Varsity - The Official Digital Magazine of Wisconsin Athletics

Varsity - August 15, 2013

Varsity is the free Official Digital Magazine of Wisconsin Athletics, covering Badgers football, basketball, hockey and more each week.

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f all the team-bonding exercises, from the plained, "is about your fundamentals, your techsublime to the ridiculous, there may not niques. I think we're well on our way to doing that. be any that piques the curiosity more than "The guys worked hard in the summer," he said, putting clubs in the hands of 300-pounders and "to improve their strength and explosiveness, their turning them loose at what romantics like to call a quickness and their foot speed and you can see that "gentleman's game." in several of them, which is a huge positive. You Welcome to the 2013 Wisconsin O-Line Golf have to get back into it (technique work) and get Scramble. them going but we're making progress." "I play 'Whack-Dang-It' the whole time," said What about that personality, though? What's the tackle Rob Havenstein. "I walk up whack it and yell identity of this edition of the O-line? 'Dang it' afterwards. I chase it four yards and hit it "That's a work in progress," Woods said. "I don't again. I basically play for the one good shot, the one think I can sit here and tell you that (today). They drive. That makes the whole thing worth it when will speak with their pads on Saturdays. They're you shank and lose 18 balls or whatever." going to be remembered one way or another. Their Not everyone plays at that level. film is their resume ― what they do out here (the "Ryan is a damn good golfer," Havenstein confield) ― and they'll be able to determine that." tended. • • • • Ryan is Ryan Groy, the left tackle. After the golf scramble, he invited everyone to his place for a barbeque. If there's one thing above all else that offensive linemen like to do ― individually or as a group ― it's eat. "We just like to spend a lot of time together," suggested Groy, a Middleton native. But don't be misled by Havenstein's goodnatured banter and sense of humor ― "We all think we're the funniest guy on the team," he admitted ― because he gets serious when it comes to team-bonding especially when it relates to developing continuity and an esprit de corps on the offensive line. "I think it's hugely important," Havenstein said. "If you can't hang out with the guys you play with all the time ― I mean, you don't have to be best friends with them ― but if you can't actually stand hanging out with them, you can't trust the guys. But we've all got a pretty good relationship." To this end, has the 2013 Wisconsin offensive line developed an identity or personality yet? "It's too early to tell," Groy said. "But it's on our shoulders. We have to keep growing as a group. The identity will come soon, soon enough. We'll see how it is at the end of two-a-days." "The guys worked hard in the sumThe first week of the preseason training mer,'' Woods said, "to improve their strength and explosiveness, their camp, according to UW offensive line coach quickness and their foot speed and T.J. Woods, was about building a base. "And you can see that in several of them, your base as an offensive lineman," he exwhich is a huge positive." O 30 // VARSITY August 15, 2013

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