Feature Article from The Whitewater Press - Holiday / Winter 2010  www.thewhitewaterpress.com

by Alex Wolf - Sports Intern in the SID Office @ UW-W

Alex Wolf grew up in Little Chute, Wisconsin and is a Junior at UW-Whitewater, majoring in Journalism (sports). He has two jobs, one with Tom Fick in the sports information office (2nd year) and also works at the Jefferson County Daily Union as a sports intern. This is his second year with the Union.
Alex’s love? Wisconsin sports, of course! It’s sports that has driven him to be a sports writer, regardless of what the economy is like and especially the newspaper business. He is minoring in Multimedia in case newspapers go completely online, he will have experience with online multimedia.

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In the past few years, UW-Whitewater athletics has established itself as one of the powerhouses in all of Division III.  It takes a lot of work to become a very successful school all-around, and to maintain this status, it will take just as much work, too.

The Warhawks’ success can be based on the athletes and coaches yes, but there is much more to it than that. It’s the little things that count, including the facilities located here, the large amount of staff members, athletic/strength coordinators, they all get overlooked.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the individuals on our staff that support the day-to-day operations of our athletic department. From our facility managers, athletic trainers, strength and conditioning coaches, to our game-day management, sports information and administration...it’s really a holistic approach toward building on the student-athlete experience,” said Athletic Director Dr. Paul Plinkse. “These people truly care about what they do and who they do it for. They work tirelessly and get very little credit. They put in countless hours and truly make UW-Whitewater a great place.”

Student-athletes come to UW-Whitewater because of the top notch facilities it has to offer, including the weight room, the multiple gymnasiums, the field house, offices, etc.  Outside facilities are often overlooked too, especially the hard work that goes into maintaining these fields.   John Betz, who is in charge of the outdoor facilities, is a big part of the reason why UW-Whitewater maintains their high status.

“John works tirelessly to ensure that our outdoor sports complex is the best in the country,” said Plinske.  “He is also especially concerned about the needs of others, his passion for his work is evident on a daily basis and he truly gives 110% every day to make Whitewater a better place for all.”

The grade point average for student-athletes at UW-Whitewater is just over a 3.0, something the athletic department is happy about, including Amy Edmonds, the assistant athletic director of compliance and student services and senior woman administrator. Edmonds sets up study tables for student-athletes, because the student comes before the athlete.,

“Athletics met with the Director of Tutorial services to see how we could work together to encourage our student-athletes to visit the center more often,” said Edmonds. “Our goal as an athletic department is for each of our 700 student-athletes to maintain or achieve a 3.0 or higher in their majors by the time they graduate.  Tutorial services are one of the many services on campus that can help our students succeed.”

So far the goals have been met: teams are competing on a national level and students are maintaining what they need to in the classroom. Athletes and coaches can’t do it alone. The work of these staff members make the experiences good for the athletes and allow them to perform at very high levels week in and week out. It’s the small things that really count and it’s what drives UW-Whitewater to be a powerhouse in Division III sports.  In the meantime, if you want to keep up with UW-W intercollegiate athletics visit us on the web at www.uwwsports.com

Note: For great pictures of the people and facilities @ UW-W Sports, read this article on the web edition found above on The Whitewater Press tab.