It seems there is a sense on this campus that if you are admitted to this university, you are in turn permitted to call yourself a Badger fan. Many seem to think that season tickets to football games and knowing what comes first, a fast or slow-motion wave, allows you to enter the halls of Badger fandom.
So, maybe you do know more than the average drunk in section K about the football team. But, while the football team is the pride and joy, as well as the lifeblood of the University of Wisconsin, there is more to being a Badger fan than simply knowing what goes on between the end zones.
If you haven't done so already, open your eyes. While the Badger football team ended their regular season in disappointment for the second consecutive season'??a win in Manoa doesn't change that'the rest of the Wisconsin sports teams are having one of their finest semesters to date.
To call yourself a Badger fan and not know the name Simon Bairu is absolutely unacceptable. The 5'8' senior from Saskatchewan won his second consecutive individual cross country NCAA Championship and led the Badgers to their first team championship since 1988. UW had gone three straight years in second place, and it was a fitting way for Bairu to go out.
'He's something else,' head coach Jerry Schumacher said after Bairu proved to be a Superman in red shorts once again. 'Today was his last day in a Badger uniform for cross country at least, and he made the most of it.'
And Bairu's bursts of speed are just the start of it.
Seniors Amy Vermuelen, Katy Lindenmuth and Jessica Ring led Wisconsin to their first women's soccer Big Ten title since 1994. Verumeulen and Lindenmuth accounted for all three goals in the Badgers' victory over the Wolverines in the finale. Vermuelen was named offensive MVP of the tournament and Ring's ferocity earned her Defensive MVP, but it was her game-winner against Michigan State that kept the Badgers' hopes alive. Every year these girls have dedicated their heart and soul to Wisconsin. Although rival Marquette ousted UW in first round of the NCAA tournament, to pass over their achievements would be simply unfair.
And have you seen what Brian Elliott's doing? The junior goalie has not allowed more than two goals all season. In the past week, he saved 42 of 45 shots for a .933 saves percentage, and helped Wisconsin extend its nation's best unbeaten streak to 12 games. The Badgers, now ranked No. 1 in the country after a victory over the Wolverines in Ann Arbor, have not lost since their opening weekend against St. Lawrence at the Kohl Center.
On the women's side, the Badgers' 12-game unbeaten streak was recently broken by New Hampshire, dropping them to No. 4. Nonetheless, Sara Bauer and Jinelle Zaugg are leading an inspired women's hockey team.
To top it all off, Kammron Taylor and the Badgers just left their hearts out on the floor at Wake Forest. Despite losing 81-78, UW showed the fire power they have this year is for real. Brian Butch looks destined to prove every one of his critics wrong, Marcus Landry looks like he'll be starting by January and Alando Tucker has taken full responsibility for this team.
So next time you say to your friend, 'Man the Badgers suck,' make sure to take a long look at Simon Bairu and Brian Elliot. You might want to rethink your claim.
