MADISON, Wis. — Since the 2013 unveiling of the Badgers Give Back program, Wisconsin student-athletes have been passionate about connecting with students in kindergarten through 12th grade and other community members.
This past fall, Wisconsin Athletics and Badgers Give Back launched the Badger Life program which was created to provide classrooms and community groups a chance to share a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a Wisconsin student-athlete.
"Our new Badger Life program is extremely special to Wisconsin Athletics and our student-athletes," Jackie Davenport, Wisconsin Athletics Director of Community Relations said. "We wanted to develop an all-encompassing program that would connect students and community members with our student-athletes. This program allows the student-athletes to share their experiences and give advice to students who are in need of role models."
Maren Schultz (women's rowing) works with a  group of students on a fun Badger-themed activity during a Badger Life visit at Cottage Grove Elementary.
With the purpose of encouraging pupils of all ages to be successful and well-rounded in all aspects of their lives, this program dives into the habits of student-athletes in their education and fitness, as well as highlights how they set goals, overcome obstacles and demonstrate leadership and kindness.
"Here at Wisconsin, the student-athletes recognize the importance of a well-rounded life and hope to instill those values in the people they reach through Badger Life," says Davenport.
The overall structure of the program differs between grade levels, but the goal of each visit is the same: to encourage students to be successful in all areas of life. For K-4th grade classrooms, the student-athletes begin the visit by reading a Badger-themed book and encourage students to find books they enjoy reading.
Next, the student-athletes answer pre-developed questions and address topics like education, health and wellness, role models and kindness. At the end of the hour-long visit, the student-athletes and the classroom work together on Badger-themed games and activities like Mad-Libs, crossword puzzles, word searches, and Bucky Badger coloring sheets.
A stretching session for 3-4 minutes is incorporated in each Badger Life visit to help kids take a break and learn some new stretches.
Timothy Ruschell (wrestling), Jenny Ryan (women's hockey), and Gabby Curtis (women's golf) lead students through stretching exercises during a Badger Life visit at Kegonsa Elementary.
For older students in grades 5-12, the Badgers share about their experiences in education and health and wellness, but also dive deeper into more serious topics. They work to foster an open conversation in the classroom about teamwork, overcoming obstacles, transitioning to higher education, leadership, and important life lessons they've learned along the way.
"I requested a visit from the Badger Life program so that our middle school students could meet students that have had experience balancing academics and sports and succeeded," says Stephanie Wilkins, a sixth-grade teacher at St. Frances Xavier Middle School. "All of this great advice was shared through stories of their experiences that students really could connect to. The student-athletes were approachable and great with our students and their questions. Not only was it engaging and insightful — it was also a ton of fun!"
Matt Aronson (men's diving) speaks to a group of students during a Badger Life visit at Deerfield Elementary.
During a Badger Life visit at Kromrey Middle School, Megan Whitehouse from women's rowing encouraged the students to put forth their best effort in life, sharing "Always do more than you're expected to do whether in school or athletics."
Some of the questions that are answered during a Badger Life visit with 7-12th grade students are:
"What's the hardest thing about growing older? The best thing?"
"Describe a person or a situation in your life that had a profound effect on you."
"What is a healthy way you deal with stress in sports or school?"
These topics spur discussions about experiences that have shaped the student-athletes to be the people they are today.
"I think it's important to share with kids that everyone goes through struggles in life and to be able to connect with them about how student-athletes overcome those obstacles is a very rewarding experience," says Andrew Endicott, a UW senior on the football team.
One of the most enjoyable parts of each Badger Life visit is at the end when the student-athletes take questions from the classroom. Some of the questions are light-hearted and fun and can result in a few laughs, but when the kids are asking serious questions, you can see the effect that the student-athletes have stimulated and the beginning signs of the impact of their visit.
"What I love about the Badger Life program is being able to meet so many different people and see the kind of lives they live and share with them what my life as a Badger is like," says sophomore diver Matt Aronson. "It's great to be able to use my platform as a student-athlete to motivate them to work hard, be kind and find their passion in life."
Since the program was launched in September 2016, student-athletes have made visits to 70 different classrooms and community events where the Badger Life programming has been used.
Visit our Badgers Give Back website to request a Badger Life visit for your classroom or community group.
Main photo: Malayna Johnson (women's basketball) spends time reading with a small group during a Badger Life visit at Huegel Elementary.
