Hoofprints Spring 2013

Quarterly Publication

SPRING 2013

New beginnings and opportunities for Hoofers Greetings Hoofers!

The ice on Lake Mendota has opened up, leaving us hungry for the start of the spring and summer seasons and all of the sailing, camping, climbing, paddling, hiking, diving, riding (and the list goes on!) that comes with it. It is a time of new beginnings with the Wisconsin Hoofers and we are excited to share it all with you—our alumni, supporters, and friends.

We are anxiously awaiting the move into our new facility, which is in same the footprint of the historic Hoofers space, plus a little, in late July 2013. The new home of Hoofers will be expanded to approximately 12,000 square feet and will feature a state-of-the-art Hoofers Shop with a paint booth, enlarged club gear storage spaces, an expanded boathouse, a galley cook space (to be finished), shower rooms with lockers, a cleaning room with a washer, dryer, wash basin and drying system, and three versatile spaces for Hoofers to meet, relax, socialize, plan, and educate. This new facility will allow the Wisconsin Hoofers to persist as leaders in collegiate outdoor recreation and also attract new members to our clubs. We hope you will stop in once our move is complete!

We want to keep you up to date with all things Hoofers, so expect to receive Hoofprints now on a quarterly basis. I’d also like to take this opportunity to introduce our Hoofprints writer and editor, Andy Holsteen. Andy is an incoming senior majoring in Journalism and Political Science at

Insidethis issue:

A piece of the wood floor from the chart room in the old Hoofers space. Hoofers is looking forward to moving into a renovated space in July 2013.

UW-Madison with a strong interest in the editing aspects of reporting and publishing. Andy works with club and council leaders to compile stories and updates—so if you have ideas for stories for future issues or have Hoofer memories to share, please contact Andy at hoofprints@hoofers.org.

From one Hoofer to another, here’s hoping our paths cross soon!

Jacob Hahn Outdoor Recreation Director & Hoofer Advisor jphahn@wisc.edu

Page 3 S ailing Club: Strictly Sail

Page 5 Riding Club: New Arena

Page 7 O uting Club: Spring Break

Page 4 Moutaineering: The DLCCC

Page 6 S cuba Club: Ice Diving

Page 8 SNS Club: The Birkie

Hoofprints

SPRING 2013 Hoofers Spring Calendar

Hoofernews

Mountaineering Club Spring Camp Out April 20-April 22

Getaway from Finals May 10-May 12

Welcome (Back) Weekend September 28-September 30

Outing Club

Banff Mountain Film Festival April 16-April 17

Intermediate White Water Trip May 18-May 19

Sea Kayaking in the Upper Dells May 18

Annual Spring paddlint Trip to Horicaon March May 19

Memorial Day Whitewater Trip May 24-May 27

A photo of the old Hoofers space. The newly renovated space is scheduled to be ready in July 2013.

Western Whitewater: Arkansas River, CO July 6-July 14

The Wisconsin Hoofers readying for move into renovated space with Harold C. Bradley giving campaign Hoofers moved into the lower level of the Union in 1939. This space has witnessed more than seven decades of enterprising, triumphant and creative activity. Thousands of people discovered new passions, learned valuable skills and formed lifelong friendships here. It’s time for these resilient, sturdy spaces to get a facelift.

Harold C. Bradley was a popular chemistry professor at the University and an outdoor sports enthusiast. Bradley, along with Porter Butts, a Union staff member and three students, founded Hoofers in 1931.

The name “Hoofers” referred to independent people ready to roll up their sleeves and make their own way under their own power. The name proved prophetic as just a year later, members raised $1,600 for a new ski jump.

Hoofers went on to raise the funds for their space in the Union. Today, Hoofers continue to support their activities with pride and commitment.

We are currently building a Hoofers facility that wholly represents what Hoofers has grown to be, and what we envision for its future.

In honor of Harold C. Bradley, we are launching a Hoofers giving society in his name later this spring. Visit http://www.union.wisc.edu/waysofgiving-hoofers.htm

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Learn more about us at

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Backpacking in Isle Royale September 8-September 13

Riding Club

Lecture: “Managing Anxiety in the Show Ring April 18 at 6:30 p.m.

