of information, specific to their opponent, that she was expected to study and learn. It's really like a specialized course on that team."
Van Deburg sat alongside the players as assistant coaches showed video highlights of Michigan State players, drawing attention to their tendencies, strengths, and weaknesses. During the game, he took a seat directly behind the bench, where he could hear coaches instruct and make adjustments during time-outs.
"What surprised me most is how much of a teaching-and-learning situation the whole experience is," he says. "Before the game, each player received a packet of information, specific to their opponent, that she was expected to study and learn. It's really like a specialized course on that team."
The program requires a lot of cooperation from coaches, who must be willing to allow access to some of the more stressful moments of their work. But every coach Harris has approached has been receptive. "It has been wonderful, because it has given all three parties — students, coaches, and professors - the chance to learn more about each other's worlds," says Jane Albright, coach of women's basketball. "It says a lot to the student athletes that these professors care enough to come and spend this much time in their world."
"Coaches want to be seen as educators who impart life lessons in character, discipline, and responsibility," adds Harris. The program allows them to show "that they care about more than just winning or losing games," he says.
Winning helps, though, and it certainly makes the behind-the-scenes experience for guest coaches more fun. Unfortunately, that didn't happen on Van Deburg's watch. The Badgers struggled to get comfortable against the favored Spartans, and ultimately lost, 58-43. Following the game, the professor sat quietly in the corner of a locker room that was heavy with the air of disappointment.
Yet even the frustration of loss can be illuminating. A few moments later, Albright faced her dejected team and asked, "Did you learn anything tonight?" It was a question that Van Deburg could appreciate. That's all any teacher can ask — that something is gained along the way.
— Michael Penn
"Coaches want to be seen as educators who impart life lessons in character, discipline, and responsibility," adds Harris. The program allows them to show "that they care about more than just winning or losing games," he says.
Winning helps, though, and it certainly makes the behind-the-scenes experience for guest coaches more fun. Unfortunately, that didn't happen on Van Deburg's watch. The Badgers struggled to get comfortable against the favored Spartans, and ultimately lost, 58-43. Following the game, the professor sat quietly in the corner of a locker room that was heavy with the air of disappointment.
Yet even the frustration of loss can be illuminating. A few moments later, Albright faced her dejected team and asked, "Did you learn anything tonight?" It was a question that Van Deburg could appreciate. That's all any teacher can ask — that something is gained along the way.
— Michael Penn
They've Got Spirit
UW's spirit squads are accustomed to leading cheers, but they had better get used to getting them, too. The Badger cheerleading and dance squads turned in shout-worthy performances at the national College Cheerleading and Dance Team Championships, finishing eighth and second, respectively, in the top university division. The championships, held in January in Orlando, Florida, also saw Bucky Badger go toe to big, furry toe with mascots from around the country. Bucky took sixth place, making Wisconsin the only Big Ten program to place in the top ten of all three competitions. And that's a performance worth cheering. "I'd say the magnitude of what we did compares to Wisconsin winning a Rose Bowl," says Zach Burnett x'04, one of the captains of the cheerleading team. "You're not the best team in the land, but you're close. It speaks volumes for the program and the traditions we are carrying on and building."
— Staff
— Staff
In Season — Track and Field
The men's team won the Big Ten last year and is coming off a strong indoor season, during which they ranked among the nation's top fifteen teams. Several athletes have a shot at qualifying for the NCAA championship races, which could help the team improve on last year's twenty-first-place finish.
Circle the dates: May 10, the Wisconsin Twilight meet (UW's only home-track date of the year); May 16-18, Big Ten championships in Minneapolis; June 11-14, NCAA championships, Sacramento,
California.
Keep an eye on: Jon Mungen x'04 (110-meter hurdles), Dan Murray x'04 (800 meters), and Isaiah Festa x'03 (5,000 meters and the steeplechase) are all defending Big Ten champions.
Think about this: The women's team is riding one of the more remarkable streaks in college sports, having won the 1,500-meter race at the Big Ten championships for sixteen straight years. Last year's champ, Bethany Brewster x'03, is back to try to keep the run going.
Circle the dates: May 10, the Wisconsin Twilight meet (UW's only home-track date of the year); May 16-18, Big Ten championships in Minneapolis; June 11-14, NCAA championships, Sacramento,
California.
Keep an eye on: Jon Mungen x'04 (110-meter hurdles), Dan Murray x'04 (800 meters), and Isaiah Festa x'03 (5,000 meters and the steeplechase) are all defending Big Ten champions.
Think about this: The women's team is riding one of the more remarkable streaks in college sports, having won the 1,500-meter race at the Big Ten championships for sixteen straight years. Last year's champ, Bethany Brewster x'03, is back to try to keep the run going.
Badger Ticker
A back-and-forth struggle that went past regulation time rewarded Badger fans who made the trip to the Alamo Bowl. Mike Allen x'05's thirty-seven-yard field goal in overtime gave Wisconsin a 31-28 victory over Colorado. Senior quarterback Brooks Bollinger made his final game a memorable one, leading the Badgers on a ten-play, eighty-yard drive in the game's waning minutes to tie the score and ensure a chance to win in overtime.
Five Badgers finished among the top forty runners at the NCAA men's cross country championships in November, boosting UW to a second place team finish. Sophomore Matt Tegenkamp led the Badgers and was twelfth overall. The women, paced by junior Hillary Edmondson's top-100 finish, placed nineteenth in the championship race.
The women's soccer team rode a late-season surge - winning five straight games before losing in the Big Ten championship match - and qualified for the NCAA championship tournament. After defeating Marquette in the opening round, UW took fifth-ranked Pepperdine to overtime before falling 2-1.
Five Badgers finished among the top forty runners at the NCAA men's cross country championships in November, boosting UW to a second place team finish. Sophomore Matt Tegenkamp led the Badgers and was twelfth overall. The women, paced by junior Hillary Edmondson's top-100 finish, placed nineteenth in the championship race.
The women's soccer team rode a late-season surge - winning five straight games before losing in the Big Ten championship match - and qualified for the NCAA championship tournament. After defeating Marquette in the opening round, UW took fifth-ranked Pepperdine to overtime before falling 2-1.
Former Badger hockey star Dany Heatley x'03 made his first appearance at the National Hockey League all-star game memorable. Heatley, who is playing in his second season for the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers, scored four goals in the all-star contest, tying a record for the event and earning the Most Valuable Player award.
