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‘Very driven, very motivated:’ UW-Whitewater football program excited for alum Jake Kumerow in NFL Playoffs

From WTMJ Radio: “It’s not easy making the jump from Division III football to the NFL, but Packers wide receiver and Wisconsin-Whitewater alumnus Jake Kumerow is doing just that.”

“Kumerow’s success on the pro level isn’t lost on the program he helped lead to two national championships.”

“A lot of times people think when they go to Division III well [the NFL] is not going to be a chance anymore,” said Kevin Bullis, current head football coach at Wisconsin-Whitewater. “Jake never let that even be a thought in his head.”

For the complete story from WTMJ, click here.

Fort Community Credit Union Announces $10,000 in Scholarship Money for the 2019-20 School Year

Fort Community Credit Union has announced that they will be awarding $10,000 in scholarship money for the 2019-2020 school year. Five current high school seniors heading off to a 4-year university or a 2-year technical or trade school in the fall, will be selected to receive $2,000. Reflecting the mission statement of FCCU, “To help our members be in a better financial position than when we met them,” the scholarship program was designed in 2018 to help their members achieve their educational dreams.

To be considered for a scholarship, the student must meet the following criteria:

• Be the primary owner of an active account (savings or checking) at Fort Community Credit Union for a minimum of 3 months. Current FCCU staff, directors and scholarship committee members and their immediate family members are not eligible.

• Be enrolled in a Jefferson, Walworth, Rock, Dodge, Dane or Waukesha County high school. Students participating in a home-based educational program, privately operated correspondence or virtual school must reside in the qualifying counties listed above. Applicants attending these programs must also provide proof of enrollment with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction for the 2018-2019 school year, ACT or SAT scores, and any records relating to curriculum and academic progress.

• Be eligible for graduation at the end of the 2019-2020 school year.

• Applications must be submitted online by March 1st, 2020 along with the high school transcript through first semester senior year and a letter of recommendation from a non-related teacher, coach, school administrator, community member or employer.

To apply online, please visit the ‘Planning & Tools’ section on the FCCU website. All applications, transcripts, and letters of recommendation are due no later than March 1, 2020.

About FCCU: Established in 1940, FCCU is a member-owned financial cooperative open to anyone living or working in Dane, Dodge, Jefferson, Rock, Walworth or Waukesha counties, any employee of this credit union and any member of the immediate family of any other eligible person. Fort Community holds over $260 million in assets and has more than 21,000 members. For more information, visit fortcommunity.com or call (920)563-7305

WHS Gymnastics First Dual Meet; Parents Night!

Halee Peters

The Whitewater High School Gymnastics Team had their first dual meet of the season on Tuesday, January 7th against Jefferson at Whitewater High School. The gymnasts had many individual improvements placing some individuals in the top three varsity spots. The highlights of the dual meet included Halee Peters placing third in the Vault scoring a 7.95, third on the Balance Beam scoring a 7.3, second in the Uneven Bars scoring a season high of 7.3, and second in the All-Around scoring a 29.75. Jenna Caldwell also had a successful meet placing third in the Uneven Bars scoring a 6.95 and scoring a season high and personal best on the Floor exercise with a 7.5. Anna Ejnik had a stellar Floor routine scoring a personal best of 8.05 placing her into second place. Maddy Donnelly scored a personal best on the floor exercise scoring a 6.35 along with Brenda Aguilar scoring a personal best on the Balance Beam with a 6.25. Caleigh Yang competed All-Around for the first time this season scoring a 24.30. For many of our JV competitors it was their first competition of the season and they all did incredibly well. Ashly Xochipa placed second in the Vault scoring a 6.6 and third on the Balance Beam. The JV team consisted of Brooke Bazeley and Julit Feit. Kaylee Fell who is our team manager kept track of all scores and was a great help at the meet. The next gymnastics invitational is on Saturday January 25th at Southwestern High School. Come on out and support your Whippet athletes!

Dorothy Louise Nelson, 86, of Whitewater passed away on Monday, January 6, 2020.

Dorothy Louise Nelson, 86, of Whitewater passed away on Monday, January 6, 2020  at Fairhaven Retirement Community.

Dorothy was born on January 26, 1934 to Harold W. Trewyn and Blanche Louise Zimmerman. She was a graduate of College High in 1951 and remained close friends with many from her small class.  Dorothy married Lawrence F. Nelson, M.D. in 1955 and together they had 3 children, Lori, Ryan and Lynn.  She was the devoted longtime secretary for the Congregational United Church of Christ in Whitewater. 

Dorothy was a world-traveler; her photo albums are replete with pictures and mementos from her many adventures with family and her best friend, Donna Stevenson. 

Survivors include her children, Lori Nelson-Schmidt, Whitewater, Ryan Nelson, Bellingham, WA and Lynn Miller, Fort Atkinson. Grandchildren include Megan (Schmidt) Milgrim, Anthony Schmidt, Kelli Miller, and Annie Nelson. Dorothy is also survived by one brother, Ron Trewyn (Marcia) of Manhattan, KS. 