Midwest Horse Fair April 19-April 21

Work Day

May 4-May 5

First Schooling Show May 11-May 12

Second Schooling Show June 22-23

Sailing Club Semi-Nationals April 27-April 28

Spring Chicken Regatta May 12

Monday Night Sloop Racing Until end of season

Instructor Auction June 6

Pirates’ Day June 15

CCUP

July 13-20

Nationals

May 21-May 30

SCUBA

Two Midwest Dives TBD

Underwater Basket Weaving Dive TBD

SNS

Resale

December 7-8

Hoofprints

SPRING 2013

Q&A with Sailing Club Vice Commodore Nick Burger on the benefits of attending Strictly Sail in Chicago

Sailing

Hoofprints: How would you describe Strictly Sail in your own terms?

HP: What is the most beneficial aspect of being able to attend Strictly Sail?

Nick Burger: Strictly Sail is the largest annual indoor sailboat show in the U.S.—it’s held annually in Chicago the last weekend in January. All the top names in the industry, as well as some of the best sailing and educational programs are there. It lasts from Thursday through Sunday, and it’s a great opportunity to see what’s going to be upand-coming for the following year in the sailing industry.

They also hold several seminars that focus on sailing education and safety, as well as a variety of other topics.

NB: The greatest asset of being there was the ability to speak with industry experts—hardware and sailboat manufacturers—to see where things are going in the industry. Also, we’re currently looking at replacing some of our boats and possibly getting a new fleet of boats, so we were also having conversations about what kinds of deals they could offer us. By conversing with these individuals we get to see all of the new things coming out and then decide if any of those things might fit within the Hoofers Sailing Club. So it was more or less a process of gathering information and then deciding whether we should pursue it or not.

HP: What sort of events did you participate in while at Strictly Sail?

NB: I spent the majority of my time at the Hoofers Sailing Club booth representing the club, talking with alumni and other interested parties. I sought out industry experts for advice and potential new platforms for the Sailing Club.

HP: How many people from Hoofers Sailing went to Strictly Sail this year?

“The greatest assest of being there was the ability to speak with industry experts...”

HP: Is the Sailing Club going to attend Strictly Sail again next year?

NB: The club has intentions to go next year, but that’s for the board next year to decide. It’s beneficial because it gets some of our members and board to see what’s going on outside of Madison. By doing this we get to see what all the other clubs within the Great Lakes area, and even sometimes internationally, are doing, and how their programs compare to our program. Instead of having to search and seek things out on our own, everything is there for that weekend. So as opposed to doing research on the Internet here or there, we can just walk through and see things that we may never have considered for the club.

NB: The Commodore, Nick Grundl, the Marketing Chair, Karla Stoebig, I and several other representatives from the Sailing Club went to the convention in Chicago. The University of Wisconsin Sailing Team, which is a part of Hoofers Sailing Club, also went to work the event for fundraising. The club itself wasn’t there to fundraise, but we sold some merchandise.

HP: What were some highlights of the event for you?

NB: I personally spoke with one of the editors at Sailing Anarchy, which is currently one of the most visited sailing blogs on the Internet.

Learn more about us at

Hoofers.org

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Hoofprints

SPRING 2013

Mountaineering

Hoofers Mountaineering Club supports Devil’s Lake through climbing

by Andy Holsteen

T

his year the Hoofers Mountaineering Club will once again partake in the Devil’s Lake Century Climbing Challenge (DLCCC). Vice President of the Mountaineering Club, Lauren Goodspeed, participated in last year’s DLCCC and thinks that the event is a great way for the club to support one of the area’s best recreation areas.

“We kind of just want to give back to Devil’s Lake because we spend so much time there,” Goodspeed said.

There’s significance to why the climbing challenge bears the name of “Century,” beyond its relevance to mountain climbing in general.

“It started in 2011 and it was originally the Devil’s Lake Centennial Challenge because it was the 100th anniversary of Devil’s Lake being a state park,”

Goodspeed said. “But there was nothing really climbing-related, so we [were] like ‘Hey, this would be a really good idea, we can, you know, build a really great relationship with the park and get climbers from all over the Midwest involved.’”

The DLCCC has two goals—to give money to the Friends of Devil’s Lake, which is a group that helps in maintaing the park, and encourage climbers to check out more areas around the lake.

“It’s a year-long fundraiser that we do and it’s basically… a climbing challenge. We’re like ‘Go climb 100 unique routes at Devil’s Lake,’ so it’s intended to get climbers to explore different parts of the lake,” Goodspeed said. “We kind of have a tendency to always go to one area because it’s really easy to set up top ropes and everyone knows all the routes there, so it makes things really simple. But

there are ton of other places where you can go climb at Devil’s Lake.”

Goodspeed hopes that this year even more Hoofers will be drawn into Devil’s Lake state park to particpate in the DLCCC and help raise funds for the Friends of Devil’s Lake.

