Wisconsinites In Sochi, Arts & The Economy, State News Update

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Supporters of a new bi-partisan bill say investing in the arts could help the state economy. Find out how when Veronica Rueckert and Mike Arnold talk with the director of Arts Wisconsin. Then, the Winter Olympics begin today and Wisconsin is well represented on men’s and women’s hockey.

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  • Wisconsin Olympians To Watch In Sochi Games

    The 2014 Winter Olympics are officially underway in Sochi, Russia, as the opening ceremony began earlier on Friday and featured athletes from 88 countries.

    Wisconsin is historically well represented in the winter games, particularly in hockey and curling, and 2014 is no different than in the past.

    Wisconsin State Journal sports reporter Andy Baggot said that the Badger state has a long history of contributing athletes.

    “Whether or not athletics comes out of the snow, whether it comes out of the ice, we here in Wisconsin tend to have the pleasure of seeing athletes that are involved in winter sports: In hockey, curling, speed skating, you name it. Wisconsin athletes have come to the forefront here in the last several decades.”

    So, who should we be watching for during the games?

    There are four athletes from the University of Wisconsin on the men’s hockey team and four UW female athletes on the women’s hockey team, representing the U.S. There are also two Madisonians — brother and sister Phil and Amanda Kessel — playing hockey for Team USA. The Badger state has a deep history with Olympic hockey, both on the men’s and women’s teams.

    When asked why Wisconsin produces so many Olympic hockey players, Baggot said it’s the strength of Wisconsin’s programs.

    “(We have) really traditionally strong programs. Coincidentally, the coach of the women’s team in Wisconsin (at UW-Madison) is Mark Johnson, who was one of the heroes of the ‘Miracle on Ice’ in 1980,” Baggit said. “His legacy lives on with his players … A lot of it comes from the fact that both programs, the men’s and the women’s programs here, embrace the Olympic legacy and they have very good coaches that turn out players that are worthy of playing for their country.”

    Another sport full of Wisconsin athletes is speed skating. Baggot said there will always be a connection between Olympic speed-skating and Wisconsin because of the Olympic skating oval in West Allis. He said a lot of athletes come to this area to train for the games.

    The reporter will be watching skater Tucker Fredricks, who grew up in Janesville and is the American record-holder in the 500-meter competition.

    Baggot has one other athlete to watch: Madison native Erika Brown. She was the youngest member of the American curling team in the Calgary Olympics in 1988 and she’s competing in her third Winter Olympics this year.

  • Wisconsinites In Sochi

    The Winter Olympics begin with the opening ceremony in Sochi today. We look at the athletes representing Wisconsin on team USA.

  • Creative Economy Development Initiative In Wisconsin

    A new bill in Wisconsin would support workforce development, jobs training, and idea generation around the arts and cultural tourism in Wisconsin. A guest from Arts Wisconsin explains how this bill would help Wisconsin’s economy and why we need it.

  • State News Round-Up For February 7, 2014

    News Director Michael Leland joins us for a look at the top Wisconsin news stories of the week.

Episode Credits

  • Mike Arnold Host
  • Veronica Rueckert Host
  • Rob Ferrett Host
  • Galen Druke Producer
  • Amanda Magnus Producer
  • Andy Baggot Guest
  • Anne Katz Guest
  • Michael Leland Guest