Badgering: Tristan Amberger
May 02, 2018 | Men's Rowing, Andy Baggot, Varsity Magazine
Senior explains his nickname and shares his best day ever as a Badger rower
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BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — Given his 6-foot-11 frame, it's not surprising that Tristan Amberger of the Wisconsin men's rowing team once considered a future in basketball. But he was cut from his team at Towson (Maryland) High School as a freshman and suffered a back injury a year later, short-circuiting another attempt at the sport. Thus, Amberger began to invest his time in rowing, which led to a spot in the UW varsity eight boat the last three years. A senior majoring in personal finance, Amberger's college career is winding down — the Eastern Sprints are May 13 and the Intercollegiate Rowing Association national regatta is June 1 to 3 — but he's looking at multiple options to make U.S. national teams this summer. He took time before a recent practice on Lake Mendota to explain his nickname, to make a confession to his mother and to describe his best day ever as a UW rower.
What's your favorite part of practice?
"Getting it done with."
Why does everyone call you Sebastian?
"My middle name is Sebastian. It's a family thing. My dad goes by his middle name. So do my siblings."
The #Badgers drop a tough battle to No. 6 Northeastern in their final race at Devil's Lake. Back at it again in two weeks for the 2018 Eastern Sprints!
— Badger Rowing (@BadgerRowing) April 29, 2018
What's the fastest you've ever driven a car?
"Pretty fast. Hopefully my mom won't read this, but I took our family car above 100 (mph) one time for a couple seconds, but that was it."
Can you cite something specific that makes Coach Chris Clark happy?
"I don't know of anything right off the top of my head. He's a hard guy to read."
Why Wisconsin?
"I came here and loved the campus and how the team ran. From what I could see, it was get down and dirty, do your work and get out. There was not a lot of sitting around. That's what kind of drew me to it. The other teams I was visiting, they spent a lot of time talking. I thought the time that was spent here was really meaningful. You get your work done and you get to go be a student."
Who's the best all-around athlete on the team?
"Will Klauke. He can jump really high. We stack three (wooden) boxes on top of each other for box jumps and, with a running start, can get on top of it with two feet. He's just a crazy basketball player who can go randomly insane on the court because he has the ability to and then chuckles it off. He's an insane athlete.
Is there something you wish you knew about Madison before you got here?
"I knew about the cold, but I wish I was more familiar with it. When I came here freshman year, it was cold, but I was like, 'This will toughen me up.' But now the cold is just the cold and I'm waiting for it to go away every day and dread for it to come back when it's warm."
What was your best day ever as a UW rower?
"This past spring break. It was the last day and it was going to be the last practice and I thought it was going to be a pretty tough practice. But it got kind of late and Coach Clark hadn't been to practice yet. We were kind of standing around waiting and he shows up and he has boxes and bags filled with Hostess confections. He's like, 'Good news. You're eating these and then we're going for a paddle.' So we got to eat some sweets and go for a short, leisurely paddle. That was a good day."
