Whitewater 89 vs Delavan-Darien 80

After 216 days with no competition for any Whitewater sport teams, the Girls Swim team was ready to race hard against Delavan-Darien.  The girls beat Delavan-Darien 89-80 with a strong group effort. The girls were very excited to get in and compete!  Leading the way by 18 seconds in the 200 Medley Relay was the team of Sophia Fanshaw, Ella Houwers, Grace Foucault and Amber Krebs.  Other first place finishes from the meet include Ella Houwers in the 200 Individual Medley and 100 Breaststroke, Sophia Fanshaw in the 50 Freestyle, Grace Foucault in the 100 Butterfly and 100 Backstroke, Amber Krebs in the 500 Freestyle and our 400 Freestyle relay of Amber Krebs, Karime Velazquez, Brooke Bazeley and Ella Houwers.

Sophomore Brooke Bazeley swam well in what is considered some of the tougher races.  Brooke scored great points for the team with her 3^rd place finishes in both the 200 Individual Medley and 500 Freestyle.  Brooke also had to lead off the 200 Freestyle relay immediately after finishing the 500 Freestyle and posted a 29.54 in that relay.

Our newcomers really did an outstanding job after only 8 practices to gain knowledge and experience.  Vicki Ramirez earned many points with her ability to swim all 4 strokes well and raced particularly well in the 100 Butterfly and 100 Breaststroke.  Trinity Nickels took on the 500 Freestyle in her first meet as a Whippet and swam an incredibly well paced race that earned points for the team. Aileen Perez showed great improvement in just one week by dropping a whopping 25 seconds in the 50 Freestyle; this is one determined swimmer!  Skylar Staebler not only raced the Varsity 100 Freestyle, but was able to score points with her strong performance.

Returning swimmers Ashly Xochipa, Josie Treder, Karime Velazquez and Ella Smith helped add depth to our team with their prior experience and willingness to push through pain.  Ashly continued right where she left off last year posting a lifetime best time in the 100 Backstroke to score points for the team. Josie Treder finished especially strong in the 100 Breaststroke and 100 Freestyle on the 400 Freestyle relay which earned some very important points to help us secure the win. Karime Velazquez had an outstanding night with her performances in the 200 Freestyle and 100 Butterfly swimming right on her best times from last year.  Ella Smith pushed through the 200 IM to earn some much needed points for the Whippets in addition to her 100 Freestyle.  Having these veterans ready to race with knowledge from previous years was a huge part of our win tonight.

It was truly a great first meet. I am very proud of these girls and can’t wait to see what we can do in our next meet with a little more time in the pool.

Article Submitted by Coach Gina Foucault

(Fort HealthCare Press Release) – Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Fort HealthCare wanted to offer the community heart-healthy activities that could be done safely with the entire family, with physical distancing in place. During the summer of 2020, Fort HealthCare implemented the Summer Virtual 5k Run Series. This free series included four different “races” that were held one time per month between June and September. Participants completed a virtual 5k —meaning, they walked or ran 3.1 miles on a course that they chose or completed by treadmill. Once completed, they submitted their time and were put on a virtual leaderboard that tracked their overall place compared to all participants.

The summer series started as a single virtual 5k event over Memorial Day weekend. After over 100 participants registered and completed the race, the momentum and success of the event convinced Fort HealthCare’s Community Health and Wellness Team to create an entire series of races throughout the summer. Three races fell on unofficial/official holiday weekends (Summer Solstice, Fourth of July, and Labor Day) and the final race in August was slated as the “Dog Days of Summer” race.

Tiffany Pernat, Fort HealthCare Worksite Wellness Specialist, reflects, “Participants were also given a free Team Fort HealthCare T-shirt if they completed all four races as a fun incentive for participating. While the T-shirt was a great motivation for some, as completion emails came through, it became apparent that the event was also giving people important motivation and encouragement toward living healthier lifestyles, and in some cases, even courage, to step outside of their comfort zone and so something they’ve never tried before.”

Bob Head, a four-race finisher, wrote to Fort HealthCare, “This event truly made an impact on me. It kept me challenged and accountable. I can’t thank you enough! It’s made a huge impact on my life. These were the first 5ks I ever had the courage to sign-up for.”

Pernat continues, “Many of the participants during this challenge were from the same family or friend group, and we also had many who completed the entire challenge together.”

Area resident, Kati Wetzel, and her daughter, Lydia, completed all four races, and she notes, “I can guarantee we would not have run these this summer without the Virtual 5k Series, and the lure of a free T-shirt! Thank you!”

