Making the most of international opportunities, a number of Badgers spent part of their summers soaking up culture while studying abroad. |  From Varsity Magazine
BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
While touring the ancient ruins of Rome, including the fabled Colosseum, Wisconsin safety Joe Ferguson and fullback/linebacker Leon Jacobs were overwhelmed by the history.
They were also blown away by the sightlines, especially within the aforementioned Flavian amphitheater, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire.
"We were wondering if you could fit a football field in there," posed Ferguson, who answered his own question. "You can't. Too small. But you could probably fit in a basketball court."
The three-story oval venue, completed in 80 A.D., could seat between 50,000 and 80,000. (The capacity of Camp Randall Stadium is 80,321.)
"We learned a lot about the Colosseum," Ferguson continued. "They wouldn't just go there for spectacles but they would bring their families there for the day; morning to evening."
They'd play games and bring grills, he noted. Kind of like a backyard cookout.
Jacobs, a California native, had a more personal reference point.
"I used to go to the Coliseum in Los Angeles," said Jacobs, whose current home mailing address is Santa Clarita, California. "It kind of resembled that a little bit."
In fact, the entrance to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was inspired by the Colosseum, which is situated in the center of Rome, not far from the Roman Forum and the Forum of Caesar.
"It was interesting to see where Julius Caesar had these political battles with other people," observed Ferguson, who was generally intrigued by the gamesmanship of the statesmen.
"It was just the mind games," he said of the allure, "that the ancient Romans had to play in order to elevate themselves to the top of society.
"They were a republic and in order to get to the top they had to go through all of these political gymnastics -- kind of like today."
Ferguson and Jacobs were among a diverse group of 25 UW student-athletes, including rowers, golfers, swimmers and track athletes, that studied outside of the United States since last fall.
The classes covered a wide range of interests -- from the classics in Italy to microbiology and public health in northern Thailand to film in Paris to human rights and business in Spain.
UW basketball players Zak Showalter and Matt Ferris were among five other student-athletes that studied in Europe in conjunction with a UW-Whitewater program.
"It's a marketable thing when they leave here to have that global experience when they look to get a job," said Bridget Woodruff, the director of student-athlete development on the Madison campus.
"It's the experience of being someplace that is different from what they've ever known and to immerse themselves into those cultures.
"It's a piece of their career development – diversity, inclusion, cultural competency -- pushing themselves out of their own comfort zone a little bit."
It's reality -- the armed presence in Rome.
"Everywhere you walk," Jacobs said, "it seems there are military guys with machine guns."
It's fantasy -- Showalter racing Ferris on the hallowed grounds of the first Olympics in Greece.
"They did it nude," Showalter said of the earliest competitors in Olympia. "I was tempted. But I didn't quite get to that point."
It's life-changing.
"Absolutely, I would say so," Woodruff agreed. "It's tough to push them outside of their athletic bubble on campus much less push them into different worlds and cultures …"
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Ferguson and Jacobs signed up for the three-credit elective course on ancient Rome knowing that they would get to study overseas in May. Former UW linebacker Joe Schobert had told Jacobs about it.
"Joe did it a couple of years back," Jacobs said, "and I was always intrigued by it."
These opportunities are open to all students. Athletes are definitely given a heads-up by Woodruff and her staff.
Jacobs and Ferguson had previously traveled abroad. Jacobs was born in Nigeria and went back when he was 8. Ferguson visited Spain last summer with his grandparents, Barry and Cindy Alvarez.Â
They were good friends before they left. But they grew closer after 12 days together in Italy.
"I learned so much more about Leon," said Ferguson. "We were basically together 24/7."
"You really don't get to know someone," Jacobs said, "until you get to live with them."
They were the only males in the class, too. They were outnumbered, 10-2.
"It was different," said Jacobs, a senior in the classroom and junior on the football field. "We're always used to being in a football locker room with a bunch of guys."Â
That underlines what Woodruff was saying about thinking and living outside of their comfort zone.
