This year, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse held its annual Family Weekend from Oct. 4 – Oct. 6. Throughout the weekend parents and students could attend a wide spread of events put on by the university such as bingo, karaoke, movie night and a variety of UWL sports games.
Among these games was the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) conference football season opener against UW-Platteville. The game drew a big crowd as it honored new Wall of Fame inductees, coincided with UWL’s homecoming game and fell on Family Weekend. The game against the Pioneers was also an avenue to honor the 25-year anniversary of the 1999 football team who secured a WIAC championship.
Before the game, friends, family and fans gathered outside Roger Harring Stadium to tailgate. The parking lot was full of Eagles fans wearing UWL merchandise and flags propped up high on top of cars. Amidst the fans, some family members and alumni shared their thoughts on the weekend.
For Deb Albee, a big part of Family Weekend is the connection it brings with her children.
“I love getting to see my kids. We don’t live real close so we don’t get to see them as often as we’d like… It’s nice to be here,” Albee said.
Throughout the tailgate families could be found cooking food, playing games and enjoying each other’s company. Other UWL sports teams such as women’s basketball, volleyball and gymnastics were also in attendance in support of the football team.
Kris Sprangers, mother of basketball player Ali Sprangers, said, “I’m going to watch the football game, I watched the volleyball game last night and am just trying to support all the different teams because I know they support the women’s basketball team,” Sprangers said.
Two constant topics voiced throughout the day were the community feeling and the weather. With blue skies and temperatures reaching 79 degrees, Eagle fans couldn’t say enough about the gorgeous day.
“I mean how do you beat this weather in October?” Chris Peterson said.
Peterson and his wife Jaime are both UWL alumni. They completed their undergraduate degrees in 1999 and their graduate degrees in 2003. Jaime was a member of the gymnastics program and was able to reconnect with the team through this weekend’s tailgate. Currently their child is continuing the family tradition of attending UWL and is an active member of the Screaming Eagles Marching Band.
“I just think that as a part of the UW System, La Crosse is just so hard to beat, it’s a top-notch school,” Peterson said.
The Racquet Press was able to reconnect with Robin Winters from last year’s article. Winters and her husband still enjoy the Family Weekend Tailgate tradition and are enthusiastic about watching their sons, Aaron and Nicholas Winters, play.
“We put up the tent when we got here at 8:30 this morning… we love to get the parents all together and get everyone mingling… the cameraderie between everyone is just amazing,” Winters said.
Winters’ efforts of setting up do not go unnoticed. Parents and friends of the football team couldn’t stop talking about the welcoming and familial feeling emanating from the crowd.
“Our home games always feel like Family Weekend because this is a family within the game… it’s fun to see an extra swell of family members come in,” Brenda Schanhofer, football player Bodie Schanhofer’s mom, said.
Although the Eagles were unable to clinch a win, the game brought people together to celebrate UWL through food, family and fun.