The final completion numbers for each race were as follows:

• June: 138 race completions
• July: 128 race completions
• August: 124 race completions
• September: 113 race completions

A total of 503 individuals completed a virtual 5k over the course of the summer series.

In addition to the individual event completions, there were 98 participants that completed all four races. They are: Amie Ramczyk, Angie Adler, April Findlay, Ashlyn Rulis, Barbara Schmitt, Becky Bohn, Bly Kramer, Bob Head, Brian Sullivan, Bringa Johnson, Cari Polodna, Carol Combs, Cassidy Sampson, Cecilia Smoniewski, Christopher Eiden, Dani Miller, Dani Saltz, Debby Kitsembel, Donald Schmitt, Ebee Voth, Erin Romagna, Erin Topp, Hannah Baldry, Heather Evenson, Heather Haywood, Jeff Helgestad, Jeff Kawleski, Jena Lenz, Jenna Loomans, Jennifer Kawleski, Jennifer Tanis, Jenny Schmitt, Jesse Brandt, Jessica Kozak, Jessica Krause, Joann Helgestad, Jody Mack, Joely Mack, Julia Neppl, Julie Kusel, Julie Schmocker, Kaity Schmear, Kateri Kawleski, Katherine Gorman, Kati Wetzel, Katy Schaefer, Kelly Eiden, Kierah Findlay, Kiernan Kawleski, Krista O’Dell, Kristen McCulloch, Laura Walker, Lauren Mayer, Laurie Linberts, Laurie McGowan, Libby Krause, Liesl Kemmeter, Lindsay Poeppel, Lisa Jensen, Lisa Kvalheim, Lisa Weber, Lydia Wetzel, Madalyn Kawleski, Mark Mack, Martha Ketterman, Mary Heagney, Melissa Overhouse, Michelle Heagney, Mike Cole, Minerva Ramirez, Misty Renz-Sanchez, Morgan Brandt, Morgan Pinzer, Nicole Mepham, Niki Lenz, Nikki Storm, Owen Geiger, Patti Linse, Penny Sullivan, Rebecca Cole, Rebecca Uecker,vRenee Wesenberg, Rob Wiesmann, Ryan Pernat, Sarah Elsner, Sarah Pagenkopf, Sean Walker, Shamika Ross, Sherri Elsner, Stephanie Nottestad, Suzi Koehn, Tammy Nelson, Tanya Geiger, Tara Miller, Tiffany Pernat, TJ Walker, Traci Wilson, and Tracy Apkarian.

Winter Virtual 5K Series

Due to the success of the Summer Virtual 5k Series, Fort HealthCare is excited to offer a Winter 5k Series that will begin in October and finish in February of 2021. A total of six FREE virtual races will be offered. Races will be offered one time per month, with two races in November. Once registered, participants can select a day, time and route to run during the race timeline and complete their 3.1 miles. Once completed, they are encouraged to submit proof of completion to Fort HealthCare via email, and their time will be recorded.

As an incentive, each race that is completed will equal one entry into a Grand Prize Drawing that will take place in February 2021, after the series is completed. Participants that complete all six races will receive six drawing entries. All ages are encouraged to participate and eligible to win the prize.

Participants of all ages are encouraged to register in as many races as they’d like to during the series. Interested individuals can register at FortHealthCare.com/Virtual5K. More information and instructions about how to participate in the event can be found on the online registration page. If using social media to share progress and positivity, players are invited to use the hashtag #HealthiestHereWeCome in their posts and to tag @FortHealthCare.

Whitewater Youth Basketball Traveling Club (WWTYBC) is looking for girls from 4th-8th grades interested in playing basketball this year. Badger Developmental League (BDL) starts at the beginning of January and goes until the end of March of 2021. Practice would begin during the first week of December. There are no definite times or dates for a start as of now. The league is looking for a number of how many will participate for each grade level in the community. BDL wants an idea of what they will have for teams when the league starts. There will be no fee for play until we know more about what is going to happen with the league. We need to know a yes or a no. Unfortunately, a maybe will be considered a no.  This is not ideal but this is what BDL is asking for.  We are only opening registration through Whitewater Park and Rec until next week Wednesday, Sept. 16.   Once teams are solidified, a player fee and uniform order will be arranged.  WWTYBC needs and appreciates your cooperation, patience and understanding during these times. If you have any questions, please email wwytbc@gmail.com.