Want to know more about the DLCCC? Send any questions to dlccc@hoofers.org

Mountaineering Club members climb at Devil’s Lake state park. 2013 will mark the third year of the Devil’s Lake Century Challenge, which is a year-long fundraising event for the park.

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Hoofprints

SPRING 2013 Riding

Hoofers Riding Club constructs a new, larger outdoor arena

by Andy Holsteen

I

n order to ride a horse, one needs ample and adequate space. Before October, the Hoofer Riding Club’s outdoor arena was not up to par. Riding Club President Fran Theisen remembers when it became obvious they needed to build a new space.

Despite being against the clock, Hoofers Riding members came together to complete new outdoor arena that will serve the club for years to come.

“Last year summertime, we started to realize how bad our arena was getting. A lot of rocks from the base were breaking up and coming to the surface,” Theisen said. “It was hard on our horses’ feet, it was hard if someone fell— they could get a lot more hurt than if you have a nice sandy arena … So I put it on the Vice President, Abby Douglas, to bring in someone to make a new arena.”

“Right now we couldn’t be happier with the arena and how it turned out.” ­ Abby Douglas

Douglas went through the process speaking with various contractors until they found one who could fulfill the Riding Club’s needs. Even though the club was on-the-ball in terms of planning, they still were unsure if they could get the arena finished in time for their first shows.

The new outdoor arena is not only safer for riders and their horses, but it also will allow the Riding Club to host and particpate in more events.

only in a condition conducive to high-caliber riding, it’s also bigger, which allows the club to participate in a wider variety of events.

“We had to change it and make it safe, we also made it larger ... We made [the arena] better my making it 27 meters by 74 versus 25 by 54,” Theisen said. “It fits a fullsized dressage arena in it now, which is nice. It means that we can have second-level tests, or first-level tests that have leg yields, half passes and things like that. So our shows can hopefully be bigger.”

In the end, the Riding Club was quite happy with how the project turned out. But beyond being a physical success, it showed how the Hoofers Riding members can rally together.

“We thought that it was going to be a shot in the dark—that it would be one in a million,” Douglas said. “But we were that one that was thinking we could make it possible.”

“We got the arena actually finished by the time we had the first couple shows, so it was a huge, huge process and really showed how dedicated people are to the club by the amount of work we put in,” Douglas said. “Right now we couldn’t be happier with the arena and how it turned out.”

They managed to meet their goal. And now the arena is not

Any questions about the new arena? Send them to hoofprints@hoofers.org

Learn more about us at

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Hoofprints

SPRING 2013

Scuba

Hoofers Scuba Club swims beneath the ice during the long winter months Hoofers Scuba Club members prepare to submerge themselves for an ice dive.

by Andy Holsteen

O

bviously the winter time is not the peak season for the Scuba Club as the icy lakes of Wisconsin hinder divers from easily going under water. But this doesn’t stop the Hoofers Scuba Club from submerging into Lake Mendota. Even though the lake was frozen, the Scuba Club still participated in ice diving, which, quite honestly, sounds absolutely crazy.

However, scuba diving under the ice isn’t as unorthodox or reckless as one might initially think, according to the Vice President of Local Trips, Joe Timmerman.

“It is more dangerous, but it’s not extremely dangerous,” Timmerman said. “I mean, it’s not as dangerous as a lot of cave [dives] or wreck diving… Obviously, you have to take a lot into consideration because you can’t just pop up to the surface whenever you need to, but it’s not inherently super dangerous.”

Additionally, the Scuba Club’s first priority is to make sure every dive, regardless of type, is done in a safe manner. With

ice diving, this includes always taking extra precautions.

“Everything you learn is how it relates to being safe. You go in and you’re always with somebody, so if anything goes wrong or you run out of a supply of air you can use [theirs],” Timmerman said. “At all times you’re tethered to the surface… so you can either pull on the tether and they’ll pull you in, or if they notice that it seems like you’re not moving anymore and it’s been about as long as you should be under, then they can just pull you out.”

Maybe the first question that comes to mind when someone says they’re scuba diving in a frozen lake is how they plan on staying warm enough while below the surface. There are a few ways members of the Scuba Club go about this.

“For most people, anything under 50 degrees you’ll need a dry suit,” Timmerman said. “One of the guys in the club is crazy and he does ice dives in wet suits—several people do actually I think, I don’t know how. I can’t go anything under 50.”

