WHITEWATER, Wisc., (SPECTRUM NEWS) — The national VA wheelchair games recently came to a close with quite a few Wisconsinites placing in their events.
The national wheelchair games had to turn virtual this year due to coronavirus. This means that participants had to record their event from home and send it in to be judged. LeToi Adams, an Army veteran from Whitewater says it was quite an adjustment but she wouldn’t miss the games for anything.
Click here for the complete article in Spectrum News.
How has your experience as a Wisconsin Whitewater University Warhawks football player been?
It’s been everything I could have hoped for and more. It’s crazy to see how many close relationships I’ve developed with so many different people affiliated within the Whitewater football program.
Willow Brook Golf Course congratulates Tom Keliinoi for his hole in one on #4 on Sunday, July 5th. The Banner understands that Mr. Keliinoi lives in San Diego and was visiting family members in the Whitewater area. (If the family wishes to identify themselves, please email whitewaterbanner@gmail.com.)
According to this website, the odds of an amateur golfer making a hole in one are about 12,500 to 1. The staff member that the Banner spoke with at Willow Brook indicated that she had heard it had been “a long time” since a golfer had made a hole in one on their course.
By Jeff Angileri Director of University Communications, UW-W angilerj@uww.edu
Warhawk summers are for campers. When people visit the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater this time of year, they normally see thousands of kids engaged in activities at the laboratories, athletic fields, dorms and computer labs. Learning and laughter are everywhere. And then the global pandemic hit.
In our new normal, those special summertime traditions have evolved. The campers and the learning and the laughter are happening in new ways, thanks to a little Warhawk willpower. In the UW-Whitewater Camps and Conferences office, people are making memories —and they aren’t letting a pandemic stand in the way.
One of those online camps is a football skills camp for young quarterbacks created by Warhawk Football Offensive Coordinator and Quarterback Coach Peter Jennings.
“We were tasked to see if we could bridge the gap between a live camp and no camp at all. I talked to Coach Bullis and staff,” said Jennings, referring to Warhawk Football Head Coach Kevin Bullis. “I talked to my wife, and the idea began to come together and I started to think, ‘Hey, this could actually be really pretty good!’”
Jennings was off and running with a keeper. He designed the camp for two age groups: high school players on Tuesdays and youth (grades 1-8) on Thursdays. Campers poured in, attracted by online marketing, a seemingly one-of-a-kind program and the national profile of the six-time national champion Warhawk football program. Most campers joined from Wisconsin and Illinois, but Jennings has seen registrations from Iowa, Minnesota, Wyoming and Florida.
On camp days at 4 p.m., Jennings goes from his home in Whitewater to the basement of the Berezowitz Student Athletic Complex on campus. He plugs his laptop into a projector, and his campers — about 25 of them per session — appear from their homes on a projector screen. Jennings then places his cell phone into a holder rigged to a length of plastic pipe and taped to a chair, for height.
“There are a lot of uses for athletic tape other than taping ankles,” he said.
The camera points toward a space — also marked with athletic tape — from which Jennings demonstrates throws, fakes, fades, hip movement, footwork and all the other nuances of quarterbacking. In every session he teaches fundamentals of throwing, and he adds a new application or emphasis each time.
“I give them a drill, I teach them the drill, I explain why we’re doing the drill,” said Jennings. “I blow a whistle and they go do that movement. And so I am watching them live, and I just go through and I can say ‘Hey Bobby, great work’; ‘Jimmy, we gotta focus a little more on rotation’; ‘Tommy, nice job.’”
“Then I blow my whistle. I bring them back to the screen and I give them another drill to do and give them the why and the how for that drill, blow my whistle and give them corrections for that drill. We do that for an hour.”
Jennings credits his wife, Kim, for telling him to use the whistle and for valuable feedback as he thought about how to teach the campers. The Jennings have two young children of their own — Mara, 6, and Ben, 7.
“She was the one who said ‘Use the whistle. It’s going to make it more authentic and it’s going to be loud enough to bring kids back and forth.’ She said I should get it into as large an area as possible for myself,” added Jennings. “Being able to go over to the Berezowitz Student Athletic Complex and utilize that basement has been awesome. She helped me tailor it to something that has become pretty successful.”
Jennings said the experience has been a game changer in some unforeseen ways for everyone involved. He can’t be there in person to lift a camper’s elbow or show a camper how to turn a shoulder correctly, so he’s refined his teaching skills. He thinks about precise, descriptive language in ways that will have lasting benefits.
And then there are the campers and the moms, dads, sisters, brothers and friends who catch the balls for campers and record the campers for Jennings to see in real time.
“People are hungry to get to some sense of normalcy,” said Jennings. “Showing up virtually and throwing a football with your dad or your mom feels normal for these kids. And it feels normal for the parents. And that’s huge.”
“The fact that these kids are getting better (as players), that’s icing on the cake,” he added. “This is something that feels right. It feels like a normal summer, and maybe that’s more important than anything.”
