Olympic Speedskater Returns to Milwaukee for Training Camp

by Jules Da Costa, age 14

Erin Jackson is a skater for the U.S. national team. Her feats are incredible and she continues to impress many more with her skills on the ice.

Jackson, a 30-year-old speedskater from Ocala, Florida, returns to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the U.S. Championships. The U.S. team had previously gone to Milwaukee for a training camp in September 2022. Jackson has represented the U.S. on their national team in Olympic inline speedskating, roller derby, and long-track speedskating. Upon returning to Milwaukee, Jackson said she enjoyed being back, this time with a very different experience from the last due to the lack of COVID-19 restrictions.

During the Olympic trials, Jackson made a mistake that cost her a spot in the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Thankfully, her friend Brittany Bowe gave up her spot so that Jackson could compete in the Olympics. This gave Jackson the opportunity to make Bowe proud by winning gold in the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games. However, this was not Jackson’s first time participating in the Olympic games. Two years after her graduation from the University of Florida Honors Program in 2015, she switched from inline speedskating to speedskating on ice. Shortly after this switch, she qualified for the 2018 Winter Olympics. [Read More]

The End of Brazil's Soccer "Golden Age"

by Moore Vang, age 14

Brazil’s national team has had many achievements, beginning with winning their first-ever World Cup in 1958. Illustrator John Mulliken from Sports Illustrated wrote about their win saying, “Brazil itself went wild.” Brazil may have looked impressive, but in some people's eyes that was not the case. The French leader by the name of Charles de Gaulle in 1963 stated, “Brazil, that is not a serious country.” During this time many people doubted Brazil, but Brazil was very ambitious about soccer.

The sport first came to Brazil in 1894. The game originally came from Britain but spread to people of the lower class. A breakthrough came in 1923, when a club founded by Portuguese bankers in 1898 allowed poor black players to join their club. They went on to win a city championship that same year.

From 1938 to the 1990’s, Brazil experienced a golden era of soccer. In that time, it strengthened Brazil’s national identity. It even hosted the 1950 World Cup at the Rio Stadium, which was the world’s largest at the time. Even with the team’s great soccer skills, the country was still criticized as an underdeveloped nation. The sport of soccer elevated Brazil to a high level in the second half of the 20th century. [Read More]

More than Just a Basketball Star, Bill Russell Helped Change America

by Makya Rodriguez, age 17

Bill Russell was a huge representation of the Black community, a good friend of Martin Luther King Jr., and a great leader in basketball. Russell was able to show respect for the sport in and out of the court. At a young age, he was able to outshine others in basketball.

Bill Russell was tall, fast, and smart. He played basketball in high school, and college and even led his team in the Olympics of 1956, right before he joined the NBA to play with the Boston Celtics. Bill Russell attended and played at the University of San Francisco during his time there. He didn't stand out at first until his senior year when scouts were looking to draft him. Before that, Bill Russell had one initial goal in mind: to play for the U.S. Olympics in basketball. Russell played in the summer of 1956 in Australia for the U.S team, going 8-0 winning the Gold Medal.

To many, Russel stood out mostly due to his unique playing style. Russell played a central position in the sport. He was not as big and strong as other centers, but his success came from his teamwork, rebounding, and other skills. He also learned to have a different defensive play style than other centers. Instead of focusing on defending the other team's centers, he would utilize his speed advantage and height to defend the other team's forwards and block their shots. [Read More]

WNBA Basketball Might be Coming to Milwaukee

by Owen Ayite-Atayi, age 15

LeRoy Butler is a former Green Bay Packers player and is very well known in Wisconsin. Butler played for the Packers for 12 years and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was a phenomenal player and helped the Packers win the Super Bowl in 1996.

After Butler finished his football career, he wanted to make a leading effort to try to establish a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team in Wisconsin. The WNBA currently has 12 teams and is looking to add on more as seasons continue. The league was established on April 14, 1996, by David Stern, the commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA). According to The Athletic, Milwaukee is one of many cities that is in consideration to add to the WNBA.

A group that is controlled by Butler is trying to raise 100 million to prove to the WNBA that Milwaukee is dedicated to starting a new and healthy WNBA franchise. [Read More]

Greatest Game in Football History? The 1967 Ice Bowl!

by Jacob Dunn, age 12

The “Ice Bowl” was a Green Bay Packers football game that forever left its imprint on NFL history. It is also one of the most important sporting events in Wisconsin history.

On Sunday, December 31, 1967 the Packers and Dallas Cowboys were set to play in the league championship game for the second year in a row. However, cold weather conditions came out of nowhere overnight. Temperatures fell quickly and by game time it was -16 degrees with cold and brutal winds.

The Saturday before the game, two television networks came to broadcast the game to national audiences. The city of Green Bay was packed with people who labeled the city “Titletown USA” because the Packers had won the previous two titles. Now they were looking for their third straight championship. [Read More]

How the Milwaukee Bucks Won Their First Championship

by Owen Ayite-Atayi, age 14

The National Basketball Association, informally known as the NBA, has featured lots of fascinating teams and players over the years. Most people know about the Milwaukee Bucks because they won the championship in 2021. But many of the team’s current fans are not familiar with the team’s rich basketball history.

The Milwaukee Bucks started as an expansion franchise in 1968. Like most first-year teams, they were not very good. Then, in 1969, the team drafted a player named Kareem Abdul Jabbar. [Read More]