Simply putting on some extra layers before going under, however, is not enough to make sure that you stay warm enough while ice diving. One also has to consider how cold the air is after getting out of the water.

“We bring out a warming tent with a heater in it… because if you’re diving in a wet suit you need somewhere warm to change in and out of your wet suit,” Timmerman said. “You don’t want to be wet coming out of the water and then strip and be standing in 10-20 degree air.”

All in all, ice diving is an exciting event for the Scuba Club, especially in the off-months of frozen lakes.

Email hoofprints@hoofers.org for more information.

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Hoofprints

SPRING 2013 Outing

Outing Club kayaks through the Ozarks on Spring Break trip The Outing Club went on several excursions over Spring Break, including a kayaking voyage down the Buffalo National River in Arakansas. This was just one of the Outing Club’s Spring Break trips. In the following paragraphs, one of the trip’s participants gives her first-hand stories from this exciting adventure in Arkansas.

Outing Club members kayaking along the Buffalo National River during a Springg Break trip to the Ozarks in the northwestern part of Arkansas.

We ran five kayaks and a solo canoe down three sections: the flatwater section from Buffalo Point to Rush; Ponca to Kyle’s Landing, a Class I run with a few Class II features and a “high clearance, four wheel drive vehicles recommended” shuttle (this described neither of our cars); and finally Boxley to Ponca, a Class I-II run that we opted to run twice.

I found out after the trip that we were very close to our Mountaineering Club brethren at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch­— perhaps we should plan a joint trip in the future! ­ —Caroline Rose

A first-hand account of how things played out in the Ozarks:

T

his Spring Break, six Hoofer paddlers made the trip down to the Ozarks of northwest Arkansas to paddle the Buffalo National River. For the first two cloudy and snow-speckled days, we weren’t sure that Arkansas was any better than Wisconsin, but the sun came out for the next two days, and boy did we appreciate it! We still couldn’t quite call it warm; even with clear, sunny days, we had cold nights and breakfast froze to the sides of our pans.

“I found out after the trip that we were very close to our Mountaineering club brethren...”

Learn more about us at

Hoofers.org

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Hoofprints

Hoofers participates in the 40th American Birkebeiner

SPRING 2013

Ski&Snowboard

by Andy Holsteen

T

he Hoofers Ski and Snowboard club once again had many of its members participate in the annual American Birkebeiner, or “Birkie,” cross country ski race that runs from Cable to Hayward, Wisconsin. This year marked the 40th anniversary of the race, which is the largest event of its kind in North America—drawing about 10,000 participants each year.

Katie Roberts, one of the Nordic Directors for SNS, was one of 34 Hoofers who participated in the most recent Birkie.

The Birkie, which gets its name from the Birkebeinerrennet in Norway—a similar ski event based on an 800-year-old bit of history, when soldiers saved the Norwegian king’s infant son by skiing the baby away during the Norwegian Civil War—is one of only two North American events part of the exclusive Worldloppet Ski Federation, which is a collective of the world’s top cross country ski races.

“It’s more of an experience, I guess, than a race.”

Skiiers finish the American Birkebeiner in downtown Hayward, Wis. The Birkie tradition began in 1973 and now attracts about 10,000 participants every year.

said. “We have a couple guys in the elite wave. They’re a pretty competitive group of people who train all year together and always try to beat each other in the elite wave.”

However, for many participants, the Birkie isn’t about winning or placing at a certain level. It’s more about being there.

“It’s more of an experience, I guess, than a race,” Roberts said.

“It’s kind of crazy, at first you have to [weave] your way through everyone, and try not to trip over somebody’s pole,” Roberts said. “So it’s kind of a lot of skill in that respect, you can’t be sloppy with your technique. But once you get out 20-ish km, then it starts thinning out … It’s more of a peaceful, less intense thing—just you in the woods.”

Since the Birkie is a just a bit over 50 kilometers long, it takes dedication and training to complete the race, much less be competitive with it. Still, several Hoofers members push themselves to be in the thick of the race.

“A lot of people on the team ski it competitively,” Roberts

Because of this, the Birkie is an event for more than just SNS. It attracts members from all corners of Hoofers because of its prominence.

“We get some people from other clubs who will come do the Birkie,” Roberts said. “Some people from the sailing team will do it. It’s really Nordic’s kind of defining thing within the SNS Exec. Board—that’s the one thing they know we’re doing, like ‘Oh the Birkie’s in two weeks.’”

An event that heralds international prominence is certainly something that the SNS club can look forward to competing in every year.

Send Birkie inquiries to hoofprints@hoofers.org

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