Dorothy is preceded in death by her parents and sister, Nancy (Trewyn) Prosser.

A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, January 14, 2020 at the Congregational United Church of Christ in Whitewater, WI. Visitation will take place from 3 p.m. until the time of services at the church.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Fairhaven Retirement Community in Whitewater.

Nitardy Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.

www.nitardyfuneralhome.com

Men’s Basketball on 1/4/20: UW-Eau Claire 66, UW-Whitewater 59

Official Basketball Box Score

Official Basketball Box Score
Wis.-Whitewater vs Wis.-Eau Claire
1/4/20 5:00 PM at Zorn Arena

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VISITORS: Wis.-Whitewater 5-7, 0-1
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
05 Kale, Bailey........ *  5-11   1-1    0-0    0  2  2   1  11  4  0  0  2  37
11 Conaghan, Brian..... *  1-3    0-2    0-0    0  1  1   3   2  0  1  0  1  14
23 Ards, Equan......... *  5-11   0-1    5-8    1  6  7   2  15  3  4  0  3  33
24 Brahm, Jack......... *  1-2    0-0    1-4    1  5  6   1   3  1  1  0  0  29
25 Jensen, Riley....... *  4-6    0-0    0-0    3  0  3   3   8  1  0  1  0  26
03 Burks, James........    5-6    0-1    1-2    0  2  2   3  11  0  3  0  0  16
12 Fox, James..........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0  0+
21 Gates, Austin.......    0-2    0-1    0-0    2  2  4   2   0  0  2  0  0  19
33 Chislom, Trevon.....    3-5    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   3   6  0  1  0  0   9
34 Martinez, Rocky.....    1-4    1-2    0-0    1  0  1   0   3  0  1  0  0  17
   Team................                         1  2  3             2
   Totals..............   25-50   2-8    7-14   9 20 29  18  59  9 15  1  6 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 10-25 40.0%   2nd Half: 15-25 60.0%   Game: 50.0%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  2-6  33.3%   2nd Half:  0-2   0.0%   Game: 25.0%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  7-11 63.6%   2nd Half:  0-3   0.0%   Game: 50.0%   0,3


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HOME TEAM: Wis.-Eau Claire 10-2, 1-0
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
03 Spencer Page........ *  5-12   3-7    0-0    0  2  2   2  13  2  3  0  1  36
20 Cole Rabedeaux...... * 10-14   1-2    2-4    0  1  1   4  23  4  2  0  2  30
22 Blake Wacholz....... *  0-0    0-0    3-4    0  3  3   0   3  2  2  1  1  32
23 Cam Kuepers......... *  2-6    1-1    3-4    1  1  2   4   8  0  2  0  1  32
24 Carter Brooks....... *  4-6    1-3    2-2    0  4  4   1  11  2  1  1  0  30
05 Clay Kujawa.........    2-2    0-0    1-2    0  3  3   1   5  0  0  0  0  13
30 Adam Link...........    0-2    0-2    0-0    0  2  2   2   0  0  0  0  0  10
34 Luke Reader.........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  0  0  0  0   8
40 Brock Voigt.........    1-1    0-0    1-2    0  4  4   2   3  1  0  1  0   7
50 Luke Pannier........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   2
   Team................                         1  1  2             1
   Totals..............   24-43   6-15  12-18   2 21 23  17  66 11 11  3  5 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half:  9-22 40.9%   2nd Half: 15-21 71.4%   Game: 55.8%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  2-8  25.0%   2nd Half:  4-7  57.1%   Game: 40.0%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  5-8  62.5%   2nd Half:  7-10 70.0%   Game: 66.7%   0,2


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officials: Jeff Lewis, Thaddeaus Hillard, Tom Turkes
Technical fouls: Wis.-Whitewater-None. Wis.-Eau Claire-None.
Attendance: 742
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
Wis.-Whitewater...............   29   30  -   59
Wis.-Eau Claire...............   25   41  -   66

6 Candidates for 6 Seats in the Local Spring Election

The following individuals have filed to appear on the April 7 ballot for the Whitewater Unified School District Board: Thayer Coburn, Casey Judd, and Steven Ryan.

The following individuals have filed to appear on the April 7 ballot for the City of Whitewater Common Council: AD 2 – Matthew Schulgit; AD 4 – Lynn Binnie; and Councilmember at Large – Jim Allen.

It is expected that the only race on the February 18 primary ballot will be for State Supreme Court Justice.

Ferradermis Kicks off New Season as FIRST Robotics Unveils Game for 2020

Current Ferradermis members, their mentors, and a few of their alumni traveled to Mukwonago High School on Saturday, January 4, for the 2020 FIRST Robotics season kickoff joining host Team #930, the Mukwonago BEARs; Team #5976, the CyberSaders from Catholic Memorial; Team #6421, the WarriorBOTS from Muskego; and Rookie Team #8002, The Knack from Lake Country School.