"There's nothing like Rome, especially when you're on your own," Ferguson suggested of the largest city in Italy (2.9 million). "You learn a lot about yourself and what you like as a person."
Ferguson really liked Vatican City.
"If you haven't seen the Sistine Chapel," he said, "it's breath-taking."
It was also among Jacobs' likes -- along with St. Peter's Basilica. He even went to Mass.
"People were nice -- always smiling," he said. "I have a lot of pictures on my phone."
The daily schedule was flexible enough to allow plenty of free time.
"The basic routine every day," Ferguson said, "was to wake up at 8, view some sights throughout the ancient city and we'd be done at 4. Then we'd explore Rome on our own.
"Part of our grade was listening to our tour guides. We had to pay really close attention to what they were saying to get the most out of it, and not just because it was important for the course.
"But because it was actually interesting."
That was the beauty of the course, according to Ferguson.
"We studied not just what the emperors did," he said, "but the everyday people of Rome."
There were three quizzes. Meanwhile, the food definitely passed the test.
"Their tomato sauce pizza was great," enthused Jacobs.
Ferguson enjoyed the spaghetti with bacon and cheese.
Besides a side trip to Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast, they also got to the Netherlands.
"It was more modern than Italy," Jacobs said of Amsterdam. "A lot more languages."
Ferguson pointed out that they mastered just enough Italian words to get by.Â
"Mostly please and thank you," he said.
Although the bulk of Showalter and Ferris' course was in Greece -- mainly Athens with trips to Olympia, Delphi and the island of Mykonos -- they also got to tour Rome. They did so on bikes.
"Those guided bike tours were incredible," said Ferris. "One was through the city and we got to see the big things that people come to Rome to see. We also got to the back roads, less touristy things.
"We definitely made the most out of our time there. We never sat around and twiddled our thumbs. We always had stuff planned and we were always on the go, which was exciting.
"The days melted together and just flew by. It was an awesome trip."
The starting point was Athens.
"It was the first time outside of North America for me," said Ferris, a redshirt sophomore from Appleton. "It was different (the language barrier) -- something I had never experienced.
"When you get off the plane in Athens, you're trying to see where the baggage claim is and you can't read any of the letters."
He did mention it all being Greek to him and his classmates. He couldn't resist.
"You do feel helpless sometimes when you can't communicate with someone," said Showalter, a fifth-year senior from Germantown. "I'm a lot more patient after going over there.
"I learned how to interact with people from different countries which was cool -- just being able to adapt to a new life style and communicate with people who may not speak the best English.
"I even got used to using the Euro system (currency exchange)."
Ferris and Showalter, both of whom are in the UW business school, got their money's worth out of Athens. And it went beyond the standard attractions: the Acropolis and Parthenon.
"Once I got a taste of what traveling to these countries felt like, I want to do it all the time now,"Â Showalter said. "It was so cool experiencing all of these different cultures."
They also hiked up Lykavittos Hill, the highest point in the city.
"You could see everything," Ferris said. "It was unbelievable."
During their European adventure, they even got a chance to shoot some baskets.
"We had a gym in Athens for the first six nights," Ferris said.
Like everything else, it was duly noted in their journal that night.
"I'm really glad that we did that," Showalter said of putting into words what they had experienced, "because I'll look back on that years down the road and remember what we did there."
Mykonos and its white sand beaches left a lasting impression on Ferris.
"The water is crystal clear," he said, "and you can see the ocean floor when swimming."
A couple of NBA players, Paul George and Reggie Jackson, were vacationing on the island.
"It's kind of a small world," Showalter said.
Also traveling from Madison with Showalter and Ferris were McKenna Meuer (soccer), Ashley Kelsick (basketball) and Kelsey Grambeau (tennis).
Along with the Whitewater contingent, there was another group from SUNY-Cortland. "Each day we had a different agenda," said Ferris, "and we had the itinerary in advance."
"Once I got a taste of what traveling to these countries felt like, I want to do it all the time now," Showalter said. "It was so cool experiencing all of these different cultures."Â
