As temperatures start to drop, so do the days remaining on the fall sports calendar. Nearing the end, UW-Whitewater has plenty of teams in tight postseason chases. Football, volleyball, co-ed soccer, and co-ed tennis are all looking to extend their seasons. This time of year, the going gets a little tough. Days get shorter and games are more important than ever. Teams need to find a reason to stick together. Whether it be team bonding, or a tradition started long ago, teams have certain rituals they rely on to build chemistry. Whitewater prides itself as being “powered by tradition” so there are plenty of traditions throughout Warhawk athletics.
For one, Warhawk football has many traditions they do as a team. The seniors know them best, having been a part of the program for a while, some all four years. The big tradition that occurs weekly at Perkins Stadium happens on the visitor side, home to a giant rock.
“Our slogan is pound the rock,” senior wide receiver Steven Hein said. “That means getting one percent better every day.”
What the team will do is every Thursday after their practice, head coach Jace Rindahl picks one player from each position group that stood out that week in practice.
“He’ll call their names out and everyone hypes them up. They’ll take this big sledgehammer and put a pair of goggles on and swing the sledgehammer and hit the rock. That’s kind of our physical pound the rock,” Hein said.
They also partake in team dinners at Drumlin Dining Hall the night before the game, followed by a visit to an auditorium on campus where the team has a little fun.
“We’ll do a karaoke night, put someone on the hot seat and just ask them questions, and then pick a movie to watch,” Hein said. “It’s all about getting closer as a team.”
Getting closer is instrumental to having a successful program for any sport. It is a way to meet your teammates and be comfortable around each other. A great way to build team chemistry and have that when the going gets tough.
Tennis seniors Payton Adkisson and Sarah Ferguson both enter their fourth year as Warhawk women’s tennis players. The women have gotten a head start on the men’s team, starting play in the fall. The men will not start the head to head matches of their season until the spring, but they are still practicing together. Meanwhile, the two 2024 tennis squads are getting to know each other more off the courts.
“I’d say this year, out of all four years so far, the guys and girls team is getting together more, which obviously the teams are getting to know each other better but it just helps the overall dynamic,” Adkisson said.
Additionally, the teams do have their own traditions they do. For the men, they will get together and watch a game, just something relaxing to do as a squad.
“Everyone gets together and hangs out and you just have a good connection,” Adkisson said.
“We see each other all the time. It’s usually outside of practice. Normally the guys will start something, and then they’ll say, ‘come over, let’s all hang out,’” Ferguson said.
Being comfortable around those you see often is definitely a positive to build on. It’s a way for teammates to be closer and for more people to connect. It helps both teams stick together. But that isn’t the only gathering the two teams do. Prior to the start of the fall season, both teams collectively host a UW-Whitewater current and alumni tennis player bar-b-que.
The women’s team has a game-day superstition before the first ball is even served.
“The girls huddle up in a circle and we all put our right foot in. We cheer each other on, hype each other up. We say ‘do your thing. We’re better,’” Ferguson said.
Whether it’s weekly traditions, small get-togethers, or anything in between, they all help a team stay connected. Having the lore to lean on when the season is nearing its end can help push a squad to make a playoff run. UW-Whitewater sports have a great history, and clearly, they live up to the powered by tradition mantra that helps them along the way.