The game for the season, Infinite Recharge, was unveiled worldwide with a series of videos between 10 and 11 a.m. The main game piece this year is a 7-inch playground ball known as a Power Cell. Teams score points by shooting the Power Cells into their various Power Ports, rotating and holding the position of a colored wheel known as the Control Panel, and hanging from and potentially leveling the Shield Generator structure by hanging multiple robots from the same bar.

  • A Cardboard Mock-up of a Field Element Helped Guide Discussion
  • Five Teams Attended Kickoff at Mukwonago High School

After the unveil, teams spent the rest of the day digesting the rules of the game and planning their strategy for game play. Ferradermis’ ultimate season goal they kept in mind while planning is winning a regional event and qualifying for the World Championships for the third straight year.

The team now has approximately 7 weeks to design, build, wire, and program their robot before their first competition at the Northern Lights Regional in Duluth from March 4 – 7. Different this year is the absence of a “bag and tag” day; teams no longer have to seal their robot and cease work at a designated time.

To view the game animation video (explanation of the game) for Infinite Recharge, visit https://youtu.be/gmiYWTmFRVE   

UW-W Women’s Basketball (#19) Defeats Eau Claire 67-41 in Ninth Straight Win to Open WIAC Play

Warhawks Win Ninth Straight to Open WIAC Play

The No. 19 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women’s basketball team overcame a slow start with a 25-point second quarter and a big run in the third Saturday, January 4 to defeat UW-Eau Claire 67-41 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener for both teams at Kachel Gymnasium.

The Warhawks (11-1 overall, 1-0 WIAC), who extended their active win streak to nine games, shot 68.8 percent (11-of-16) in the second quarter and 64.3 percent (9-of-14) in the third to overcome a 3-for-16 start in the first quarter.

UW-Whitewater forced 21 turnovers and held the Blugolds to 28.6 percent shooting for the contest.

Sophomore guard Veronica Kieres paced a group of four players in double figures for the Warhawks with 14 points to go along with a team-best seven rebounds. Senior guard Becky Raeder posted 11 points and three assists, junior guard Rebekah Schumacher totaled 11 points, four rebounds and three assists, and sophomore guard Yssa Sto. Domingo registered 11 points, four rebounds and a career-high seven assists.

UW-Eau Claire (5-6, 0-1) scored the first four points of the game, and UW-Whitewater finally got on the board on a 3-pointer by Sto. Domingo with 3:59 on the clock in the first quarter and started an 8-0 UW-W run. The two teams were tied by the end of the quarter.

The Blugolds grabbed a 14-12 advantage at the 7:43 mark of the second quarter. The Warhawks responded with a 10-0 spurt that included back-to-back 3-pointers by Sto. Domingo and Raeder.

UW-Whitewater built its lead to double digits on a layup by Sto. Domingo with 3:41 left, and junior guard Rebekah Schumacher made it an 11-point game just under a minute later with a 3-pointer.

Sophomore guard Veronica Kieres gave the Warhawks their largest lead of the first half, 33-20, on a layup with 1:29 to go in the half.

UW-Eau Claire drew to within six points at the 5:54 mark of the third quarter. From there, UW-Whitewater scored 16 straight points until a Blugold bucket in the waning moments of the period and held a 55-35 advantage heading to the fourth.

Raeder extended the Warhawks’ lead to 25 by the midway point of the fourth quarter on a layup. A pair of Kieres free throws with 2:53 remaining gave the team its largest lead to that point.

UW-Whitewater returns to action Wednesday, January 8 at 7 p.m. against UW-Stevens Point on Whitewater Community Night at Kachel Gymnasium.

UW-W/Community Optimist Club Expands the Mitten Tree Project

The Whitewater area community was more than generous in donating needed items to the annual UW-W/Community Optimist Club Mitten Tree Project. There were enough items donated that Rick Fassl, co-chair of the project, contacted Whitewater Police Chief, Aaron Raap, to see if our local police squad cars could use some extra hats and mittens since they are often the first on the scene of traumatic events. Chief Raap consulted with his staff and was delighted when, on Dec. 31, 2019, Rick and Jeanine Fassl were able to deliver 10 sets of hats and mittens to add to each of the City’s 10 squad cars for use in case of emergencies.

Whippet Girls Down Edgerton 50-48

The Whippet Girls’ Basketball Team resumed conference play at Edgerton on Friday, January 3 — and squeezed out a victory, 50-48.

Kacie Carollo led the Whippet scoring with 14 including two 3’s. Second in scoring was Brianna Zimdars with 13 including 6 of 7 from the free-throw stripe.

  • Brianna Zimdars
  • Kacie Carollo

Whitewater is now in a three-way tie for third place in the 10 team Rock Valley Conference with a record of 4-3.

Photos and comments submitted by Bob Mischka.