MADISON, Wis. -- From Wisconsin walk-ons to worlds, two former Badgers, Maddie Wanamaker and Michael Knippen, will make their debut on the big stage representing Team USA at the 2018 World Rowing Championships beginning Sunday in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The event runs Sept. 9-16.
 
Wanamaker and Knippen may have taken different paths to get there, but with their foundation from Wisconsin and their internal grit, they become apart of something extraordinary and added their name to the overarching tradition of Badgers going on to the international level.
 
Maddie Wanamaker, a Neenah, Wisconsin native, moved to New Jersey to train with the senior national team two months after graduating from Wisconsin.

"It was a really tough transition away from Wisconsin: my lifelong home, team, and family."
 
After a rib injury three weeks in, she was not able to row for another nine weeks.

"When I started rowing again, I was weak and out of shape. Working through the injury and spending time being really slow was a hard but valuable lesson. It forced me to evaluate my decision to keep rowing. It made me understand how much more work and time elite rowing demands," Wanamaker said, "but Wisconsin rowing has a long tradition of toughness and it taught me how to love the hard work and fight like an underdog. The Wisco mindset and work ethic helped me immensely."

While Wanamaker headed straight to the senior national team, Michael Knippen's transition was a longer process, about two years. After graduating from Wisconsin, Knippen, a Germantown native, starting working full time and had a part-time job as a coaching assistant with the Wisconsin men's rowing team, all while training on his own.
 
One year later, he quit his job and headed to New Jersey to train with the senior national team. Wisconsin rowing had taught him to face adversity with equally matched resiliency. This came into play after being cut from the team, but also deciding not to give up. He moved to Seattle to continue training where he spent nine months sculling. This led to his win in the quadruple sculls at Penn Athletic Club, which in turn earned him his spot back on the senior national team.
 
"Rowing at Wisconsin prepared me well for my post-collegiate career. Hard work is something you learn very early on; it is part of the team culture," said Knippen.
 
"Toughness is another thing that really carries forward. There are few words to describe rowing in late fall or early spring on Lake Mendota when the temperatures are below freezing and the only thing keeping you warm is pulling harder. Once you've done that, the rest comes easy."
 
Now that both Wanamaker and Knippen have made the worlds team, their names will be added to the list of Badgers whom have competed at the international level with many being true walk-ons. Among these names are Vicky Opitz and Grace Latz, who Wanamaker admires the most.
 
"It is surreal. Throughout my college career, they [Optiz and Latz] continually showed our team that it was possible for Wisco walk-ons to compete at the highest level of rowing. Training alongside them has been incredible. It makes me excited to welcome more Badgers to the Princeton Training Center in the near future."
 
For Knippen it was not much different, "I remember speaking with the Wisconsin coaches and hearing their experiences racing on the world stage, and about previous Badgers who went on to achieve great things in the sport of rowing and that I might too one day find success in the sport even as a walk-on. That is when Coach Beau Hoopman pulled an Olympic gold medal out of his back pocket. He was evidence a walk-on Badger could achieve greatness in the sport."
 
And now Wanamaker and Knippen join them as some of the greatest to come from Wisconsin rowing and competing at the international level.
 
Knippen adds, "joining the ranks of the numerous Badgers that have represented their country on the world stage is an incredible feeling. I hope to make my fellow Badger oarsmen proud. Go Badgers!"
 
In addition to Wanamaker and Knippen, Opitz and Dariush Aghai are former Badgers who will also be competing at the world championships.

Make sure to follow Wanamaker, Knippen and the rest of their fellow Badgers representing Team USA as they take on the World Sept. 9-16.