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Whitewater Going Back to the National Championship

Football. Something that most people enjoy seeing live, watching from the comfort of their own home, or in Jim Barber and John Gregory’s cases, announcing football games.

This weekend the UW-Whitewater Warhawks took on the St. John University Johnnies in one of two division three semi-final games before the Amos Stagg Bowl game. In a game that was very heavy offensively for both teams, Whitewater had just the better game plan into it.

“It is one of those atmospheres that you walk into and you know that this stadium can hold it.” Jim Barber, play-by-play announcer for the game said before kick-off.

It has been a long time since ESPN has been in Whitewater for any playoff game, but they still know how to show up and support their team, no matter the weather, but we all know about the weather in Wisconsin can be interesting some days.

But working for ESPN was not only a rewarding experience, but a fun time for all involved, no matter where or what department they were helping. Some students got to work directly with ESPN, some worked with the replay team, and some even worked with UWW Athletics.

The atmosphere at Whitewater is something that is special for all that are able to attend, and even more fun. With the reputation that they have at home, it was a good place to host the game before the biggest game of the season. It goes to show that there is something to home-field advantage.

With UWW-TV covering the first two football games of the playoffs, the first one against Monmouth and the second against Wartburg. Then the team traveled to Texas to take on Mary Hardin-Baylor, the defending division three champion, in the Quarterfinals and had one of the greatest upsets in this postseason, only right behind Mount Union, the number one team in the division three top 25 rankings, were upset at home.

“Seeing the transition from our (UWW-TV) production to the professional (ESPN) production, it is crazy to see how similar they are but still how different it is as well.” Tyler Scheuermann, a student worker for UWW-TV said.

Determination. This one word could easily define the team and show the potential that this team has this entire season. After seeing this game and showing this team that there is only one more game for some of these players, it is now or never for this Whitewater team.

Charlie Berens: The Wisconsin Spokesperson

When you hear the name Charlie Berens, people instantly go to the Manitowoc Minute. He is that guy that shares the news of Wisconsin and even some other videos like travel guides, or just funny Wisconsin sayings.

But that hasn’t always been the case. When he first started out in the industry, it makes you laugh like the videos.

Berens started working while in college at UW-Madison, when he worked for MTV for their political show Choose or Lose. This consisted of writing a story or recording a video once a week on campus about the political climate there.

After graduating, Berens moved to Los Angeles and worked for a production company as an assistant. Basically, he was the guy that went and got the coffee all the time.

While working there, he started making his own videos and was interviewing actors that he came across during his time with the company. Berens then edited these videos with all the equipment that he had access to with the company.

Seeing how this was working for him, he then went on to South Carolina to work for a company to produce videos for a company that went through YouTube. With this, he was able to combine his passion for this craft and comedy and post these videos.

With all the success that Berens had here, he then went on to work for a TV station in Texas, where they wanted to combine the comedy and news to make news clips. He went on to win an Emmy for the success of these clips.

When the news stream figured that they couldn’t combine news and comedy, so Berens was let go. He then found work as a red-carpet host but knew that wasn’t going to last long in his career.

“I took all the negative stuff news directors said about me and made this character” said Berens.

While in Texas, he hired a voice coach to help him hide his Wisconsin accent and become more neutral. This helped Berens hide his accent but, he was able to turn that into a comedy bit that has made him a well-known name in the country.

“Having an understanding of the state, because he is from the state, and not just a mocking of the state, really shows you how much he loves the state” said Sami Huggins, a fan of his work.

With Berens becoming the face of Wisconsin, no wonder why he chooses to “poke fun” at the Wisconsin accent and show how fun our state can be.

About the author

My name is Kim Reinders and I am a junior studying Journalism with an emphasis in Broadcast/Print/Web with a minor in Sports and Experiential Marketing. After graduation, I would love to get a job in a TV stations’ sports department or a sideline reporter for baseball or even football. In my time here at Whitewater, I have worked at the campus TV station UWW-TV and have received awards in some of the sports programming here, including one for a softball game I was announcing and the football pregame show. In the summer of ’19 I worked for the Lakeshore Chinooks baseball team, who are a member of the Northwoods League, as a Media and Video Production intern which meant I got to help out with all the camera work and some days I might run the video board too.

When I’m not here for school or working a sporting event with the TV station, I’m most likely to be back home working with my dairy cows and getting ready for shows. I used to be a member of 4-H which is a way for the community to come together and work towards making it a better place. I still go back and volunteer at the county level in that I was the PA announcer for the dairy show. I also used to show at the Wisconsin State Fair with my dairy cows and my clothing that I also made as well (just never at the same time). I still go back and volunteer with the kids that are going to state fair as well and see how far they make it in their respective shows. I also love just wasting the day by watching Netflix or in the kitchen baking something good (my chocolate chip cookies are pretty good).

In case it was missed, I’m a home bred and raised Wisconsinite; I come from a place called Jackson, WI which is about 45 minutes from Milwaukee so any time I get the chance to go to a Brewers game or a Packers game I’m all for it. When it comes to favorite sports and the teams too, I love the Brewers as well as the Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox, and the Oakland A’s. Football is a sport that I love both the college level and the professional level as well but it’s the Packers and the Cleveland Browns pro wise and the Wisconsin Badgers and the Whitewater Warhawks for the college level. College basketball is better than the NBA (I know I’m outnumbered there) but I love watching the Wisconsin Badgers, Marquette Golden Eagles, and the Kentucky Wildcats.