HOOFPRINTS TM
Wisconsin Hoofers Newsletter
2022-2023 • hoofers.org
Welcome to HoofPrints!
My name is Marie Tuchscherer, and I have the pleasure of serving as this year’s Hoofer Council President. I am a wildlife ecology major, aviation enthusiast, transfer student, and fifth-year senior.
Like many of you, I was drawn to the lakefront and Outdoor UW my first semester on campus. I saw a like-minded community of folks who’d rather be outside on a Tuesday afternoon than anywhere else, and I wanted in! My curiosity soon led to an impromptu leadership position with Hoofer Council as Vice President of Administration.
After a year of serving alongside some of the most passionate and dedicated leaders, I knew I wanted to be a part of expanding opportunities in the outdoors for others through a more central role. As Council President, I have the unique joy of leading a team of driven individuals to do just that, whether through all-Hoofer programming initiatives or diving into the nitty gritty of policy changes.
Since last May, Hoofer Council has worked toward more collaborative programming, maximizing financial resources, and offering more subsidized leadership development within our clubs. Additionally, this year, Hoofers adventured internationally, brought members together with all-Hoofer socials, and began to form a new officer position to better pursue sustainable practices within each of our clubs. And while it may be budget season now, Terrace programming is just around the corner!
I’m so excited for you to hear from each of our incredible club presidents on what their clubs have been up to. From an excellent turnout during fall Wisconsin Welcome to exciting plans for alumni engagement, this year’s board will blow you away!
Sincerely,
Marie Tuchscherer Hoofer Council President, 2022-23
Some of Hoofer Council & Hoofer Members.
WHO WE ARE:
Council President
Marie Tuchscherer president@hoofers.org
Vice President - Administration
Marike Dana vpadmin@hoofers.org
Vice President - Finance
Grace Thomas vpfinance@hoofers.org
Vice President - Information Systems
Nick Greene vpinfosystems@hoofers.org
Vice President - Marketing
Anna Maples vpmarketing@hoofers.org
Vice President - Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Emily Kriner-Woodworth ambassadors@hoofers.org
Officer - Alumni Outreach
Andrew De Sevilla alumnioutreach@hoofers.org
Officer - Education and Risk Management
Heather Hunt educationrisk@hoofers.org
Officer - Programs
Meghan Dougherty programs@hoofers.org
Club President - Mountaineering
Claire Johnson mountaineering@hoofers.org
Club President - Outing
Lily Mass outingpresident@hoofers.org
Club President - Riding
Chloe Roberts ridingpresident@hoofers.org
Club President (Commodore) - Sailing
Catherine Gross commodore@hoofersailing.org
Club President - Scuba
Grace Roper scuba@hoofers.org
Club President - Ski & Snowboard
Delaney Dykman sns@hoofers.org
MESSAGE FROM THE OUTDOOR UW DIRECTOR
Dear Hoofer Community,
A lot has changed over the past year and Spring 2023 is jampacked with exciting programming. 2022 was considered by many as our “return-to-normal” year. Hoofer leaders focused on raising membership numbers and event offerings to pre-pandemic levels. That energy was also directed into new, fun and unique travel opportunities. Most of the clubs were able to organize and execute trips, even internationally; Mountaineering Club made a trip to Spain and the Ski and Snowboard Club led a trip to Alberta, Canada.
The new Hoofer Council hit the ground running and never looked back. Among their accomplishments is a new scholarship and endowment request system that helps streamline the process of using Foundation funds available to the clubs. Notably, our multi-club endowments have been utilized to proliferate Wilderness First Aid and First Responder certifications. Next on the schedule is launching an alumni outreach infrastructure to help collect contact information, so that clubs and their associated teams can stay in touch with valuable alumni. The end goal is for the clubs to better connect with their community, hold alumni engagement events, and fundraise.
Within Outdoor UW, we are finally closing many of the staffing gaps that have left us short on advisors. In November, we welcomed Pete Busciano as our advisor for the Outing and Riding Clubs. Dan Dunne, the previous Outing and Riding Club Advisor moved into the newly developed Recreation Program Manager position. In this role, he will be tasked with our revenue generating activities such as the rentals program, our Outdoor Explorer Series and the mooring fields. Sailing hired Gretchen Ladd as the new Head of Instruction. We filled our last vacancy, Hoofer Club Advisor for Sailing and Scuba, with Mark Gillespie, Sailing Club board member and volunteer instructor. The future’s looking bright!
Sincerely,
Dave Elsmo Director, Outdoor UW
Hoofer Mountaineering Club
Don’t look down, the Mountaineering Club has reached new heights! Over the summer, they held trips at local crags and socials at Devil’s Lake. Then, the club kicked off the academic year with the most successful season of events following the pandemic. During the colder months, climbers went on their first-ever international trip to Tarragona, Spain. Members are working on building their technical ice climbing skills by attending the Michigan Ice Festival and hosting a weekly series of indoor climbing socials.
This spring the club will travel to Red Rocks and host a Trip Leader Retreat to the Black Hills to focus on crossfunctional climbing and leadership skills. Last but not least, Mountaineering will host a series of advanced climbing clinics with the help of local guiding services!
CLIMBING ACROSS CONTINENTS OUT AND ABOUT
Hoofer Outing Club
Summer had Outing Club leaders hard at work exploring further than ever. In May 2022, a trip ventured to the Pacific Northwest for a tenday backpacking trip through Olympic National Park. In July, a group explored one of our most beloved locations, the Superior Hiking Trail in Minnesota. To round out the season, a group traversed through the Wind River Range in Wyoming.
