‘Many individuals. One heartbeat.’
December 31, 2016 | Football, Andy Baggot
Badgers’ sharing of quotes helped team build camaraderie and deeper trust
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BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
DALLAS, Texas — The moment was important enough to Olive Sagapolu that the sophomore nose tackle for the Wisconsin football team called his mother for help.
In an exercise that goes back to early August and the start of preseason training camp, UW coach Paul Chryst has had his veteran players stand up at the team meeting and present a meaningful thought that reflects the tone of the day.
Sagapolu's turn at the large white board in the cavernous Camp Randall Stadium meeting room came at a critical juncture of the season.
It was a Tuesday, so it was the start of an intense week of practice.
It was Oct. 11, which meant the Badgers were coming off their only bye and were smack dab in the middle of their most daunting stretch of the season.
It was a delicate emotional time for everyone in the room because UW was coming off its first loss, a narrow Big Ten Conference setback at fourth-rated Michigan, and was preparing to face second-ranked Ohio State at home.
Knowing he would stand before his teammates for the first time, Sagapolu called home to Huntington Beach, California, and spoke with his mom, Tulimalefo'l. He told her what he wanted to say and asked her for the Samoan translation.
When the appointed time came that afternoon, Sagapolu stood up, took grease pen in hand and wrote "La tatou loto gatasi."
It means, "Many individuals, one heartbeat."
It was one of many memorable quotes that came to life throughout a season that will end Monday when the eighth-ranked Badgers (10-3 overall) hook up with 12th-rated Western Michigan (13-0) in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium.
Chryst introduced the pre-practice exercise after taking over the program at his alma mater in 2015. He said its primary intent is to provide the players with insight into their teammates.
"The quotes, the messages, they facilitate something more," he said. "What I've seen is guys feeling comfortable in front of their teammates and there's been windows of opportunity to see who their teammate is."
In the case of Sagapolu, soft-spoken and imposing at 6-foot-2 and 340 pounds, they saw a man who clearly cherishes the bond that comes from sharing a journey.
"Outside of football, we're brothers, we're sons, we're cousins," he said. "But inside this room, we're one heartbeat.
"We have to play together as one and that's how you win the day."
Assigned seats in the meeting room dictate the order of speakers, although Chryst is closing out the season by randomly choosing the presenter. Freshmen are observers for now; they'll become more involved next season.
Ross Kolodziej, the UW strength and conditioning coach, took it upon himself to write down each player's quote in a notebook.
The first installment for this season is dated Aug. 8. Senior outside linebacker and co-captain Vince Biegel did the honors.
"The struggle you're in today," he wrote, "is developing the strength you need for tomorrow."
A series of senior presenters followed.
Cornerback Sojourn Shelton: "If you don't believe in yourself, no one else will."
Tailback Corey Clement: "Anything outside of today will be a distraction, so stay in the moment and let's worry about the now."
Quarterback Bart Houston: "How do you start being dependable?"
Tailback and co-captain Dare Ogunbowale wrote simply: "Sept. 3."
That was the date of the season opener vs. LSU at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, an outing that helped set the stage for a season of pleasant surprises.
Unranked Wisconsin rallied in the fourth quarter for a 16-14 victory over the Tigers, who came into the duel ranked fifth and wearing the mantle of national title contender.
Senior kicker Andrew Endicott weighed in with a timely message two days before that nationally-televised game.
"Confidence is contagious," he wrote Sept. 1. "So is lack of confidence."
By the time the Badgers got here to Dallas to participate in their 15th consecutive bowl, they faced six top-10 opponents — winning three times — on the way to securing the Big Ten West Division championship.
Some of the quotes were poignant.
Sophomore inside linebacker Chris Orr suffered a season-ending knee injury on the initial defensive snap of the season. His first presentation to teammates Sept. 28 was emotional.
"Embrace it ALL!" he wrote.
Some of the quotes were serious.
"The opportunity of a lifetime lasts as long as the lifetime of the opportunity," junior cornerback Lubern Figaro wrote Sept. 12.
"When you feel like quitting, think about why you started," Biegel wrote Oct. 25.
"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right," junior left tackle Ryan Ramczyk said Nov. 10.
Some of the quotes were thought-provoking.
Junior tight end Troy Fumagalli walked up to the board Aug. 25 and simply scrawled a set of quote marks. His point: "Be men of action," he said.
"Begin with the end in mind," sophomore defensive end Billy Hirschfeld wrote Sept. 21.
"Do not mistake activity for achievement," junior nose tackle Conor Sheehy wrote Nov. 24.
Some of the quotes were heartfelt.
"I am my brother's keeper," senior wide receiver Rob Wheelwright wrote on Aug. 18.
Some used video to support their project.
Senior safety Leo Musso had a clip of former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson saying, "I don't try to intimidate anybody before a fight. That's nonsense. I intimidate people by hitting them."
Wheelwright said he and his teammates look forward to the meetings and the presentations.
"I love quotes," he said. "I love hearing them and the story behind them and how people correlate them to football is even better."
Houston said one of the best parts of the exercise is seeing the personalities come to life.
"It's always looked forward to," he said of the moment. "Some guys are a little funnier with the way they present it, but they always get the message across."
It seems clear that the players put considerable time and effort into their quotes.
"They know when their day's coming and I think they value it enough to want to have genuine thought behind it," Chryst said.
"There are a lot of them that stand out," Sheehy said. "I think every guy does a good job of putting a good thought into it and making it their own."
Sheehy said he's always on the lookout for a quote or saying that will resonate with the room.
"There's stuff that can apply to specific games or situations that we're going to be in," he said. "But there's always overlying themes that go throughout the entire season that we have to be aware of."
How does the exercise help?
"Guys going up there and showing their personality, you listen to the guys talk and you get to hear their motivation," Wheelwright said.
"Words only do so much, obviously," Sheehy said, "but it's nice to have a jump start to the day every day because it gets you thinking."
Not everyone feels comfortable the first time they stand up and face the team. Houston, the starter in four games this season, recalls having butterflies before his speaking debut last season.
"There's a little anxiety at first," he said. "I'm not that big as a public speaker, so speaking in front of the team is a little nerve-wracking.
"It's just the guys, but there's some anxiety until you get up there and start talking and it flows."
Chryst remembers some advice he gave to Shelton, a fearless pass defender on the field who was worried about how he'd come across speaking to his teammates off of it.
"You don't have to be right," Chryst said. "There's no one grading it. Just be authentic."
Sagapolu said a theme seemed to emerge this season.
"At the end of the day each quote means the same thing: Win the day," he said. "Have fun with everything you're doing and take advantage of every snap because who knows when it may be your last."
Those in the UW locker room insist they have a strong sense of chemistry. They believe in one another. They believe in one heartbeat. They believe activities like this help in that regard.
"We're definitely closer and it definitely gets us thinking about the team in other ways just than football," Houston said. "We've all learned a bunch of life lessons out of the game from each other. This is a way of saying it."
