in the Swiss mountains
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| UWP volleyball reached new heights in the Swiss mountains |
The University of Wisconsin-Platteville football and volleyball teams had exceptional experiences during their 11-day trip to Europe, the coaches of the two teams said.
"It was an exceptional trip, especially for the students," Head Football Coach Mike Emendorfer said. "The main purpose is to expose the students to different cultures and ways of living and expose them to things they may never get a chance to see in their lifetimes otherwise. In today's world, which is much more international, this also benefits them professionally. The whole trip is centered around the students. My best experience is watching the students coming away with eyes light up when they see something and the emotion that comes with them seeing Dachau, the concentration camp. As an educator, I feel we supplied our students with an educational experience and also a fun experience in traveling together as teammates."
Emendorfer and Volleyball Coach Deb Schulman led a 134-person Pioneer contingent to Switzerland, France and Germany May 20-31. They returned with a lifetime of memories.
"It was a fantastic trip," Schulman said. "It was a great way to have team bonding, being together so long in other countries and experiencing other cultures. The sight-seeing was unbelievable, and the matches were outstanding. We lost the first match to a club team (Club Voleya Obwalden May 23rd in Giswil, Switzerland ) that had a very good outside hitter, but it was a great experience. The gym was tiny, so fans were close and it made for a neat atmosphere. In the second match against the Waldenberg mixture of teams, the atmosphere was kind of like our Homecoming Yell match. It was so loud, with everyone chanting. It was like overseas soccer. Everyone who came out of that match, even though we lost the fifth game 16-14, was thrilled with the atmosphere and the competitiveness of the matches. It will be a trip they will be talking about for a long time."
The football Pioneers overwhelmed a young Swiss team in a scrimmage then beat the Schwaebisch Hall Unicorns 43-22 on May 26. The game was a rematch of the 2003 game contested in Pioneer assistant coach Ulz Daeuber's hometown. Mike Gensliger and Craig Patterson each scored twice, while Tyson Droessler and Tim Sommers scored once against the Unicorns. Terry Belville threw a pair of TD passes, while Ryan Munz threw one. David Pietrowiak picked off two passes to lead the defense. The final stats, however, were not important to the coach.
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| The Pioneers battle Club Voleya Obwalden |
"We went there because of football, but it was secondary," Emendorfer said. "I wanted the players to enjoy the game and understand they are ambassadors of the game. Over there, American football is still in the growing stages. We have to show them, and present to them, one of the greatest games of all, in my opinion. While we're playing the game, it was important to perform at a high level and be fundamentally sound, but the scoreboard did not dedicate the success of the trip. We came out ahead but that was not our main objective."
One of the highlights, ironically, came from the Unicorns. Former Pioneer receiver Max Seroogy joined Schwaebisch Hall in 2006 and caught a pair of scoring passes against his alma mater.
"As I stood on the sidelines and watched Max score two touchdowns against us, I was kind of excited because a Pioneer scored," Emendorfer said. "I took great pride in that I did a home visit with Max (in Rice Lake, Wis.) and was his primary recruiter to UW-Platteville. He also went on the 2003 trip, and it was exciting to see that the trip continues to pay off. Max is always going to be a Pioneer in our hearts."
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| Sightseeing was a popular activity |
Both coaches said the trip, besides providing the incredible experiences, will help with their upcoming seasons. The UWP volleyball team is coming off a 26-11 season that saw the Pioneers nationally ranked for most of the season. Eleven returners made the trip overseas.
"Our team will be closer," Schulman said. "The added practices were nice, especially with the young team. Our players learned to rely on each other more. They had to help each other communicate with waiters and waitresses and during the matches with the officials and the other teams. To see them learning to trust their teammates like that was very cool."
The football Pioneers return 16 starters from last year's 5-5 club.
"We didn't have our whole team (in Europe), but the group that went over there got to know each other much better on a personal level, which a lot of times you don't get to do," Emendorfer said. "They had to stick together, being in a foreign country and traveling together. There was the security of the buddy system, and I think that will translate over to August. It's a great starting point for the 2007 season."
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