Throughout the fall, Outing Club picked up steam with overnight trips occurring nearly every weekend. These groups traveled to the Ice Age Trail, Pictured Rocks National Park, the Sylvania Wilderness and Red River Gorge in Kentucky. Outing also led its first-ever fly-fishing trip this year!
Mountaineering Club President, Claire Johnson, is a sophomore at UW–Madison studying Communication Science & Rhetorical Studies and Environmental Studies. Her love for environmental stewardship and outdoor recreation has led to her Hoofer leadership involvement where she’s embarked on many adventures with new lifelong friends. She is thrilled to share her experience with others!
Outing Club President, Lily Mass, is a fourth-year student studying Civil and Environmental Engineering as well as pursuing certificates in Sustainability and Studio Art. After joining the club’s executive board, she realized her passion for leadership and quickly became the Vice President of Instruction, and is now President of Instruction.
Hoofer Riding Club
This past semester, the Riding Club has led a handful of trail rides in addition to weekly lessons in dressage and jumping. Denise Sobering has also led new riding simulator lessons! These opportunities provide riders with a safe and controlled environment to practice their skills.
Looking to the future, the club is searching for a space to host beginner riding lessons to open up opportunities for those new to the sport. Rounding out the year, Riding Club attended a horse show right here in Madison at the Alliant Energy Center!
Riding President, Chloe Roberts, is a senior studying Political Science and Classical Humanities. Chloe has been a part of the Riding Club and the Equestrian
MAKING STRIDES SUSTAINABLE SAILING
Team throughout her entire university experience! Her desire to give back to the club that gave her the opportunity to continue riding in college led her to two consecutive years of presidency.
Hoofer Sailing Club
Sailing Club has increased participation this year by providing new opportunities including larger events like community regattas, and smaller ones like sloop trips around the lake. Sailing is currently in the process of a sail inventory check to reduce unneeded equipment and create bags out of discarded sails.
As the club looks towards the future, they plan to compile history of the club in one location and set the precedent for future Board of Captains to continue to record events. Currently, Sailing Club is working with the Wisconsin Union Directorate and Outdoor UW to host Lakefront Live again this summer!
Catherine Gross, Sailing Commodore, is a fourth-year student studying Physics, Mathematics and Latin. She grew up sailing and was thrilled to continue the activity at UW–Madison with the Hoofer Sailing Club. Catherine loves the sailing community and utilizes her leadership role to be a positive influence in return.
Hoofer Scuba Club
Scuba divers recently returned from a sea turtle and sun-filled winter break trip to Key Largo, Florida! Sticking to tradition, the club led a successful underwater pumpkin carving event around Halloween as well as multiple dive trips to Devil’s Lake. Scuba Club continues to teach open water certification courses, and just restarted rescue diver and dry suit certification courses with Nitrox. Through an insightful collaboration with Conservation Biology, scuba learned more about marine life and sustainability!
Scuba President, Grace Roper, is a senior studying Environmental Science and Engineering for Energy Sustainability. This is her second year as Scuba
DIVING DEEPER SHREDDING SLOPES & SMASHING RECORDS
President! She wanted to take on this role to rebuild the club after the COVID-19 pandemic and expand her love for the oceans and exploring new ecosystems.
Hoofer Ski & Snowboard Club
Ski & Snowboard Club kicked off the ski season by working diligently on the annual resale event which raised a record breaking total of over $568,000! Hard work pays off, as proceeds from the largest ski swap in the Midwest go right back into the club, helping to continue and expand their grant system to ensure the club is more accessible for all students. Furthermore, the Ski & Snowboard Club recently had the opportunity to endow the Clarene Law Fund which will allow more opportunities for teams, teaching, and so much more!
Over spring break, the club took a trip to Jackson Hole for the 56th time!
Delaney Dykman, Ski & Snowboard President, studies Strategic Communications and Environmental Studies. She’s passionate about the outdoors and ensuring students get the same accessibility to winter sports.
ACCESS TO THE OUTDOORS
Hoofer Ambassadors
Hoofer Ambassadors are back! During Winter Carnival, the initiative hosted their first sledding event on the Terrace using the Rail Jam ramp. Now, the club is focused on an exciting spring semester as they plan All Out!
All Out! is a weekend of events that occurs every year in late April. Its goal is to provide free introductory programming for the campus community, while showcasing the different Hoofer clubs, partnering organizations and local businesses. This year the theme for All Out! is sustainability and will take place during Earth Week.
HOOFERS SUPPORT OPPORTUNITIES
Emily Kriner-Woodworth, VP Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, is a sophomore studying Political Science and History with certificates in Business and Criminal Justice. She is motivated to promote and practice equity and inclusivity in the outdoor recreation community. Her position develops programming that is accessible to everyone and aligns with Hoofer’s initiative.
Since its inception more than 90 years ago, Hoofers has become one of the largest and most active collegiate outdoor recreation programs in the country! Without the support of our alumni, our success would not have been possible. Help us continue to make a difference at hoofers.org/give-back . If you have questions, please feel free to contact outdooruw@union.wisc.edu.
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NEW! HOOFER MERCHANDISE
Show your Hoofer pride by purchasing a Hoofer flag or one of our new t-shirts! Did we mention that the t-shirt design won an award?
Stop by the Outdoor UW front office to purchase yours today.
The University of Wisconsin–Madison
800 Langdon Street Madison, WI 53706
Prefer a digital copy instead? Email us at outdooruw@union.wisc.edu with an up-to-date email address and go green!
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