Hawkeye Badger Video Golf

(L-R: Rahfeldt, Blaker, Engelbert, Porteus)

Quickly becoming a tradition, the Iowa and Wisconsin Video Staffs met for at least the fourth straight year in a battle on the links. The destination has been Lacoma Golf Course in East Dubuque, Illinois and this year's event was the first time even numbered groups represented each school. Bob Rahfeldt and I sported the Black and Gold while Rob Porteus and David "Big D" Blaker took the drive south on 151.

Scoring took on two different looks. A competition of best scores among the four took precedence as well as low ball / low score. The latter provided little drama as the Hawkeyes had that wrapped up by hole 14.

However the low individual score wasn't know until the final holes. But Porteus was unable to overcome a four shot deficit with three holes to play. He did close the gap finishing two strokes behind Engelbert of Iowa.

This will be the last time the four will be united for the 2011 season. As the Big Ten shifts to divisional play, the Hawkeyes and the Badgers are separated with the only possible meeting coming in Indianapolis, December 3rd for the Big Ten Football Championship. On this day, the Heartland Trophy was not at stake, although the group from Iowa rushed across the 18th green looking to hoist the travelling trophy and return it to Iowa City.

A New Video Era



Matt from Iowa alongside Big D and Ryan from Wisconsin

 Many of you have already heard of the recent tragedy at Notre Dame involving a video student losing their life when the scissor lift they were shooting practice from tipped over in winds totally 50mph. My sympathies and those of my video staff are extended to the family of the student as well as the Notre Dame Video Staff.

Much of what I wanted to say has been covered in a recent article on ESPN.com. Being a member of a college video staff can at times be anonymous. We are those who hide behind the cameras, rarely being seen in front of those. While many have their eyes on the on-field action, there are those recording every move of the players, seemingly non-stop throughout a practice or a game. That footage is edited and shared out to coaches and players on your own team, and games are exchanged with teams throughout the conference and country.

While many eyes constantly play, replay and review each play over and over, it is a small group of people that watch their footage. Coaches and players are the target audience for this video, but fans rarely get a glimpse of this behind the scenes world.

This tragedy strikes very close to home. While I did not know the young man who lost his life, I do know his immediate boss. He has been at Notre Dame for as long as I've been at Iowa--around twenty years. All of us in the profession have been atop those lifts getting everything a coach would want to make his team better. And whether or not we continue to get into scissor lifts, boom lifts or other shooting towers, we send other students up to capture every step, route, punt and hit. When I began working at Iowa the saying was, "Whatever the Hawkeyes are doing, we're shooting it." Big Brother we became.

The unique part of the job is the comraderie that binds video staffs across the county. Coaches may like one another, but they also want to beat their fellow friend. But in our profession our rivalries must be put aside as it is important to help one another out. We need our opponent's video as they need ours. And in the process of helping one another out, we become friends with each other.

This two-week period on the schedule features Wisconsin and Michigan State. Our team goal is to win the game, but at Iowa we share a booth as well as assisting each other to ensure they can do their job quickly, efficiently and correctly. And at the same time, we form a bond of friendship. Some greater than others, but for these consecutive weeks we host two staffs we consider friends and not opponents.

For those who follow this blog know Wisconsin's and our video staffs meet in Dubuque every Summer for a friendly, yet competitive game of golf. A lot of fun is had on that day, and that continues over to a great time in the booth during a game. Michigan State will also provide a fun experience within the booth on Saturday regardless of the outcome of the game.

Tomorrow when Iowa and Michigan State put their cameras atop their tripods, nothing will have changed. I will be standing next to MSU's Tom and our students will be in the end zones side by side. That is our normal. We will be thinking of what those in South Bend must be going through as their normal will never be that again.

Game Time - Wisconsin

The Hawkeyes took a 6-0 record into one of the Big Ten's toughest environments. The battle between border states is also for the Heartland Trophy. It is a bull that came to be before the 2004 game in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes won the game, kept the trophy and became one of two teams in the country to be 7-0 in 2009.

The team emerges from the locker room for pre game warm ups. The seats at the far end of Camp Randall are reserved for the UW students. "Bucky's Creatures" are very fashionably late to Badger football games. On this day the seats weren't completely full until early 2nd quarter.

Bret Bielema, a former Hawkeye football player and coach now leads the Badger football program. Bret and I have been friends since our freshman year at Iowa. He also was one of my groomsmen at my wedding. (Photo Courtesy Erick Tjarks).

History was set on this day at Wisconsin. For the first time the opponents were allowed to share the home video booth. David "Big D" Blaker allowed us to shoot from his booth, just feet from our designated location.

The University of Wisconsin Band, among the nation's best, plays their popular fight song, "On Wisconsin."

At the end of the 3rd quarter at Camp Randall the Wisconsin fans "Jump Around." We, as video guys decided to join in.

Leading Up to Game Time - Wisconsin

October may be the best time to travel to Madison. The foliage is at its peak, and the crisp Autumn temperatures allow for the full aroma of the brat grills set-up outside Camp Randall Stadium. It is a very easy trip from Iowa City to Madison. Except for a 20 mile trek on Highway 1, it is literally US Highway 151 all the way to the Stadium.

While the sign Welcomes you to Wisconsin, many Badger fans feel otherwise. A popular afternoon radio show host on "The Big 1070" informed the listeners that he "hate(s) Iowa."

The trip is only three hours long, but Iowa Video Student Erick Tjarks finds it hard to stay awake.

 On Capital Square is a popular Madison night spot. The Old Fashioned was full of Badger Homecoming enthusiasts.

 It was the UW Video Staff along side the Iowa Video Staff at the Old Fashioned. Pictured are David Blaker, Rob Porteus and Ryan O'Donnell from the Badgers. I am joined by a Iowa Video Staff Alum, Heather Van Peursem (right) and her friend Brit.

 The State Capitol of Wisconsin.

 The sun rises early on Camp Randall Stadium. Arriving to the stadium two hours prior to the team's arrival, support staff get the stadium prepared for the game. It was a quick turnaround for the Iowa team managers. The night before they were crushed by the Wisconsin managers, 37-6 in the annual battle for the toolbox.

Among the many lakes within the Madison city limits, Lake Mendota is nearest to Camp Randall Stadium, located just blocks from the home of the Badgers.

Of course tailgating is popular around the stadium. Here cars are squeezed into the adjoining neighborhood. Grills are as popular as the cool beverages being consumed.

Hawkeyes - Badgers...on the Golf Course

Members of the Iowa and Wisconsin video staffs met each other for a round of golf in East Dubuque, Illinois. This is the most neutral site the staffs could agree upon. In the end the team from Iowa City was victorious.

(L-R) Matthew Engelbert (IOWA), David Blaker (Wisconsin), Ryan O'Donnell (Wisconsin), Kyle Yoder (IOWA), John Mills (XOS Technologies and mutual colleague), Rob Porteus (Wisconsin)
Competition was fierce. That same desire brought out the best, and sometimes worst, in each players game.

Rob Porteus addresses the ball on Lacoma's hole two. Threatening skies followed the golfers all round long. Due to heavy rain early in the morning Lacoma only offered their 9 hole course for play. Weather limited play to nine holes.

A young baby bird watches intently as the players tee off on hole four.