The current round of online quarterback skill camps has ended. Information on future camps and the many programs offered by UW-Whitewater Camps and Conferences can be found uww.edu/ce.
And so remember these days, these days of summer. And remember a few words from the legendary Green Bay Packers Coach Lombardi: “The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have.”
Courtesy of Matt Amundson, who said, “I put this together as I’m sure everyone is starved for some sports content 🙂 It appears that everyone was so excited to see baseball again that no one took any pictures.”
On Wednesday, July 8th the Whitewater 12 & Under baseball teams faced each other at Treyton’s Field of Dreams in Starin Park with Whitewater Red defeating Whitewater Grey 9-8 in a fun baseball game amongst future Whippets. The Red team had a big first inning taking a 6-1 lead but the Grey team chipped away and eventually took an 8-6 lead heading into the bottom of the 5th inning. The Grey team was bolstered by a strong pitching performance from Caleb Jagodinski who struck out 8 batters over 3 innings. A bases-loaded walk off double by Ty Bucholtz ended the game in the Red team’s favor. Leading hitters for the Grey team were Caleb Jagodzinski with a double and 2 runs batted in and Evan Amundson with 2 singles and 2 runs batted in. Leading the way for the Red team were Lucas Jacob and Ty Bucholtz who each had 3 hits including a double by both. Lucas added 2 runs batted in while Ty had 5.
The UW-W football team has been ranked first in the nation by College Football America Yearbook in the publication’s NCAA Division III Preseason Poll.
#2 – Mount Union #3 – Defending National Champion North Central (IL) #4 – University of Mary Hardin-Baylor #5 – Wheaton (IL)
UMHB was ranked fourth as a team in the magazine’s preseason ranking. Wisconsin-Whitewater was picked #1 by the publication. Mount Union was picked second and defending national champion North Central (Ill.) was picked third. Wheaton (Ill.) rounded out the magazine’s top five.
From the Daily Jefferson County Union: “Like most major league baseball players, Ben Heller cannot wait until the start of the 2020 season, abbreviated as it is due to the coronavirus pandemic.
When the season does officially start, the former Whitewater High School standout will be in his fourth year with one of the most storied franchises in all of professional sports—the New York Yankees.
The hard-throwing right-handed relief pitcher was among 58 players—33 of them pitchers—invited to participate in the New York team’s summer camp. He explained how the Yankees are doing their best to limit the amount of players at one time at the camp, which is being held inside Yankee Stadium.”
For the complete story in the Daily Union, assuming you’re able to get past the paywall, click here.
For a Youtube with Ben discussing his first major leagues win, in 2016, click here.
Per the LaCrosse Tribune, “Former record-setting UW-La Crosse quarterback Evan Lewandowski has found a new home. Only this time it’s with a conference rival.
The Lake Zurich, Ill. native announced Monday via Twitter he was transferring to WIAC foe UW-Whitewater:
“Change of plans … I’m headed to Whitewater.”
Lewandowski had originally committed to the University of Maryland on May 1 where transfer rules would have required him to sit out for one academic year. He stayed enrolled at UW-L through last year’s Spring semester. But Maryland recently added prized Alabama quarterback transfer Taulia Tagovailoa, who is the brother of Miami Dolphins and former Alabama star Tua Tagovailoa. With senior Josh Jackson and prized sophomore Lance LeGendre already in the mix, it suddenly became a crowded quarterback room.
The Eagles nearly pulled off the upset against Whitewater, but fell 21-17 on the road to the then No. 3 Warhawks.
Last season after the Eagles nearly pulled off an upset against UW-W, Whitewater coach Kevin Bullis said, “That young man can sling a football. There were times when the ball was going 30 yards down the field, but wouldn’t get six feet off the ground.”
For the complete article in the Tribune, click here.
Per the Wisconsin State Journal, “The WIAA says it isn’t considering moving any fall sports to the spring sports season or flipping sports seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Any such change would require WIAA Board of Control approval.
WIAA director of communications Todd Clark said Monday the WIAA has “entertained a number of scenarios and considerations” among many informal discussions during the pandemic.
“However, at this time, we have not spent any serious staff time and discussion on the executing a plan to flip seasons,” Clark wrote in an email. “It’s a topic that can always be discussed. Of course, anything considered will need Board of Control review and approval.”
Wisconsin-Whitewater pass rusher Mackenzie Balanganayi recently sat down with NFL Draft Diamonds writer Justin Berendzen. Check it out by clicking here!
1.What do you hope to accomplish if you make it into the NFL?
Well, first and foremost I want to be the best player I can be. I know wherever I end up I’ll start at the bottom of the food chain. But I hope to work my way up to being one of the best. I’m still a relatively new player to the game and I feel like I can learn so much more at the next level.
5. How has your experience as a Wisconsin Whitewater Warhawks player been?
It has surpassed my expectations so far. I came into the program very weary and unsure of what my role would be on the team. I was also anxious about the type of people I would meet on the squad. God willing everything worked out for the best. I’ve met some lifelong friends and I have improved immensely as a football player.
