INSIDE
SWIMMING & DIVING
BY JEREMY WODAJO
@BADGERSWIMDIVE
SCHEDULE
LAST WEEK
Jan. 11 at Univ. of Southern Cal.
COMING UP
Fri.
at Virginia/Virginia Tech
Sat.
at Virginia/Virginia Tech
Jan. 31 Big Ten Triple Duals
Feb. 1
Big Ten Triple Duals
Aloha: UW makes annual
business trip to Hawai'i
Team spent two weeks training, bonding
isconsin winters are
sudden and serve
as a cruel reminder
that each year state residents
are obliged to endure at least
2-3 months of freezing cold
temperatures, snow and the
occasional blizzard.
This makes the annual
nine-hour flight from Chicago
O'Hare Airport to Hawai'i each
December that much more
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VARSITY January 16, 2014
bearable for the UW swimming and diving squad.
Prior to head coach Whitney
L. Hite taking over the reins of
the program in 2011, the Badgers would travel to the Aloha
State for a few weeks to train
and enjoy the sun. Hite continued the tradition but slightly
changed the focus and objective behind the opportunity.
"I view it as a business trip,"
Hite explained. "We go there with the
mindset of getting better, whether it's
getting stronger in training, faster in
speed.
"There's a lot of development going
on and it's a great opportunity for team
bonding as well."
Hite uses the time spent away from
campus to measure each student-athlete's progress at this point in the season, while also continuing to stress the
idea of growth and getting better during
grueling practices and training sessions.
"A lot of people think we go out there
to lay on the beach," Hite added. As (UW
Senior Administrator) Terry Gawlik saw
this year we worked out hard…really
hard."
Aside from escaping Wisconsin's below zero temperatures, the Badgers
were able to refocus their energy to
powering up for the final stretch of the
season, which continues this weekend
at Christiansburg, Va., for a two-day
meet against Virginia and Virginia Tech,
among others.
The team used their time in Hawai'i
to emphasize improving on last season's
Big Ten championships finish and gaining momentum heading into the NCAA
meet in March.
"I think the thing that's what's changed
since I've been here," Hite said. "We made
it clear why we made this trip and the
team realizes the goal is to get better."